Since the Mets will be (hopefully) playing 60 games, what were the team's two best 60 game stretches ever?
In 1969, the Mets (including the playoffs) won 45 of their last 60...and the first 3 of those 60 (August 11-13, 1969) were losses to Houston!
At that point, it seemed the Mets' pennant hopes had collapsed. Those losses left them 10 games out.
By season's end, they had turned that 62-51 record into a 100-62 season, and an 8 game margin of victory.
In the playoffs, they dismissed Hank Aaron and the Robinson boys of Atlanta and Baltimore by winning 7 of 8.
So, they actually won 45 of their last 57 that year.
Simply amazing.
In 1986, they came close to that pace.
I told my Mets fan boss that the Mets would win 105 games in 1986, not a crazy number, considering they won 98 the year prior. My boss thought I was nuts.
Five games later, when the Mets were 2-3, he reminded me again that I was nuts.
I said it was early.
They promptly won 18 of their next 19 to move out to a 20-4 record and a 5 game lead. He no longer thought I was nuts.
Even though I still am.
After their 2-3 start, they went 44-16 over their next 60 games, blowing away the division, with a 10 game lead.
They ultimately won 108 games and were 21.5 games better than the second place squad.
Oddly, the Mets' lone weak streak in 1986 was the same timeframe as the launch in 1969 of their 18 game turnaround: from August 12 to August 16, the Mets lost 6 of 7.
In that period, the Mets lost 4 straight to the Cardinals, but the Cardinals needed to win all 6 in (yes) the 6 game series, but were unable to, so when the Mets won the finale of the 6 game series, they retained a 16.5 game lead and coasted home.
They didn't coast through the playoffs. But they won.
Interesting that the Mets' two world champion seasons coincided with their two best 60 game stretches ever.
Sixty game records like that are extremely rare.
Even in the Mets' miraculous comeback season of 2015, they were "only" 38-22 by comparison to finish the season. And their best stretch that year was from game 97-156 (40-20).
That 40-20 winning % (.667) was the same % as the Mets had for the entire 108-54 season in 1986.
Anway….May the Mets go 45-15 in 2020.
You realize that a 45-15 Mets finish will increase the price the Wilpons will expect for the club and a hot start will most definitely forestall the transfer of ownership.
ReplyDeleteReese, then we need an 0-10 start followed by a 50 game winning streak, followed by a sweep of all playoff games. Have the Wilpons unfurl the white flag and sell after game 10.
ReplyDelete