Baseball is an extremely difficult game that is more often defined by failure than it is by success. There is that famous line that a great hitter fails 70% of the time while posting a .300 average. Baseball fans sometimes struggle with that reality, and they agonize over every strikeout, every ground ball double play with one out and the bases loaded, and every 3-2 pitch in the dirt.
For those fans that are hearty enough to endure the failures, success is oh, so sweet! Mets fans have experienced that very much lately. That Atlanta series that started with a heartbreaking loss and then a weather cancellation which was followed by dropping two of three from Milwaukee had fans “enduring” some failed opportunities, but the dramatic win back in Atlanta to clinch a playoff berth was oh, so sweet! Then came the playoff series with the Brewers and the first-ever playoff series with the Phillies. Oh, so sweet!
The 44,103 roaring fans in Citi Field last night deserved the sweet rewards of victory because they have endured so many difficult seasons but stuck with this team. Yes they whined and moaned a bit, especially during an oh-so-close 2022 season and that dud of a 2023 season. But I don’t think you will find any that tried to chase another successful team – Mets fans are loyal and Mets fans live through it all with their team.
This year has been such a gift to those fans. It started rough – a loyalty test through May 29th. It has been much better since then and the fun has not ended. We are going west to play in the NLCS.
I think it is fitting that Mets fans who never give up are now being treated to some very exciting baseball and trappings of success by a group of 26 guys that never give up. The number of comeback wins by this team is amazing and some of those wins have come against some of the best bullpens in the league.
There is no quit in this bunch, and that follows the example of their leader Francisco Lindor. Lindor endured a pretty rough couple of seasons in New York both from a baseball performance standpoint and from the unrelenting fans that expected him to bat .500 and slug .750 to justify his large contract. He never gave up, he worked harder and stayed positive and now the fans are ready to carry him off to MVP land on their shoulders.
This team has been on a magical ride and they are not all peaking at the same time. There is more in reserve. Imagine what it could look like if Pete, JD, and Alvy all get on a power surge. Imagine what it could look like if Senga can pitch deep into games in the next series and Diaz finds the mojo he had in 2022.
But we shouldn’t be dreaming of the future when we have the present to enjoy. The series win against the Phillies was a wonderful reversal of roles. Those same Phillies that used late-season momentum surges to go deep into the playoffs in 2022 and 2023 and won the NL east in a runaway this year have been vanquished by a late-season momentum surge by the Mets. That is worthy of celebration.
We have three days to celebrate before the NLCS begins somewhere in southern California. Three days to recall how well the pitching staff performed against a very dangerous Philadelphia lineup. Three days to reminisce about the humble heroics of Francisco Lindor. Three days to remember the eighth inning of game one, the late surge in game three, the grand slam in game four.
Enjoy this run as long as it lasts, fans! It has been worth the wait. Let’s go Mets!
7 comments:
I think you are watching the evolution of negative fans who have lived with so much disappointment over the years
They could lose the next four and I will remain a believer
Mack, agreed. Anything from here on out is totally acceptable - but I expect this team will somehow get to - and win - the World Series. The Mets are 70-40 in their last 110 games, and the return of Senga and McNeil just makes them even tougher.
Paul, it is good to see Lindor excel like this. I think fans were rightly justified in the first year of his 10 year, $341 million deal to wonder if the contract was a big mistake. I did. Boy, was I wrong. He is a GREAT player. This is a GREAT team. How GREAT is that?
The Mets have exorcized the Philly and Braves demons that have plagued this franchise for 30+ years, ever since the days of Maddox, Smoltz and Chipper, to Chase Utley to Bryce Harper, to Ronald Acuna. Put THAT in the books. It was SO GOOD to see Diaz throw an unhittable 101 MPH pitch to fan Schwarber and end the game. Shwarbs is 0-10 with 8 Ks lifetime vs. Daddy Edwin.
Glad the Mets showed me they could vanquish the Braves and Brewers. Beating the Phillies was the icing on the cake. Lindor definitely MVP. Dodgers would still be in playoffs without Mr. O.
I am sure we all have had our moments of frustration and doubt we could beat the Braves and Phillies, but we damn sure did this time!
Let's continue and win the whole thing.
Tom,
You were right about Vientos from day one and he, along with the whole team , made us proud to be Mets fans.
The next series will be tough. Somehow this team finds a way to get through any kind of adversity. Someone always seems to step up, but it is tough to predict who it will be, although Lindor is always having big moments.
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