I have taken a day to grieve because it has been nine years since a World Series appearance, and my whole lifetime, and then some since a World Series win. But I can now say that this was the definition of a Mets season and the reason baseball is (in my opinion) the best sport to watch. There’s a magic to it. Including writing about it.
For those who don’t know, the NY Mets were not supposed to be a great team this year, and they certainly weren’t (before June anyway). They were below .500 (meaning they were winning far below half their games) and we, the Mets faithful, were not surprised, but also not excited.
Then, Grimace (yes, the McDonald’s mascot) threw out the first pitch at a Mets home game and the world changed. I got to see the Mets (live and in person) beat the Nationals in extra innings. The Mets began winning – starting with a seven-game winning streak and then a trip to the postseason.
Even after Grimace the postseason was not a given. The Mets had to play all the way through the last game of the season (a rescheduled doubleheader) to make it to the postseason. None of their postseason matchups were a sweep, and yet the Mets made it all the way to the National League Championship Series against the LA Dodgers. They made it and introduced a purple Grimace chair to Citi Field, embraced their theme song “OMG” by their second baseman Jose Iglesias (you should definitely give it a listen), carried a “playoff pumpkin” with the team for luck, and played like a team, depending on the MVP style play of Francisco Lindor, but taking contributions from every player on the field.
It took six games before the LA Dodgers clinched their trip to the World Series where they will play the NY Yankees. Those fan bases are very excited, and rightfully so, but no one had more fun this season than the Mets and their fans. No one highlighted the “It’s not over ’til it’s over” ethos of baseball as a whole (no game clock means there is always a chance) than the New York Mets. Baseball has a rich history that goes far beyond championship titles, and this 2024 team will always be a part of that.
Mets fans are used to having their hearts broken. But we are also used to taking the joy where we can find it and waiting ’til next year.