In years past, we have heard the common “Mets going to Met” or “METS: My Entire Team Sucks” or even better “Mets doing Mets things”. This year though seems a bit different, the culture around the team, the atmosphere it all has a different feel to it. Now I know my Braves friends will sit there and say “1986” or “win a ring first buddy” but this is not a knock on the World Champs as the Mets are 70-39 and the Braves are only 6.5 back and are still winning at a 60% clip. This is about the Mets.
Never in previous seasons have the Mets had a 1-2 punch of DeGrom and Scherzer. Or a closer who is dominating like Edwin Diaz is this season. Diaz is averaging a ridiculous 18.9 K per 9 innings right now. Whiffing 52.9% of the batters he has faced in addition to 18 consecutive scoreless appearances in which he has struck out 38 and walked 1. Max Scherzer, the veteran he is Saturday in the 2nd game of the Doubleheader with the bullpen needing some rest and Buck needing Max to eat some innings. This is what he did 7 IP 4 H 0 R 0 BB and 11K and as Anthony DiComo said when the Mets needed him the most Scherzer delivered.
Last season, the Mets blew the division and missed the playoffs that team did not win their 70th game until September 7th this year they won their 70th game a whole month earlier on August 7th. At the time the Mets won their 70th game last year their record was 70-69, currently the Mets are 70-39 a whole 30 games better in the loss column.
Last, but certainly not least, is the play of the Mets “superstars” Pete Alonso, Starling Marte, Francisco Lindor. Trade Deadline acquisitions of Daniel Vogelbach, Tyler Naquin, and Darin Ruf. It gives the Mets much needed depth of the bench and allows Buck to counter other teams moves in the middle to late innings of a game. Alonso has just driven in his 95th RBI to go along with 29 Homers and .283 Batting average. Lindor has been everything the Mets have needed from him all season.
The bottom line is the Mets showed that they were not going to just go away, they were here to stay and compete in the NL East this year. Either way this will be a fun time to see how the Dog Days of Summer end for the Metsies.