The 2024 New York Mets season came to an end Sunday night in Los Angeles. Their storybook season didn't have the Hollywood ending many Mets fans would have hoped for, but it didn't diminish what they had accomplished.
The Dodgers won Game 6 of the NLCS 10-5, punching their ticket to the 2024 World Series where they will face the Mets crosstown rivals, the New York Yankees in what should be an epic clash of titans.
Still the when the dust settles on this defeat for the Amazin's, New York Mets fans should be left with nothing but good feelings.
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| Francisco Lindor Looks on. Getty Images. |
This was a team many picked to finish dead last in the National League East. The belief was that with a new manager, a new President of Baseball Operations, and many free agents to be, the 2024 season would be a transition year.
Instead, after a woeful 0-5 start, and, at one point, finding themselves 11-games under .500 in May, the Mets turned out one of the best seasons in their history.
From June 1 onward, the New York Mets had the best record in baseball.
When the turnaround started will always be up for debate. Maybe it started when former Met reliever Jorge Lopez threw his glove into the stands following a loss to the Dodgers in May, and proceeded to garble in the postgame that the Mets were the "worst" team he'd been on.
Or perhaps it started when Francisco Lindor held a players only meeting following the Lopez meltdown.
Don't forget the London Series when the Mets came back to beat the Phillies in the final game of that series, which kicked off a wave of momentum.
Or maybe it started when a giant purple McDonalds character named Grimace threw a first pitch before a Mets game in early June, and became a culture icon for Mets fans the world over.
Whatever it was, it worked.
The Mets clubhouse became a galvanized unit. Players started playing not just as individuals but as teammates. One could see the infectious nature of the Mets clubhouse when back-up infielder Jose Iglesias introduced us all to the "OMG" song.
It carried from there. We saw Lindor's bid at the MVP; Mark Vientos is a star in the making; Starling Marte comeback to be a major contributor; Jesse Winker was acquired at the deadline and added a jolt; Pete Alonso and Brandon Nimmo's bats came to life again, and a starting rotation gelled into a solid unit as Sean Manaea, Luis Severino, Jose Quintana, and David Peterson all rounded into form.
Slowly but surely the Mets rose like a Phoenix in the standings, and got themselves into contention by August.
We saw the heroic comebacks night in and night out, culminating in the heart-pounding season finale in Atlanta where Lindor hit a grand slam to put the Mets in front of the Braves, sending the Amazin's to the postseason.
Then we saw Pete Alonso quiet all the doubters when he smashed a three-run bomb in an elimination game in Milwaukee in the Wild Card round.
If things couldn't get any better for Mets fans, it did a few days later when the Mets knocked the Phillies out of the playoffs in the Division series.
So while the Amazin's did ultimately fall to the Dodgers in six games, they gave their fans and New York more than anyone could have asked for. They hung tough, fought tooth and nail for each other every night, and redefined what team is all about.
Onward to 2025.
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