Hope for the Amazins

As a child growing up in New York, I have always been "made fun of" as a Mets fan. Finishing at a winning percentage of .500 was something to go into school and brag about to my friends. On the Upper East Side of Manhattan, running into a Mets fan is a rarity. In the 2014 season, the Amazins finished yet another season under .500, however, they did finish in second place in the NL East. Walking around after the 2014 season hearing "the Mets suck" and "the playoffs will never happen" (seeing as how Yankee fans were almost expecting their team to make the playoffs every year) I could not help but to counter these negative comments with something like "We finished in second place. Behind the Nationals, thats not that bad!" and then, eating my words as they came out of my mouth, I knew that comment was a mistake, the conversation for the next five minutes would be about how bad the NL East division is.

When the 2015 season started, I had hope as always (this is how us Mets fans are trained to feel at the beginning of every season). The Mets, who have the best opening day record in the MLB, were playing the Nationals on opening day, and facing newly acquired pitcher from the Tigers: Max Scherzer. After the Mets won that game, I felt that it was going to be a great season (as I always do after the Mets start the season 1-0). We started the season rolling, however after 25 or so games, the Mets fell right back into their second place roll. However, then it happened, I was sitting in our usual seats at the Mets v. Phillies game, when David Wright was on first and attempted to steel second base. He got in safely to second, however the crowd grew afraid, the the Captain had been injured. David Wright had slid awkwardly into second base, causing a potential tweak of the hamstring.

I saw the season flash by. A season worse than the 2014 below .500 season. The New York Mets captain, injured, for how long? The rest of the crowd waited until the end of the game to hear the answer to that question. Nobody knew the answer after the game either, but what everybody did know, is that there was a ballgame that had to be won the next day. Instead of the Mets falling into pieces without Wright, they thrived, like never before. Going on an 11 game win streak and taking first place. I myself saw the first glimpse of a playoff caliber team, and without Wright! Travis d'Arnaud, rose up, and became a primary source of offensive power, and fantastic situational hitting. However, then he hit the Disables list with a hand injury, after being hit in the hand.

On their way to their ninth of what would eventually become eleven straight wins, I thought that now the first place Mets was just a fluke of a team, or a "phase." It never hit me that they could keep winning and stay in first place, until they actually did. Once Travis came back from his fractured hand injury, he would quickly hit the disabled list again with an elbow injury.

This was another devastating injury, as you can hear in the commentators voice in the background, quickly after coming back, Travis gets hurt again. Once again, the Mets were able to not fall apart. They kept winning and persisted as either in first place or just a few games out of first. Travis came back for the second time and picked up right where he left off. The Mets were back on track, and yet the amazing thing was, without the captain, David Wright. The 2015 Mets were a real team, that could survive without the Captain. At the trade deadline, there were many talks about the Mets getting one more power bat in the lineup. Carlos Gomez was a potential target for the Mets. Word got out that the Mets were going to trade Short Stop Wilmer Flores and Pitcher Zach Wheeler. Wilmer, who had been a Met since the age of 16, started crying on the field. 

It had turned out that the trade never went through, keeping Wilmer a Met. Two days later was the start of Wilmer doing magical things for the Metropolitans. 

 

After Flores presented himself as somebody who wants to be on the Mets, his fan base has been growing by the minute. As he rounds third, throws his helmet, and tugs the Mets logo on his uniform, he is showing that he is here to stay, and wants to be apart of the team. Ever since "the trade that wasn't" not only has Wilmer been hot, but every time he walks up to the plate, he receives a standing ovation. This was another hero that rose in the absence of the Captain.

With 44 games left in the season, the Mets were 4.5 games in first place. This is when I started to get excited, the postseason was something that I could actually think about, for the first time in years. David Wright beginning rehab, and his assignments supposedly going well. The Mets has made two big trades at the deadline. One trade acquiring Juan Uribe and Kelly Johnson and another acquiring Home Run Derby Champion Yoenis Cespedes. Uribe now playing third, taking David's spot for the time being. Since the day that the Mets acquired Yoenis Cespedes, they had won six straight games, continuing to be on a role and maintaing first place. Mets fans began thinking, "Is there even room for David Wright?" Set to split time with Uribe at third, on the day of his return, David had his presence heard loud and clear. His first at bat, he hit a home run, catching the attention of every Mets fan.

Every single player in the lineup now, could do offensive damage, which was never the case at any point before the trade deadline. Right now the Mets are 6.5 games ahead of the nationals and have a winning percentage of .556. For the first time ever, I have heard the Mets and World Series in the same sentence. ESPN analysis Jayson Stark said "All of a sudden, when you look at the Mets lineup, and when you look at their rotation, that is a team that nobody would want to play...Real chance of the Mets playing in the NLCS if not the World Series." 

The Mets current "Magic Number" (number of games required to win in order to make the playoffs) is 31. What I am seeking to do with this blog is commentate, write interesting articles about the Mets, occasionally write about a game. I also would like to keep everything in perspective with potentially making the playoffs. I will also write about any Mets News so everything is updated. Thanks for reading, and Lets Make The Postseason!