Back in April I talked about how I didn’t trust this team. I wasn’t willing to put my heart into them because I had been through so many tough times. I didn’t want to go through the process of watching them fall from grace and not make the playoffs and then endure another winter of discontent.
Back in April I only knew that that were 11-3. When you watch sports, you have to deal with stats upon stats upon stats. There was one glaring stat that someone put up about how teams that start the season with a winning streak of 10 or more have made the World Series. I scoffed because I thought there was no effing way that this team was going to make the World Series, much less the playoffs.
By the time the All Star Game came around, the Mets were 47-42 which was ok, but not great considering they were in second place and the wild card spot was not happening. That meant that with all the good pitching, there was a serious chance the Mets wouldn’t even make the postseason. Yet, there was a growing sense that there is something about this team that we were all really beginning to like. You can tell they worked hard and played liked they believed they could win it all.
Then the deals started happening: Uribe, Reed, Johnson, Clippard, and Cespedes. They were 20-8 in August. I’m not sure I’ve seen a run like that from the Mets since 86. Even then, I never thought they would make the World Series. But, they take the Division (with 90 wins) from the Nationals and then we all become witnesses to an amazing playoff run that ends 3 wins short of the title.
It would be a lie if I said I wasn’t a little disappointed. I mean, the Mets gave the title to the Royals with all the errors and mistakes. Then it made me realize something…teams like this make those errors because they lack the experience. Daniel Murphy went from hero to goat within a week. That is the nature of Baseball. There is no doubt in my mind that Royals deserved to win. They were relentless and it is my sincere hope the Mets learned from this.
The pain of 2006. The collapses of 2007 and 2008 still linger. This disappointment is nothing compared to that. There is actual hope for this team. While I cried in 1988, was angry in 1999, sad 2000, the 2015 Mets have a future with 5 aces on the mound. What other team can say this? I refuse to think that the Mets wont be good for years to come. They are young and hopefully, hungry.
Let’s Recap:
11-0 to start the season.
20-8 in August.
Embarrassed the Washington Nationals.
Made it to the to the World Series when NO ONE thought they had a chance.
You know what? I’m good. This has been a great run. Watch out 2016. Lets go Mets!!!!
Anthony Otero 