Fifty years after earning the name Amazin’ Mets, the New York squad may have to change their nickname to the Unstoppable Mets.
New York has been on fire, taking Major League Baseball by winning eight straight games through Saturday to pull within a half-game of the second Wild Card spot in the National League.
This is a team that many believed was done for the season, and that they would be making deals at the trade deadline to ship out high-priced players and get young prospects to build for the future.
But days before the deadline, Mets general manager Brodie Van Wagenen shocked most of baseball by making a trade for Blue Jays ace Marcus Stroman, who was believed to be headed to a contender.
While Stroman has taken a no-decision in each of his first two starts with the team, his arrival seemed to light a fire under the club.
Hot Run
When the deal was made for Stroman on July 28, the Mets were sitting six games behind the St. Louis Cardinals and Washington Nationals, who were tied for the two National League Wild Card spots.
When New York takes the field on Sunday, two weeks later, they’ll be tied with the Cardinals just a half-game back of the Nationals and Milwaukee Brewers, who are in a virtual tie for the two Wild Card spots.
The Mets have won 15 of their last 16 games, including the last two against Washington, coming from behind in each contest with their NL East rivals.
Excellent Play Everywhere
So what has New York winning so many games all of a sudden? There doesn’t seem to be just one area that is coming through.
On the mound, Noah Syndergaard has been great in his last two starts, going a total of 14 ⅓ innings and allowing eight hits and one earned run.
Jacob deGrom is another starter for the Mets who has turned it up lately, going a total of 14 innings in his last two starts, allowing just 10 hits and three earned runs while striking out 19.
But even when the Mets’ pitching isn’t at its best, New York’s hitters have come up with the clutch hits when needed. On Friday night, the Mets won for the first time in 45 instances of trailing after the eighth inning, scoring four runs in the bottom of the ninth to earn a 7-6 win over the Nationals.
On Saturday, an eighth-inning home run by Luis Guillorme tied the game, and the Mets went ahead later in the inning to earn a 4-3 victory over Washington.
Confidence is contagious, as is belief in yourself. The Mets seem to have both right now throughout their team. They know people counted them out, but they’re determined to show that they should have never been counted out of the playoff race.
If the Mets are able to keep up their winning, they’ll do it against some top competition. Of their next 15 games after wrapping up their series with Washington, six of those will be against NL East-leading Atlanta, three will be against Cleveland, which sits one game out in the AL Central, and three will be against the Chicago Cubs, who lead the NL Central.
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