What Went Wrong: Mets' Magical Run Ends in LA

Wow! What a run, huh?

I've said many times before that the scrutiny that has been hurled towards the New York Mets has been unfair. Yes, it's easy to make fun of the Mets and say that the team's a bunch of screwups, but here's the thing: they've won a pennant in the last decade. Until a few days ago, not even the Yankees could say that. The sentiment a few months ago was that this season was dead, the Mets would not go anywhere, and Pete Alonso would be gone after this year. Even as the Atlanta Braves struggled due to an immense number of injuries, nobody had the Mets joining the postseason party.

Then a funny thing happened: the Mets joined the postseason party.

The first game of the doubleheader between the Mets and the Atlanta Braves on September 30 saw the Mets victorious, and that win put them in the postseason, while the Braves got in with a win in Game 2. The Mets earned the #6 seed in the National League, which has been a sweet spot ever since this format became permanent in 2022. The Mets had been comeback kings on a number of occasions, and we saw it in the third and final game of the Wild Card Series against the Milwaukee Brewers--Pete Alonso's big three-run home run in the 9th inning to send the Mets to the Division Series, where they stunned the Philadelphia Phillies in four games.

The Mets played for the pennant for the first time since 2015, which saw them win the pennant that year. They faced off against the powerful Los Angeles Dodgers, and they managed to salvage a split at Dodgers Stadium. However, at home, the Mets couldn't get much going. Losses in Games Three and Four put the Mets on the brink of elimination, and while they did manage to salvage something in Game Five, Game Six was the Mets' inevitable undoing.

What went wrong is simple: midnight struck on this team. Cynics who like to pick on the Mets will say they blew it. I don't see it that way. The Mets went toe-to-toe with a very strong Dodgers team. They made it to Game Six. They fell two wins short of a pennant. I think it's about time that the Mets received some respect.

The million dollar question is now being asked: was Game Six the final game as a Met for Pete Alonso? As an optimist, I have to say no. I can't see him anywhere else. The Mets would have to be absolutely foolish to let the "Polar Bear" walk. Regarding his postseason, the comeback home run in Game Three vs Milwaukee was the first of four home runs hit by Alonso. Only Mark Vientos had more homers with five, and Vientos hit one of the Mets' two postseason Grand Slams--the other belonged to Francisco Lindor.

This was definitely a year to remember for the Mets. They won only 89 games this year, and it ended with the team falling just two wins shy of a pennant. I'd say they did pretty well this year.

And there you have it. The Los Angeles Dodgers are in the World Series, their first appearance since winning it all in 2020. As for the New York Mets, they have quite an offseason ahead of them. I do think Pete Alonso will still be in Queens knocking around home runs in those Mets colors. I think we'll see the Mets back in the October hunt next season, and even the season after that. This team is hella talented and very deep, and they can make some noise in 2025 if the offseason goes right for them.

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