The first half of the season was a bit of a roller coaster for the Mets.
After a brutal start where they ended up a season-high 11 games under .500, New York looked destined to be one of the league’s biggest sellers heading into the trade deadline for the second straight year.
However, following a much-needed players only meeting after an ugly loss to the Los Angeles Dodgers, things quickly turned around and they’ve looked like a different ball club both on and off the field.
Whether it’s the addition of veteran Jose Iglesias, his momentum-changing single ‘OMG,’ Grimace throwing out the first pitch, or even the newly adopted pup Glizzy Iggy, there’s been a complete vibe change around this squad.
After their terrific homestand against the Washington Nationals and Colorado Rockies, the Mets jumped back over the .500 mark and were able to propel themselves into a playoff spot for the first time all season.
While they still have some kinks to work out, the vibes in the clubhouse remained high following their loss to the Rockies during Sunday afternoon’s first-half finale at Citi Field.
“It’s been interesting,” manager Carlos Mendoza said. “We’ve been through a lot but the guys continue to battle, they continue to show up and continue to believe in themselves so I’m very proud of them.”
“From where we were to where we are now, there’s so much to be pleased about, but obviously there’s room to grow and room to improve but I’m proud of this group and how we’ve rebounded,” Pete Alonso added.
So now after their dramatic turnaround, the Mets appear destined to be buyers ahead of the deadline at the end of the month with the bullpen likely being one of their biggest focuses.
As we’ve seen though, things can change very quickly over the course of the season, so they know they have to continue playing good baseball over the next few weeks.
“It is a good feeling and you have to give them credit because they’ve worked hard and there’s something special going on in that room right now," Mendoza said. "We’ll reset over the next four days and then we’ll be ready to go on Friday.”