The 2024 New York Mets: A Season to Remember
OC Baseball's Message to the New York Mets and Mets Fans
The Mets’ 2024 miracle run has come to an end with a Game 6 loss to the Los Angeles Dodgers in the NLCS. Lots of emotion came with this season, but different than years past. This season started like many others, with despair, embarrassment and straight disappointment. Just about every Mets fan accepted our fate by early to mid May. What we failed to realize was that the fate we accepted was actually a playoff berth and postseason run.
As May rolled around, results were no different, but changes were happening & a foundation was being laid. Free agent additions Sean Manaea, Luis Severino, Harrison Bader, Reed Garrett & J.D. Martinez settled in and Mark Vientos had just gotten called up. On May 18th, Francisco Lindor moved to the leadoff spot in the lineup and stayed there the rest of the season. On May 31st, Jose Iglesias was called up. Once the calendar flipped to June, so did the script.
The Mets would hold the best record in Major League Baseball from May 31st to the end of the regular season going 66-40. This was no fluke, it did not happen by accident and the team was not going through a slump. Francisco Lindor held a players only meeting on May 29th after being swept by the Dodgers. Things would change, perspectives & approaches to the season shifted. The Mets started playing for themselves and for each other. As what became one of the mottos for this team, manager Carlos Mendoza’s confidence in his team to turn things around never wavered. Everyone bought in because being a laughing stock of the league was not fun.
It didn’t end with a team meeting, or, in retrospect, start with it either. Good vibes, superstitions and memes became the backbone of the 2024 Mets’ success. Really, it actually started on opening day when they honored Seymour Weiner, a World War II veteran. What could have been a symbolic foreshadowing of an underlying identity of this team was brushed off as a ‘Mets being the Mets’ moment. There is a long list of the memes that brought attention, laughter and happiness towards the Mets and their fanbase, but I will highlight the major ones.
After Seymour Weiner set the tone for the 2024 season, Grimace threw out the first pitch on June 12th. The Mets had just started turning around their season when Grimace was invited to Citi Field. The Mets immediately got off to a hot start, starting 7-0 in the ‘Grimace Era’. Soon after, Jose Iglesias was getting ready to release his would be hit single OMG. Previews of the song were heard from the clubhouse, on social media, etc. and quickly became a staple within the team’s culture. The song was officially released on June 28th. When the Mets beat the Houston Astros that night, Iglesias performed his new hit single on the field surrounded & supported by his teammates. From here, the tone for the rest of the season was set. How tight knit this team was gave hope to fans for a new beginning. A renaissance of 2024 you might say.
As the All-Star break came and went, Mets fans, disappointed in the lack of representation the Mets had in the ASG, saw this as a symbol of resilience with an underdog mentality. With the trade deadline rapidly approaching and many still unsure what direction the Mets would actually trend in, a series of small, low cost moves were made to reinforce the roster. It was a very David Stearns-esk deadline and many had faith in the moves he made. Some of those reinforcements proved to be unsung heroes for the Mets in their pursuit to be champions. Namely, Jesse Winker was nails for the Mets as postseason play got underway, recording the best OPS in a single postseason in franchise history. Ryne Stanek proved to be an effective reliever and was a big help bolstering the 8th and 9th innings for the Mets. I have to mention how important Luisangel Acuna’s performance in the wake of Francisco Lindor’s back injury was to helping the Mets make the postseason in the first place.
The resilience and mental toughness of this team was highlighted in the postseason multiple times. Whether it was Pete Alonso or Francisco Lindor hitting game winning home runs late in the game facing elimination or Brandon Nimmo playing a good portion of the postseason basically on one foot. Furthermore, we saw players come over adversity in the forms of Francisco Alvarez dealing with his struggles and coming back to be almost unstoppable in the final 3 NLCS games. Edwin Diaz struggled with command but allowed his teammates’ faith to restore his confidence and mow down opposing hitters. As well as on a deeper, more personal level for Brandon Nimmo and Sean Manaea who’s personal grief of family loss became publicized. The way this team confronted and attacked adversity to beat the odds when everyone counted them out, shows just how close they are. The 2024 New York Mets are more than just a team or culture, they are, and forever will be a family.
For me, this was a big season. It was my first season really enjoying a playoff Mets team, writing here with the Skippers View team and actively posting on X (@McLovinOC8). Thank you to everyone who has supported me, joined me along the way, educated & informed me this year, and I’m grateful for the connections I’ve made this year on & off these platforms. I’ve been disappointed a great deal of times as a Mets fan. However, the hope, faith & optimism made this one sting the most. With that said, I wouldn’t trade any of it because this was also the most fun I’ve ever had as a Mets fan. Just thinking about what the future of this organization holds knowing that this was the year we laid the foundation for sustainable success exhilarates me. I’m bursting at the seams with sadness and excitement as this season comes to a close and I cannot wait for 2025 opening day. It’s either cliche as hell or poetic justice, but this season really is perfectly summed up by ‘OMG’. It was more than just a fitting anthem for the team, and how we’ll remember it for years to come. I appreciate you all. Let’s go Mets!