New York Mets fans signed up for this, and they fight to the end

Well fans, did you think the New York Mets would even be considered in the same group as the Cubs, Brewers, Nationals, Braves, and Phillies for teams to earn a spot in 2019 playoffs?

Do you remember when the New York Mets were 11 games under .500 when the Marlins swept them? How about the minefield we call the bullpen? How about Diaz blowing considerable leads to the Dodgers and Nationals and the many times Edwin Diaz came with near 100 mph fastballs only to see the exit velocity on those home runs he gave up be even faster?

Did you think with all the disastrous games on defense when one wondered if Amed Rosario ever figured out what the glove he had was used for? Or was Robinson Cano ever going to run faster than the first gear?

What about Wilson Ramos acting like an aged senior with artificial knees every time he had a passed ball charged to him? Plus he seems to run faster when there was a slow-motion replay on him.

Don’t forget all the visits to the IR, the new term replacing the disabled list when it started to look more like a triage unit than a clubhouse. You remember Yoenis Cespedes. He was going to come back and light the fire the Mets needed after having two heel surgeries, only to finish out the season after fracturing his ankle several places. Skeptics suggested the places were the farm and golf course. Then there is Jed Lowrie, and a player Brodie Van Wagenen counted to be the multi-position star. And then we had Avilan, Wilson, Familia, Nimmo, d’Arnaud, etc.

But it is no fluke the Mets are where they are right now. The “ReplaceMets” came from Syracuse to keep the Mets from going down for the final count. The Mets gave Pete Alonso his shot to play full time at first base, and he did not disappoint, currently leads the Majors with 49 home runs and the frontrunner for Rookie of the Year.

Jeff McNeil came up last year as a hitter with little defense. This year he led the Majors in hitting for a good part of the season and also displayed unexpected power.

But the real surprise has been J.D. Davis and traded to the Mets from the Houston Astros because he had no shot at breaking into their lineup and was considered excess baggage. Well, one team’s junk is another team’s treasure. Davis is hitting .273, 23 hr, 63 rbi. Indeed, a diamond in the rough.

Jacob deGrom started poorly but has since come back to be the 2018 Cy Young winner the Mets fans were accustomed to seeing. With a 9-8, 2.62 era, and a league-leading 239 k, he stands to be in the run for his second Cy Young Award.

So we are in the next to last weekend and ten games to play. The Brewers face the Pirates, The Mets visit the Reds in Cincinnati, the NL Central-leading St. Louis Cardinals take on the Chicago Cubs, and the Philadelphia Phillies play the Tribe from Cleveland.

In a perfect scenario, The Mets hope the Cards beat up on the Cubs, The Indians fight for their place in the Wild Card race, and the lowly Pittsburgh Pirates can muster deep in their will to fight and defeat the Brewers.

But the Mets have to continue to play the brand of baseball that got them back into the race. In other words, and plain and straightforward, the Mets must win at least 8 of their next ten games if they have any shot of seeing baseball in October. The talent, and pitching, and defense are there. The will to win and the chemistry to keep each other motivated is there.

With that said, Mets fans may need to have service dogs during this roller-coaster season. It feels like the Space Mountain ride is continuing. We hope it continues into October.