Two Painful Memories That Make Getting Excited About the Mets a Cautious Endeavor

Photo Taken By Louie Chin

October 21st, 2000, is a date ingrained in my head for the rest of my life. It was game 1 of the World Series between the New York Mets and New York Yankees. My dad and I sat on the couch waiting for the game to start, and he said, “In the regular season, you can support both New York teams, but since they are competing against each other in the World Series, you can only root for one team. So, who is going to be?”

It was then that the 6 year old version of myself made a life-altering mistake, becoming a fan of the New York Mets. All because I liked the colors Orange and Blue, truly tragic.

Having been a fan for over 20 years, I have experienced countless letdowns, heartbreaks and full on catastrophes. I am far too seasoned of a fan to raise my hopes and aspirations for a team that just ended June with a 16-7 record, even though it was the best in the league for the month.

Do not get me wrong, this level of play is great to see from the Mets, and it has certainly resparked my interest in baseball this season, but I know far too well the kind of disaster the Mets are capable of creating.

Here are 2 examples from past seasons that define why I am so skeptical whenever things go right for the Metropolitations and why it is so hard to be a Mets fan.

The 2007 Collapse

The Mets had high expectations entering the 2007 season. In 2006, New York was a Carlos Beltran base hit away from heading to the World Series and a large majority of that roster was back for the ‘07 season.

From April through mid September, the Mets played solid baseball and it looked like they would be contending for another playoff push.

On September 12th, 2007, the Mets were in 1st place in the NL East with a record of 83-62 and had, WHAT SHOULD HAVE BEEN, a comfortable 7 game lead over the second place Philadelphia Phillies.

Remember in the movie Space Jam when the Monstars took all the skill and talent away from NBA players? That is how it felt watching the Mets the last 17 games of the regular season. This team managed the impossible, but for all the wrong reasons.

From September 13th through September 29th, the Mets would go 6-11. The 7 game lead they had on the Phillies just 2 weeks earlier was gone. Both teams were tied for 1st place on September 29th with a record of 88-73.

September 30th, 2007 marked the last game of the regular season. If both the Mets and Phillies won or lost, they would face a tiebreaker game to determine who was heading to the playoffs. If the Mets won and the Phillies lost, the Mets would advance to the playoffs, and vice versa if the outcomes were reversed.

The Mets faced the struggling Florida Marlins (71-90 before this game) on the last day of the season with Tom Glavine on the mound. In an absolute must win game, Glavine (who is a Hallf of Fame pitcher by the way) would go on to have one of the worst performances of his career (of course he would) giving up 7 runs in the top of the 1st inning. The soulless Mets did not even put up a fight and ended up losing that game 8-1. Meanwhile, the Phillies cruised to a 6-1 victory over the Washington Nationals to win the division and make the playoffs.

The 2022 Collapse

Unlike 2007, the expectations for the Mets in the 2022 season were not nearly as high. They finished the 2021 season 8 games under .500 and placed 3rd in the NL East.

However, the Mets did make some offseason splashes that got fans excited. Including signing Max Scherzer, Starling Marte, Chris Bassitt, Mark Canha, Eduardo Escobar andAdam Ottavino.

Many experts predicted the Mets would be better in the 2022 season with these acquisitions, but no one could predict how hot they would come out the gate.

Only 2 months into the season, the Mets were already 17 games over .500 with a record of 34-17 on June 1st. They were 1st in the NL East and held a 10.5 game lead over the 2nd place Atlanta Braves.

In what felt like a blink of an eye, the Mets 10.5 game lead was cut to a 3.5 game lead by June 30th. This was a culmination of the Mets cooling off and the Braves getting very hot.

The Mets played well enough in July to maintain 1st place, still holding a 3 game lead over the pestering Braves.

They were able to keep that 3 game lead by the end of August.

You know the song “Wake Me Up When September Ends” by Green Day. That is the perfect definition of a Mets fan in September of 2022, sounds corny, but sometimes the truth is. The Braves kept cutting at the lead the entire month. By September 30th, both teams were tied for 1st place.

As if this was written for a dramatic movie, the Mets and the Braves began a 3 game series in Atlanta from September 30th through October 2nd. The Braves would go on to sweep the Mets and take the division.

After leading the division for 176 DAYS (the season lasted 187 days) during the regular season, the Mets finished 2nd in the division. They secured a wildcard spot in the playoffs, but would be eliminated by the Padres 2-1 in a best of 3 series.

Final Thoughts

Ultimately, being a fan of the New York Mets has been filled with disappointments and heartbreaks. From the catastrophic collapse in 2007 to the devastating end of the 2022 season, the Mets have consistently found ways to shatter the hopes of fans. Despite occasionally playing good baseball, the Mets' history of faltering at crucial moments makes it difficult to be optimistic. As a seasoned fan, I remain realistic, knowing the potential for yet another heartbreak is always just around the corner.