If there was a series that perhaps could best epitomize the weird ride that the 2023 season has been for the New York Mets, it would be this one against the Miami Marlins.
After Mother Nature sent a deluge of rainfall on Citi Field on Tuesday, making conditions unplayable, the two teams were forced to contest a doubleheader on Wednesday. That was just the beginning, however.
With the Marlins holding a 2-1 lead heading into the top of the ninth inning in the series finale on Thursday, Mother Nature reared her ugly head again to throw the game into complete chaos. A three-hour-plus rain delay ultimately forced the game to be suspended, acting as the latest weird chapter in a long line of them in the Mets’ season.
And it might not be over. With this series holding serious playoff implications for the Marlins, who are in the thick of the wild card race heading into the final weekend of the regular season, the suspended game may have to be completed at Citi Field on Monday at 1:10 p.m. ET.
At this point, the Mets probably can’t wait for this wacky year to be done with.
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Bouncing Back
While play being suspended on Thursday was a real blow to the Marlins, given that they still have a lot to play for, it didn’t matter for the Mets in the grand scheme of things. However, they will hope that mother nature’s force of will doesn’t overshadow a gem of an outing from David Peterson. After enduring a rough start in his last outing against the Phillies, Peterson bounced back in impressive fashion against the Marlins. He went a full seven innings for the second time this year (August 27 against the Angels), while not allowing a run on four hits with four walks and eight strikeouts. Furthermore, Peterson threw a season-high 113 pitches.
In what was his final start of the year, the lefty really showed a lot and has now set himself up for a huge spring training after a testing up-and-down 2023. Peterson’s ERA ballooned to an ugly 8.08 ERA in eight starts when he was demoted to the minor leagues in mid-May, but he finishes his year with a much more respectable 3.38 ERA in 19 games (13 starts). That’s how you bounce back, and that’s how you leave a good lasting impression heading into the offseason.
Strikeout King
The Mets lost the second game of the doubleheader on Wednesday, but that didn’t matter in the overall context of a lost season. What did matter, though, was their future ace achieving a notable slice of history. Kodai Senga entered his final start needing only six strikeouts to become the second Mets rookie with 200 strikeouts after the great Dwight Gooden racked up 276 in 1984. Senga delivered, just as he has done all year. The rookie quickly amassed five straight strikeouts before recording his sixth of the night later on in the evening on back-to-back forkballs to retire Jake Burger. Now, it wasn’t a vintage Senga outing given that he gave up two home runs – including the first-ever homer on his iconic ghost fork – but finishing with 200 strikeouts was a fitting finale for what was one of the most impressive debut seasons we’ve seen from a rookie. Senga should get serious consideration for Cy Young and Rookie of the Year.
Reclaiming His Crown
It sure seems like Francisco Lindor doesn’t get enough love for being one of the best shortstops in the game. He’s certainly one of, if not the most underrated shortstop in baseball. The veteran delivers year in, year out, and he did something on Wednesday that highlights his elite excellence. In hitting three home runs across the doubleheader – one in Game 1 and two in Game 2 – Lindor became the latest player to join the 30-30 club.
In achieving the remarkable feat of 30 homers and 30 stolen bases for the first time in his career, Lindor put an exclamation point on both his greatness and his importance for the Mets. Lindor, who achieved a career-high in stolen bases, is the first Met to join the 30-30 club since David Wright in 2007. Howard Johnson and Darryl Strawberry are the only other Mets in the hallowed, prestigious club.
Lindor was electric in this series, also knocking in six RBIs, and the star has played hard all year while bringing consistent excellence both at the plate and in the field. The four-time All-Star is batting .254/.334/.469/.803 on the year, with 96 RBIs, 33 doubles and 64 walks. Lindor has morphed into a real leader on this team, the heartbeat if you like, and he’ll be an instrumental piece for new president of baseball operations, David Stearns, to build around in 2024 and beyond.
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Tough Day At The Office
What a testing week for the grounds crew at Citi Field. Heavy rain has pounded the New York area for days now, and that’s only expected to continue this weekend. The team responsible for keeping the field pristine condition had their work cut out throughout this series. They had to deal with a field resembling a lake on Tuesday, even resorting to using blow torches to help dry out the field some more on Wednesday. Then, after a brief respite, Mother Nature wreaked havoc again on Thursday, leading to more than a three-hour rain delay. The grounds crew certainly didn’t endear themselves to the Marlins, removing the tarp just in time for more rain and then being seen posing for pictures while the game was in a lengthy delay. There may be a few angry words exchanged between Miami and the Mets ground crew on Monday, depending on how this weekend pans out.
Disaster Strikes, Pt. 1
We thought splitting this next topic into two parts would be best. The regular season may be nearly over, but that didn’t stop the Baseball Gods from raining down yet more bad news on the Mets. Literally and figuratively. It began with Jeff McNeil, who saw his year-end a few days early because of a partial tear in his UCL. The versatile veteran hopes a platelet-rich plasma injection in his left elbow on Friday will solve the problem. McNeil is looking to avoid surgery and instead deal with a six-week layoff, which means he would be fighting fit for the start of spring training. That’s certainly a bullet dodged for both the Mets and their two-time All-Star. McNeil won’t want anything holding him back after suffering a disappointing 2023 season.
The 2022 Silver Slugger struggled offensively for much of the year, with only a hot August and September saving his numbers from looking especially bad. He finishes the year with a slash line of .270/.333/.378/.711, with 10 homers, 25 doubles, four triples, and 55 RBIs.
Disaster Strikes, Pt. 2
The weather had another cruel twist waiting in store for the Mets on Thursday. Brandon Nimmo was removed from the fifth inning of Thursday’s suspended game due to an issue with the AC joint in his right shoulder. The injury occurred after Nimmo hit the grass hard while diving to try and make a play in the field in the fourth inning. While initial X-rays were positive, manager Buck Showalter said Nimmo will undergo further imaging on Friday afternoon. Shoulder injuries can be tricky, so the Mets will keep everything crossed that Nimmo has avoided anything serious. The best-case scenario is he is shut down for the season’s final series and can report to spring training fully healthy. The positive is that Nimmo did manage to achieve a career-high in games played with 152, and he also set a career-high in home runs with 24. Both marks to be proud of if Nimmo’s year is indeed done.
