After thanking the fans at Citi Field following the final game of the regular season, David Wright had a lot to say about the Mets’ critics who doubted the team all year.
“This team believed early on,” Wright said. “Back in spring training, a lot of guys said it — that they thought we were a playoff team. It got a lot of chuckles, people thinking it’s just talk, so it’s nice to go out there and back up that talk. We’ll take that same mindset into next week.” (John Harper, NY Daily News)
The majority of experts all picked the Nationals to win the NL East in a landslide, but it was the Mets who came out on top with a fantastic 90 win season. They caught fire right after the trading deadline and ultimately ran away with the division.
New York will once again be underdogs in the NLDS against the Dodgers, who have the best 1-2 punch in baseball with Clayton Kershaw and Zack Greinke. However, Wright says the Mets talented young staff is good enough to take down the NL West Champs and could even carry the team deep into the playoffs.
“When you build something with young, power arms,” Wright said, “it seems like, from what I’ve experienced and I’ve seen, that’s what teams that make deep runs in October all have in common.”
While the Mets lack playoff experience, Wright doesn’t expect this to be a problem. Wright says this issue was already taken care of in the offseason with a team meeting.
Wright and several other Mets’ veterans talked to the team’s young players and discussed what is was like to play in the postseason.
“The meeting quickly turned into story time,” Wright said. “You could see some of the younger players were all ears and interested to hear what it would be like.”
“We wanted to let it be known the confidence we had in this team at spring training and that those were the expectations this year,” (Roger Rubin Newsday)
The Mets have certainly lived up to their expectations, and provided their fans with a memorable season. Now, they can make the year even more special if they can advance deep into the playoffs.
“It’s not just going to be what we said that’s in their minds’ eyes,” Wright said. “They are going to live it now . . . I have no doubt they are ready.”
