This was never supposed to happen.
The 2015 Washington Nationals are one year removed from a 96-win season and an NL East crown by 17.0 games. The Mets, meanwhile, could not muster 80 wins and tied for second place. The Nationals were the new kings of the NL East — and the Mets? Irrelevant for years, save for jokes that allowed a dead horse to be reincarnated and beaten to death again. The Mets could barely muster four wins in 19 games against the Nationals in 2014.
Fresh off a playoff appearance, the Nationals wanted to assert their dominance. They let go of Rafael Soriano, Adam LaRoche, and some guy named Tyler Clippard. How could that hurt? They signed Casey Janssen, acquired Yunel Escobar and Trea Turner and then exercised their option on Denard Span. Pretty basic stuff, once you overlook the fact that they dropped a $200 million investment on Max Scherzer. Scherzer, Jordan Zimmermann, Stephen Strasburg, Gio Gonzalez, and Doug Fister — with Joe Ross waiting in the wings and a loaded offense? The Nationals were ready.
Meanwhile, what did those Mutts put together over in Queens? Michael Cuddyer and the loss of a first-round draft pick. Oh sure, it did not seem like much, but it looks a little better when you supplement the list with… John Mayberry Jr. and a handful of minor league contracts. Sean Gilmartin and Jerry Blevins were smart moves, for sure, but could they really turn the Mets into the Beast in the East? Let’s make it a little more interesting and remove Zack Wheeler, Vic Black, and Bobby Parnell while we suspend Jenrry Mejia. Matt Harvey would be back — but obviously, the Mets would fall short.
No, the Nationals saw no reason to be worried. This was never supposed to happen.
Even after an unlikely win streak, the Mets stood merely floating above .500 and in second place in July. The Nationals had no reason to worry — they had potentially the best hitter in the NL anchoring their lineup and a lead in the division. The Mets had kept it close and showed promise with their new young arms in Noah Syndergaard and Steven Matz, sure. But it was not enough — not yet, at least.
July 24th swung around, and our Mets acquired Juan Uribe and Kelly Johnson for two pitching prospects. (If you’re still a fan Rob Whalen, best of luck, kiddo.) The best offensive prospect the Mets have had since David Wright hits the roster in Michael Conforto. The Nationals, however, acquire Jonathan Papelbon from the Phillies to shore up their bullpen, which seems to help bolster a potential position of weakness. The Nationals were in control folks…this was never supposed to happen.
In a twist of fate, the Mets shore up their bullpen with that same Tyler Clippard guy. After days of drama surrounding an emotional Wilmer Flores and a suddenly revitalized fan base, the Mets acquire Yoenis Cespedes.
This was never supposed to happen.
Yet, the Mets took sole possession of first place on August 3rd. It was the first time they were alone at the top since June 19th. The Mets received ominous offensive production from Cespedes and Conforto that perhaps foreshadowed a narrative that some optimists could see on that night already — or maybe it could be found in the fact that the ageless Colon tossed eight dominant innings. Either way, this was never supposed to happen.
The morning of August 4th saw over a 30% improvement in the Mets chances of winning the NL East from where they stood less than a week ago.
The Mets, at that point, were shown to statistically have the easiest schedule remaining — with a combined opposing win percentage of just .455. Consider the fact that a chunk of those remaining games were against teams like Phillies and Rockies that had further decimated their ranks, and there was cautious hope in Flushing. The Nationals, however, had the second easiest schedule remaining — so there was reason for fear too.
After all, we have been around. We know the Mets. It never really comes easy for us, does it? So why would this year be any different than the others? So even through a dominant month of August, we heard all the regular phrases.
“The Mets are the perennial chokers.”
“The Mets are only winning against bad teams — wait until they face some real competition. This is merely a phase.”
“It’s officially September, the Mets are in first place, and I’m nervous. The nightmare of 2007 and 2008 is baked in to my experience as a Mets fan. The Ghost of September Past.”
It becomes unbearable to think even fellow fans of the team you would bleed for were so quick to be downers.
Could you really blame them, though? This narrative seems all too familiar — and a little too hopeful for a team that has not sniffed the playoffs since 2006. This new culture would take some getting used to. The rest of August brought acquistions of a left-handed pitcher I would rather not discuss and ex-closer Addison Reed to further improve the Mets bullpen.
Cue September 7th, and the Mets roll into Washington with a four game lead.
This is where it happens, Satish. This is where the breakdown begins right in front of your eyes.
And then, it happened.
The breakdown? No.
The solidification of a bonafide contender? Damn right…
With all the drama surrounding the Mets in the past week or so, the last two days showed a little spark many have not seen in years. Some younger fans have never seen it at all — but they can recognize it from a mile away.
This is not a team you look forward to facing anymore. The swagger, the success, the pride… somehow, it all found its way back. The name on the front matters more than the name on the back again. It did not matter whether it was Wright, Flores, Nieuwenhuis, or Cespedes driving in runs — the important thing was that a Met player was doing the damage. Hell, it just mattered that the Mets were doing damage.
And that question mark of a bullpen? The one that has not allowed a run to the Nationals in their biggest series of 2015?
None of this makes sense. This was never supposed to happen.
Bryce Harper was supposed to lead the Nationals to an NL East crown in 2015 and an NL MVP for himself.
Max Scherzer was supposed to make their rotation the deepest and best in the NL.
Sandy Alderson was never supposed to make the MLB team better — I have even said it myself.
Jeurys Familia was supposed to falter as a closer and was definitely never supposed to debut a new pitch.
Michael Conforto was supposed to be a bust like Fernando Martinez.
David Wright was supposed to be a shell of the player he once was.
Yoenis Cespedes was supposed to fail under the big time spotlight of meaningful September baseball in New York.
The New York media and drama involving Matt Harvey were supposed to rip this team from the inside out.
On the morning of September 9th, 2015 — the Mets are in first place with a 6.0 game lead over the Washington Nationals and a magic number of 19, but it might already be over.
Oh, somewhere in this favored land, the sun is setting now;
the band has quieted down, and Nationals fans wonder how?
Somewhere, there is hope, but not in that 8-7 score;
For there is no joy in Natsville — the mighty Mets won one more.
Like a child filled with awe and inspiration at the presence of a master storyteller, I am honored to have been able to watch this story unfold. I am not sure of how it ends yet — but the ride has been promising and thrilling.
This was never supposed to happen, but it did, and I could not be any happier.
Please enjoy a 2015 Mets Tribute Video created over the weekend by our own Avery Decker.
