“We’re in an enviable position” – Kelly Johnson
They certainly are. Something special is going on in Queens. These Mets refuse to ever roll over and die when down by any amount. Who would think that for the third consecutive game against the team chasing them for the National League East pennant that they would come back in such stunning fashion and win the way that they did? That’s 35 comeback wins for the Amazins now. Tremendous.
Well, at this point the team, the fans and the media are all believing in the Mets now. This team seems as close to unstoppable right now as possible, coming off a sweep of the Nats, and fortifying themselves with a seven game lead atop their division with bluster, resiliency and bravado.
Even talk of that 2007 collapse has faded, well almost. But team captain David Wright said he’s sick and tired of hearing about it.
“I’m not sure why we’re even talking about this. I think it’s just me left who was there,” said Wright who went onto explaining the incredibly stark differences between that team and this one. Or basically the same things our own Joe D. wrote about point by point last month.
“We didn’t have this type of staff, how deep this staff is,” Wright continued. “On top of that you sprinkle in the offense we have here, and it just seems like this is a more consistent team and a team that those arms we’re running out there, you feel like you have a pretty good chance to win on a nightly basis.”
Yoenis Cespedes continues to carry this team on his back, and it seems no matter when the moment comes for him to shine he pulls through and always in a big way. Cespedes has become the bat this team deserved. The team seems to feed off his energy and are always expecting something big when he steps to the plate, including Yoenis himself.
“We never give up. We’re ready to fight until the very last out,” a charged up Cespedes said while speaking to the media after last night’s 5-3 sweep of Washington. Cespedes has been the lightning rod that has energized this team in such a immensely dramatic way that there are no words to describe it. You just watch him and you’re in awe.
“You see it this series,” David Wright said. “He’s been a big-time run producer for us. It seems like those big situations find him, and more often than not he comes through. Extra-base hits. Home runs. The speed. It just seems like he’s got a very complete game.”
These Mets are here to stay. There’s an energy now that has been missing for a decade. The perfect mix of veterans and rookies all working together towards their playoff run. The team camaraderie, the fan base, the national attention is all there. This team is no joke and is ready to take the next step and manager Terry Collins has no intention of letting up.
“We can’t let down now,” manager Terry Collins said after Wednesday’s win. “We put ourselves in a good spot and have to keep moving.”
As the Mets roll into Atlanta, there are 23 games left to play for both the Metropolitans and the Nationals. If the Mets just go 12-11 the rest of the way, the Nats would need to go 19-4 just to tie them. New York controls their own destiny at this point, and they seem primed to take the wheel and ride straight to the National League Division Series. These are not the “same old Mets.”
