Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports

Citi Field was jam packed for a third-straight night as fans congregated in Flushing to support the Mets in Game 3 against the Padres in the National Wild Card Series. With Chris Bassitt on the mound, and a rejuvenated offense in Game 2, the Mets were in a prime position to win the series in front of their fans.

Scripts don’t always play out in baseball and the home team doesn’t always win. Bassitt struggled in Game 3 and allowed three runs in only four innings of work. The offense reverted back to their Game 1 form and never got going.

The Padres, however, were able to bear down against an early rambunctious crowd and set the tone for the entire game. After being handed an early 2-0 lead, Joe Musgrove dominated the Mets for seven innings. San Diego’s offense was persistent as well and scored five of their six runs with two outs.

In the decisive Game 3 loss, the Mets only tallied a single hit. Something New York did not do previously in the 164 games of the 2022 season prior. It was a frustrating end to a historic regular season.

It is a disappointing finish to the 2022 season as the Mets were unable to advance past the first round of the playoffs. At the beginning of the season, the idea of Jacob deGrom and Max Scherzer starting playoff games at Citi Field was salivating to the fans and intimidating to foes. In actuality, the duo only got one go-around and gave up nine runs in 10 2/3 innings.

While the 2022 season did not end as most wanted or anticipated, the future of the Mets is in good hands. In their first year, Buck Showalter and his coaching staff improved the Mets by 24 games. The Mets also reached the postseason in the second year of the Steve Cohen era. The future also looks young for the Mets. The 2022 season debuted potential corner stone players in Brett Baty, Mark Vientos, and Francisco Álvarez.

The 2022 season also featured franchise-breaking moments. Francisco Lindor and Pete Alonso broke franchise RBI records, Jeff McNeil became the first Mets player to lead MLB in batting average, and the 101-61 finish was the second-best record franchise history.

With the 2022 season officially wrapped up, Mets’ fans will have to sit idle and wait for a busy offseason. The list of free agents are long for the Mets, with Brandon Nimmo, Edwin Díaz, Seth Lugo, deGrom, Carlos Carrasco, Chris Bassitt, Trevor May, Taijuan Walker, Adam Ottavino, Trevor Williams, and Mychal Givens all being either outright free agents or potential free agents. However, if the past holds true, Cohen will be aggressive and fortify his team.

Although the 2022 season ended in a disappointing fashion, this franchise continues to head in the right direction. Patience is a virtue, especially in baseball.