Now that the New York Mets’ bullpen has gotten that one awful experience (last night’s debacle) out of their system, it’s time to move forward and continue to be one of the most dominant bullpens in the league.
With the confidence that the Mets’ starting pitchers clearly have in this group, it should make it that much easier to forget about yesterday and think about today.
In an article from Kristie Ackert of the New York Daily News, last night’s losing pitcher, Jacob deGrom, had this to say about such a heart-wrenching, gut-punch, of a loss, “You are comfortable when those guys come in. You know they are not perfect. It’s gonna happen. Tonight, we let one get away.”
For a guy who just lost a game after leaving with a five-run lead, after putting up amazing numbers on a cold, windy night (7.1 innings, 12 strikeouts, one walk), to shrug it off, simply chalking it up to the breaks of the game, is not only a refreshingly realistic take, but the ultimate team-first move. We’d never expect anything less from deGrom, to be perfectly honest.
After a win over Miami last week, the Mets’ co-ace, Noah Syndergaard, also made sure to praise the work of the team’s relief corps, again to Ackert, “It’s awesome to get out there and have them shut the door. I think it’s crucial for us moving forward.”
For both of these otherworldly starting pitchers to, not mimic, but echo the same sentiments about the guys who, whether the team wins or loses, that they are confident enough to pass along their hard work to another guy or group of guys to finish the job, signifies a bigger-picture type of situation.
Praise when they do the job admirably is one thing, and it’s all well and good. But praise and understanding after a loss as tough as last night’s is hard-proof of a culture change that no one can disagree has already taken place.
Is this team there yet? No way. But taking a loss like last night’s in stride would be a pretty good start to getting where the New York Mets want to be.
Losses happen during a 162-game season, and tough ones are part of the game. It’s easy to feel like the sky is falling, but tonight is a new night and the team can still take this series.
Hopefully, they go in with a clean slate and don’t let the loss last night shake them.
