An MMO Fan Shot by Lisa P.
When the 2016 season began, I was sure we would go far into the postseason, and thought it was probable we would win the World Series. I figured it would be smooth sailing and that we’d probably clinch the NL East sometime in the middle of September. I couldn’t imagine there would be much of a pennant race because we easily found ourselves winning the NL East last season and we made it all the way to November. And after all, we did resign Yoenis Cespedes.
However, beginning in April, our team was plagued with injury after injury. Travis d’Arnaud, Wilmer Flores, Asdrubal Cabrera and Juan Lagares all missed playing time on and off. Worse yet, Matt Harvey was not himself and eventually required surgery, Zack Wheeler never returned like everyone expected, Michael Conforto struggled terribly, and Lucas Duda missed nearly the entire season.
On June 25th, the Mets made one of the smartest moves of the season when they signed Jose Reyes in what many saw as a controversial decision. However, the move immediately paid big dividends as Jose was rejuvenated and added some energy to the team. He was finally home where he belonged, and his infield versatility allowed him to fill gaps all over the field initially before finally settling in at third base to replace his injured buddy, David Wright.
As the season progressed we were able to patch up some holes with the additions of James Loney and of course Kelly Johnson, who returned better than ever.
However, our rotation of aces was struggling. Jacob deGrom had several uncharacteristically tough starts while Steven Matz and Noah Syndergaard each were diagnosed with bone spurs. Thankfully, Bartolo Colon was better than could be expected from a 43-year old, and he became our most reliable starter for a while.
I can’t say I ever gave up hope, because after all – Ya Gotta Believe. I would be lying though, if I didn’t admit that I was pretty scared in the middle of August. The NL East had slipped away and the Wild Card race seemed nearly out of reach, not because 5.5 games are impossible to make up, but because our team seemed to be losing ground, falling to two games below .500, any it felt like the losses were quickly mounting.
Thankfully, things began to turn around. Reyes, Yo, and Asdrubal all returned from the DL and they each hit the ground running, especially Cabrera who was on fire. Wilmer was also carrying a lot of the offense and crushing left-handed pitching like nobody’s business. Things were looking up.
Our ailing rotation was patched up by a pair of rookies in Seth Lugo and Robert Gsellman who performed in such a way that is nothing short of miraculous. And here we are in the postseason.
Tonight’s the night! We’ll find out if the Mets or the Giants will advance to play the Chicago Cubs in the NL Division Series.
Thor gets the nod and he’s hit his stride at the perfect time. We hit Madison Bumgarner really well when we faced him this summer, so that is good news. We have Yo, we have Reyes, and we have Familia with his newly found confidence.
While I am deeply saddened about the injury of Wilmer, we do have Bruce who has suddenly found his groove and is red hot. I always hoped that if we started Bruce long enough, this would happen. It did, just at the perfect time. I’m also thrilled with the way Rene Rivera turned out. He seems to be the best option for Wednesday night.
I just know that if we survive tonight, we will go far. The Nats could stand in our way say all the experts, but I say maybe not. Once you make the playoffs, you’ve got as good a chance as any to win the World Series. Especially when your team is the Amazin’ Mets. I don’t want to wait for 2017. Why should I? We have the championship in our sights now. I know we can do it and I’m pretty sure we will. So let’s get this done! Let’s Go Mets!
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This MMO Fan Shot was written by MMO reader Lisa Pecaro. Have something you want to say about the Mets? Share your opinions with over 30,000 Met fans who read this site daily. Send your Fan Shot to [email protected]. Or ask us about becoming a regular contributor.
