Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports

The Mets needed more hitting and less drama. In late July 2015, they got both. 

The week leading up to the trade deadline, the Mets began seeking a bat that would jump-start a lifeless offense. This as New York teetered at the .500 mark yet had first place in its sights. It ended with the Mets landing that key bat and beginning their surge to the National League East title and, ultimately, the NL pennant. 

In between was a roller coaster of emotions: from hope to sadness to anger to euphoria. Those emotions weren’t limited to the fans. 

On July 27th, New York fortified its relief pitching by getting Tyler Clippard from Oakland, Anoher less-than-flashy but substantive move on top of recent utility player pick-ups Juan Uribe and Kelly Johnson.

It appeared the need for a major piece to the batting order was filled on July 29th. This, when in the middle of a home game against San Diego, a deal had reportedly been made to acquire Carlos Gomez from the Brewers with Wilmer Flores among those being shipped to Milwaukee. The deal fell through over concerns about Gomez’s hip, but not before Flores had been notified by fans of his seemingly impending departure. 

Leaving the only organization he’d known since age 16 brought him to tears on the field at his shortstop position. Postgame press conferences over why the trade was nixed were justly perceived as an embarrassment for a franchise accustomed to public relations blunders. More heartbreak came the next afternoon. A 7-1 lead against the Padres washed away with a ninth-inning meltdown. This including two excruciating rain delays in between. 

Then came July 31st, and the looming 4:00 P.M. EST trade deadline. The Mets snatched Yoenis Céspedes from Detroit at the wire. In 102 games, the 29-year-old had a batting average of .293 with 18 homers and 61 RBI. In other words, it was just what the lineup needed. Hours after the Mets made one of their most impactful trades in years, the player they didn’t relinquish provided one of the biggest hits in recent memory.

The Mets were hosting the Nationals in a crucial three-game series. The team the Mets were behind by three games in the NL East standings. Energized by their newest addition, but without him until the next day, the spotlight shifted to Flores. He began with a diving defensive play that elicited a standing ovation from the Citi Field crowd. They were standing with each at bat, too. And in the fourth inning, he drove in the first run on a single. 

That would be the Mets’ lone run for a while, as Washington tied the game in the eighth. The deadlock lasted into the bottom of the 12th with Flores leading off. He had already earned the empathy of fans, and then he added to the storyline further with a walk-off home run to give New York a 2-1 victory. This moved New York a game closer to first place, and cemented Flores as a Mets’ cult hero. On the same field where he shed tears two nights earlier, Wilmer had a far different emotion rounding the bases. As he neared the swarm of teammates at home plate, he tugged on the front of his jersey. He was definitely a Met. 

While Céspedes ultimately was the spark this team needed, with 17 homers, 44 RBI, and a 155 OPS+ in 57 games, helping to carry New York over the final two months of the regular season, it was Flores’ storybook homer that kick-started his team on their road to the pennant.