OTD 2015: Mets Clinch NL East in Cincinnati

It’s hard to believe this was six years ago. In a way, it feels like sixty.

Yes, there was a time when the Mets averaged 5.4 runs over the final two months of the season, winning 36 of 53 and solidifying themselves a team no one else wanted to face. There was a time when a trade deadline acquisition not only made an impact on the offense but was the central part of a team-wide resurgence.

That time was 2015. Yoenis Céspedes‘ insertion into the lineup resulted in 17 homers and a .951 OPS during a torrid 55-game stretch which had a ripple effect on the rest of the batting order. Combined with the downfall of the Washington Nationals, it was a recipe for a division clincher with seven games to spare: a 10-2 thrashing in Cincinnati which secured the franchise’s first NL East title since 2006.

New York wasted little time dispensing with the Reds. Two walks and a single in the top of the first gave Lucas Duda an opportunity to deliver a big two-out hit. He did: a grand slam, in fact, into the right-field stands at Great American Ballpark. Before starter John Lamb and his Reds could blink, the Mets had a 4-0 advantage.

Not long after Cincinnati could devise plans on a comeback, Curtis Granderson put them into a deeper hole. His solo homer with two outs in the second was No. 25 on the year, tying him for the team lead with Duda.

Michael Cuddyer provided extra cushion with a third-inning two-run double. That was plenty of support for Matt Harvey. Although he gave two back in the bottom of the second on a double from Ivan De Jesus, Harvey held the Reds in check. He worked around nine Cincinnati hits, struck out six, and lowered his ERA to 2.80. When he departed with two outs in the seventh, he has exceeded the 180-inning limit that had been placed on him following Tommy John Surgery. Spoiler alert: he would pitch a lot more.

And if this afternoon wasn’t sweet enough, David Wright capped the scoring with a three-run homer in the ninth. “The Captain” was a key member of the Mets’ last postseason appearance as a spry 23-year-old. He’d been with them during the club’s decline while dealing with his own physical issues. Soon after Jeurys Familia struck out future Met Jay Bruce to make it official, Wright not only took part in the clubhouse champagne celebration but he and his teammates greeted the fans who made the trip to Cincinnati.

Said a soaked Terry Collins, about to embark on his first playoff: “we’ve been waiting a long time, haven’t we?”