It was a crazy week — even by Mets standards.
It began with the team seeking help before the trade deadline — specifically a bat that would jump-start a lifeless offense — as it teetered on the .500 mark but had first place still in its sights.
It ended with the Mets landing that key bat and beginning their surge to the NL East title and, ultimately, the pennant.
In between was a roller coaster of emotions that went from hope to sadness to anger to euphoria. And those emotions weren’t limited to the fans.
On July 27, New York fortified its relief pitching with Tyler Clippard from Oakland — another 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 29 — 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.
Thoughts over leaving the only organization he’d known since he was 16 years old brought him to tears while on the field at shortstop. Postgame pressers over why the trade was nixed were perceived as an embarrassment for a franchise accustomed to PR blunders.
More heartbreak came the next afternoon when a 7-1 lead on the Padres washed away with a ninth-inning meltdown — and two excruciating rain delays in between.
Then came July 31 and the looming 4 p.m. EST trade deadline. With three minutes to spare, and fans approaching abject despair, the Mets snatched Yoenis Cespedes from Detroit. 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 this lineup needed.
Hours after the Mets made one of their most impactful trades in years, the player they didn’t let go provided one of the biggest hits in recent memory.
The Mets were hosting the Nats in a crucial three-game series, behind 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 his home run to give New York a 2-1 victory, moving them a game closer to first place, cemented himself 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 — a symbolic gesture showing who he belonged to.
While Cespedes 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 the Mets on their road to the pennant.
