The New York Mets 2016 season was chock full of big time performances from a variety of players. The season fell short of our expectations but it sure was a gritty, fun and roller coaster type season to witness. Lets take a look at some of the standout performances from this past season.
Although in just his second season in the bigs, Noah Syndergaard has already found himself in numerous high pressure situations. None though was higher in 2016 than his task of attempting to navigate his team to victory in the win or go home Wild Card game.
The Mets unfortunately were unable to solve Madison Bumgarner, falling to San Francisco by a score of 3-0. Thor though would match Bumgarner for each of his innings pitched, looking purely dominant at times while at others gutting his way out of trouble for a scoreless gem. Take a look below at just some of the purely electrifying stuff that Syndergaard brought to the table on that cold October night.
Syndergaard would pitch seven innings while striking out 10 and taking the no-decision in the final game of the Mets 2016 season. Thor yet again showed New York who is the true ace of this staff.
Sticking with the “God of Thunder” theme, Thor showed his might yet again on May 11, 2016 at Dodger Stadium as he became the first pitcher in nine years to hit two homers in a game.
Syndergaard would crush a solo jack off of Kenta Maeda in the third inning and then later in the fifth would tag him again, but this time for a three-run bomb. Flexing his muscle in 2016, Thor would end his season with three homers in total.
The Mets were a team who seemed to either live or die by the home run in 2016. Curtis Granderson showed his might on September 17, 2016. The Grandy-man showed that he still can, hitting two extra-inning homers to propel the Mets to a 3-2 extra inning victory over the Minnesota Twins.
With the Mets trailing by a score of 2-1 in the bottom of the eleventh, Granderson would smash a homer to tie up the game and keep the team alive. The following inning, Granderson would walk off the night with another Grandy splash in what was a crazy see-saw ending to an otherwise uninspiring game.
Heading back over to the pitching side, Jacob deGrom put on a heck of a performance in Philadelphia on July 17, 2016. The deGrominator navigated his way through a one-hit shutout for the first complete game of his career.
Jacob would strike out seven batters on this day while walking one as the Mets cruised to a 5-0 victory. It is performances like this that truly show just how important deGrom is to this rotation and how dominant he has the ability to be when healthy and on top of his game.
What better way to end the top performances of 2016 than the incredible game that Wilmer Flores had on July 3, 2016 against the World Champion Chicago Cubs. Flores would have a monster day at the plate, going 6-for-6 as the Mets completed a four-game sweep of Chicago with a 14-3 drubbing at Citi Field.
Part of those six hits included two homers and four RBI to go along with three runs scored. Flores would become only the second Met in team history to collect six hits in a game. The only other Mets player to ever do so was Edgardo Alfonzo, who accomplished the feat in 1999.
Sure 2016 did not bring another championship to Queens but it was still a hell of a season that was great to watch unfold. It was another drama filled year for a team who fought through a plethora of injuries. Next season is sure to bring great moments and hopefully more playoff excitement as Spring Training is just around the corner.
What was your top Mets performance of 2016?
