I’ve often said, and it bears repeating, that the 2015 New York Mets are a team of destiny. Since first uttering that “the stars and planets were aligning for this team” back in July, the phrase has become a staple in mainstream and local media to describe the this Mets team, once September rolled around. Always at the forefront, those guys, real visionaries.
It was just so apparent to me from the very beginning, that no matter how bleak things appeared, the Mets would find a way to win the game, or overcome a critical injury or suspension, and even snatch victory from the jaws of defeat with such incredible frequency. The Mets could do no wrong.
I’ve seen seasons like this one take shape on three previous occasions, which is why it was so easy for me to buy in and recognize that this was going to be a special season – and more than that – the beginning of a Mets dynasty.
Here we are at the precipice of the World Series. Only days ago I needed to devote 1,000 words and a series of tweets that you could wipe your behind with the Cubs’ 0-7 record against the Mets in the regular season. And while I predicted the Mets would win the NLCS in five games, it now appears they can do it in four. It’s pretty remarkable.
When I consider that Matt Harvey, Jacob deGrom, Noah Syndergaard and Steven Matz are all under team control for the next several seasons and that our pipeline is still full of high-upside, high-velocity pitching, my only question is how long will this dynasty last, five years or as long as that great Atlanta Braves run of the nineties?
Every single game I see evidence that the baseball gods are shining down on the Mets. Even going back to their dominating Grapefruit League performance in Spring Training, to the astute and observant baseball fan, you could sense the greatness that was beginning to emerge.
To lose your number two pitcher Zack Wheeler and your closer Jenrry Mejia before the season ever really got started, and then watch them respond by reeling off an amazing 11-game winning streak on top of all that, wow… I recall standing up during one of those games and applauding, thinking to myself, “This is it… This is really it… This is our time.”
I guess it was at that point I went into full-throttle, “Ya Gotta Believe” mode. I shook off all the negativity and unshackled myself from all the anguish of the last 6-7 years, reserving just a little bit in the tank for the Wilpons and any of their known operatives. The only people – as I saw it – that could somehow fuck this up. Luckily, they didn’t, because this is now a Mets world and fate wouldn’t allow it.
Getting back to the point of this post – which is how everything breaks right for this team of destiny no matter what – were any of you really surprised when the tie-breaking run last night, came on a Michael Conforto strikeout that bounced past Cubs catcher Miguel Montero as Yoenis Cespedes raced in to touch home plate to make it 3-2?
You see, things like that are those memorable little nuggets of lore that tell the tale of what has been an extraordinarily magical and historic Mets season. These are the stories we’ll one day tell our wide-eyed grandchildren a couple of decades from now, when they look up and ask us to tell them about that glorious Mets Dynasty that dominated the game with their young and overpowering pitching, a timely potent offense, and lady luck standing always by their side. What a magnificent time it is to be a Mets fan. Bask in its glory. Relish it. Cherish it.
This is the stuff of dreams. This is the stuff that breeds pride and inspires you. This is the stuff of legend.
