The first Met game I attended this season was in sub-60 degree temperatures. The wind was howling and the weather was far from ideal.

This was on Memorial Day weekend.

Despite a night that resembled October more than May, I watched — stood, mostly — through eight innings of one of the best Mets games of the season.

The team hit five home runs, and ultimately ended the evening with a 13-2 win over the Braves. The Mets were clicking on all cylinders.

It was early in the season, but for a few hours, I felt like this first place team was one of the best teams in baseball. It didn’t matter that it was far colder than most would have liked. For the 8,000 or so fans at Citi Field that evening (back when there was a capacity restriction at the ballpark), the Mets gave us diehards a game to remember.

I’ve had the opportunity to attend seven more Met games since then. From seeing a June walk-off win vs. the Phillies to being in Pittsburgh for the 6-0 meltdown, I feel as if I’ve seen it all for the Mets this season.

Despite the heartbreak that seems far too often with this team, I keep coming back. Take that Pittsburgh series for example.

My friends and I traveled seven hours from New York to The Steel City, a trip we planned half a year in advance.

A Mets sweep was likely, at least in my mind. After all, the Pirates held one of the worst records in the league. There was no way they’d have the Mets number again after winning twice in Queens before the All-Star break.

Alas, the Pirates did just what I thought they’d have no chance of accomplishing. In winning 9-7 on a beautiful Saturday night at PNC Park, the Pirates sent me back to my hotel perhaps more upset after a single baseball game then I’d ever been before.

Yet there I was in downtown Pittsburgh a little over twelve hours later, back on my feet cheering on a Mets team that I was so dejected about the night before. There’s something about this specific team that keeps me watching. I think this is a sentiment shared by much of the fan base.

Even after falling behind 6-0 in the first inning, I remained hopeful, cheering on the team as I have almost every day since April. Being a Mets fan can have its fair share of disappointment, and when the team gets down 6-0 so quickly, it’s easy to give up immediately. But you know what? Just a day after perhaps their worst loss of the season, the Mets turned around and pulled off arguably their best win of the season. Leaving Pittsburgh with a 7-6 victory made that trek back to New York a bit easier.

That weekend taught me that after brutal losses, there is hope for the organization — after all, there is (almost) always a game the next day. It’s one of the wonderful things about baseball. Although those two games put me through a roller coaster of emotions as a baseball fan, I left Pittsburgh with a renewed sense of confidence in the blue and orange.

Today, the Mets have fallen out of first place for the first time in over 80 days. As a Mets fan, many of us are expecting a total collapse at this point. I mean, they just began a three-game set with the Phillies, and what does the schedule greet us with soon after? Thirteen consecutive games against the Dodgers and Giants, two of the best teams in baseball right now.

And I’m not even talking about “best team” as I thought the Mets were in my euphoric state back in May. The Dodgers and Giants would be very likely to meet in the NLCS, if not for the fact that they’ll inevitably meet a round earlier in the NLDS.

All in all, things are not looking great for the Mets over the next month. The schedule is only getting tougher and key players remain on the injured list. Pessimism surrounding the ball club seems to be at a season high now.

But then again, the Mets are still a half game out of first place. And there remain over 50 more games to be played before the postseason. And to be totally honest, there is a lot to be proud of about this team. Think about how many players have made their way up from Triple-A since April and have made a positive impact at some point throughout this crazy season. If anyone had Brandon Drury as one of the team’s best hitters by August 4, that would have been a very bold (and rather laughable) prediction. Now, Drury is becoming a fan favorite at Citi Field.

It’s easy to lose faith in the Mets during such a grueling stretch of the season. But why have such a negative attitude for a team that literally still holds a playoff spot and will have two of baseball’s players returning from the IL in short time?

I know that fans wanted the front office to make more deals at the deadline. I get it. But something about these 2021 Mets tells me something special is happening soon. It might seem crazy to say that in the midst of a losing streak, but just like in 2015, sometimes all you have to do is get hot at the right time in the season. There is plenty of baseball left to be played.

Come October, those words might look silly. The Mets might have collapsed, fallen far out of first place, and missed the postseason for the fifth consecutive season. It will be upsetting and might cause many fans to lose any hope in the team for 2022, but yet again, there’s something truly great about baseball.

Because however the season ends, I know I’ll be counting down the days until Opening Day 2022, planning trips to see the team at both Citi Field and on the road. Between the wins and losses, the Mets offer me — just a fan of the team — something to look forward to each year.

That elusive third championship may be in store this October. Maybe this isn’t the year. But regardless, the Mets will be there to root on and keep faith in.

The season may end, but hope in the New York Mets will always remain. LGM.