Yes Virginia, the Mets Are As Good As Their Record

The calendar on my wall might say it’s June, but Sunday’s contest between the New York Mets and the Los Angeles Dodgers felt just like a cool October night.

Sure, there’s more than half a season left to play, but that showdown in Chavez Ravine this weekend felt like the first round of the National League playoffs.

The excitement, the intensity, and all the rough and tumble were very prevalent as the Mets took on the powerhouse of the NL West.

The two teams split the series as they both attempted to out-swagger the other. But both teams came away with a pair of stunning defeats and a pair of wild and gritty comeback victories. This was baseball at its best.

I was really looking forward to this West Coast swing and saw it as a true test for the Mets, who have been making hay bulldozing some of the weaker teams in the league to begin the season. Now we would know for sure just how good this Mets team is.

On Thursday, a friend asked me what my thoughts were heading into the Dodgers series. And I gotta tell you my response was, “I just hope we don’t get swept.”

It’s not that I thought the Dodgers were that much better than the Mets, but I felt we were not at full strength and they certainly were.

To come away with a split despite Jacob deGrom and Max Scherzer being on the shelf is quite a remarkable achievement. And the thought that both should be back for the second half is tantalizingly delicious.

This team is built to win.

There are so many moving parts to this roster and each one is critical to their overall success. Every day brings a new and different challenge, and with that comes a new and different hero. It’s wondrous to see.

In future years you will look up the meaning of the word “team” and the 2022 Mets will be among the definitions, that’s how good this Mets team is.

On Sunday, it was a rookie right-hander Adonis Medina rising to the occasion, but tonight it could be anyone else on that Mets roster.

It feels as if all 26 players have had their own signature moment at one point or another this season. I’m not even sure that the 1986 Mets were as widely successful on a player-by-player basis as this current Mets team is.

This West Coast trip and particularly the Dodgers series was going to answer the question on everybody’s mind… Are the Mets as good as their record?

And the answer seems to be a resounding YES.

So sit back and enjoy whatever else unfolds this season as the playoff-bound Mets thrill us one win and one hero at a time.