NEW YORK, NEW YORK – AUGUST 09: Jeff McNeil #1 of the New York Mets celebrates after hitting a solo … [+]
On June 1, 2022, the New York Mets had a record of 35-17. They lead the Atlanta Braves by 10.5 games in the National League East.
That was then. This is now. The Atlanta Braves ended up winning the division.
The Mets were in first place in the division for 175 days, but in the end, they will enter the postseason in a Wild Card series against the San Diego Padres.
While they aren’t the division champs, the New York Mets had a fantastic season.
Both the Mets and Braves finished the regular season with identical 101-61 records.
However, at the conclusion of the regular season, the Braves won the NL East because they won the season series against the Mets, 10 games to 9. That was the tiebreaker in the division race.
The Braves swept the Mets in a three-game set September 30, October 1 and 2. That series sweep likely sealed the fate of New York.
Both the Braves and the Mets deserve to be in postseason play. And they are.
All That Matters Is The Postseason:
In reality, what counts is getting to play in the MLB “second season” – the playoffs.
However, losing the division to the defending MLB World Champion Braves has serious consequences and ramifications for both the Mets and the Braves.
Along with the National League West Champion Los Angeles Dodgers, the Braves will enjoy a first-round bye. It will allow the team to rest and prepare for the Division Series between the winner of the Philadelphia Phillies/St. Louis Cardinals Wildcard weekend.
Instead of being able to rest with a first round bye, the Mets will take on the San Diego Padres at home in the best of three Wild Card games.
ESPN will cover the series on television in prime time.
The Braves clinched their pennant Tuesday, October 4 with a 2-1 win over the Miami Marlins. The Mets simply ran out of games to catch Atlanta. Just winning one of those games with Atlanta would have tipped the division to New York. It wasn’t meant to be.
NEW YORK, NEW YORK – AUGUST 08: Chris Bassitt #40 of the New York Mets pitches in the first inning … [+]
Outstanding Mets Rotation Is Healthy:
The Mets rotation will be at full strength as they take on San Diego at Citi Field in New York.
Jacob deGrom, Max Scherzer, and Chris Bassitt are all healthy. Those are the three Mets starters that will likely be facing the Padres, in that order.
To this writer, there isn’t a better first three starters in the playoffs. And probably not a better overall pitching staff in baseball.
A four-time All Star, right-hander deGrom, 34, is 6-4, 180 pounds. He finished the regular season with a 5-4 record in 11 starts, covering 64.1 innings.
After returning from injuries, and pitching at the top of the Mets rotation, deGrom struck out an average of 14.3 hitters per nine innings, while walking 1.1 hitters per nine. He finished the season with a WHIP of 0.74.
In parts of nine big league seasons, deGrom has fashioned a remarkable 82-57 record with a 2.52 ERA and a 0.99 WHIP in 1326 innings.
An ageless marvel at the age of 36, eight-time All Star, and three-time Cy Young Award Winner Max Scherzer will likely get the ball in the second game of the Wild Card Series. Like deGrom, Scherzer has battled injuries this season. He threw 145.1 innings in 23 starts.
Scherzer, a right-hander like deGrom, finished the season with a record of 11-5, carrying a 2.29 ERA and 0.90 WHIP. Scherzer struck out 10.7 hitters per nine, while walking 1.5 per nine.
If a third and deciding game is needed in the Wild Card series, Chris Bassitt would be the probable Mets pitcher. Bassitt came to the Mets this season from the Oakland Athletics in a March trade for pitchers JT Ginn and Adam Oiler.
Trading for Bassitt was among many outstanding Mets moves, as they churned their roster to prepare for this very successful season.
The right-handed Bassitt is a big guy at 6-5, 217 pounds. At the age of 33, he has provided another veteran presence on the club’s pitching staff.
Bassitt finished his Mets season with a record of 15-9, his best record in his eight-year career. He made 30 starts, pitching to a 3.42 ERA and 1.14 WHIP.
New York Mets’ Pete Alonso during the third inning in the first baseball game of a doubleheader … [+]
Mets Offense Can Be Very Dangerous:
The all-time American League Home Run Champion resides on the roster of the Mets city rivals, the New York Yankees. Aaron Judge has hit 62 home runs this season. His Yankees will be on a first-round bye in the American League postseason.
However, the Mets have their own outstanding slugger in first baseman Pete Alonso, who hit 40 homers and drove in 131 runs. With the Yankees on bye, Alonso and his Mets teammates should have all the New York attention for the weekend playoffs to themselves.
Shortstop Francisco Lindor has rebounded from a mediocre 2021 season in New York with a consequential 2022 offensive performance. He hit 26 homers, 25 doubles and drove in 107 runs. He also scored 98 runs, three more than Alonso.
All Star second baseman Jeff McNeil’s .326 batting average was the best in the National League. As the winner of the NL batting title, McNeil, an All Star this season and in 2019, struck out only 61 times in 589 plate appearances. His 39 doubles helped set the pace for the Mets offense.
Outfielder Starling Marte will miss the series due to a fractured finger. He would have been a formidable contributor to the Mets lineup.
NEW YORK, NEW YORK – MAY 27: Edwin Diaz #39 of the New York Mets celebrates the final out of the … [+]
Superb Closer:
Mets manager Buck Showalter has had the good fortune of being able to turn to quality pitchers in the high-leverage, late innings.
Showalter and his Mets can finish games with one of the best closers in baseball.
Right-handed veteran Edwin Diaz, 28, takes the ball in the ninth inning. He saved 32 games in 35 opportunities. He threw to a 1.31 ERA, and 0.83 WHIP, striking out an average of 17.1 hitters per nine innings. He walked 2.6 batters per nine.
Conclusions:
While they have to be deeply disappointed they didn’t wrestle the National League East Division crown from the Atlanta Braves, the fabulous season of the Mets must not be forgotten.
They won 101 games.
The Braves got hot in the second half, managing to earn a first-round bye in the playoffs. The Braves won the season series with the Mets, and that decided the National League East Division winner.
Now, the “second” MLB season begins on October 7, with the Mets hosting the San Diego Padres at home.
The Padres traded for closer Josh Hader for his potential prowess as a closer in the postseason. Now, that opportunity awaits Hader and the Padres.
However, to this writer, it doesn’t seem the Padres top three starters of Yu Darvish, Blake Snell and Joe Musgrove can tame the Mets offense.
It also doesn’t seem that the Padres offense, led by All Star outfielder Juan Soto and All Star third baseman Manny Machado will be enough to put a dent in starters Jacob deGrom, Max Scherzer and Chris Bassitt.
The Mets have superb pitching and a formidable offense to take care of the business of winning in their home park.
To this observer, the Mets have the type of balance on their club to make a long playoff run. They can pitch, they can hit, and they can hold their own against any team in baseball. The only concern for this writer stems from a less than consistent Mets defense, especially the range at the corner infield positions. However, the defense is not a liability.
In a short, three-game series, anything can happen. This scout sees the presence of a very formidable starting rotation, a solid offensive lineup, and one of the games better closers tilting the series to the Mets. They may even win in two games.
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