For the first time in several years, the Mets were finally having a great year, and they finally returned to the playoffs. They were one of the best teams in baseball. A World Series run did not look out of the question… until the three-game series against the Atlanta Braves, which ran from Sept. 30 through Oct. 2.
The Mets entered the series with a one-game lead over the Braves in the NL East. Both teams had only six games remaining in the season: three against each other, then three games each against the Nationals and Marlins, respectively. If the Mets won all three games against the Braves, they would clinch the division. If the Mets won two out of the three games, they would have a two-game lead and would need to win only one of their final three games against the Nationals, who had the worst record in the league. Even if the Mets only won one of the three games, they still would have been tied for the division lead.
Since the Mets would still own the tiebreaker over the Braves, as they would have won the season series over the Braves, if the Mets won all three games against the Nationals, which they ended up doing, they would still win the division. The only thing the Mets could not do was lose all three games to a team they have been ahead of in the standings in the Braves since the season started back in April.
But, in Mets fashion, they lost all three games, putting them two games behind the Braves, and they ended up losing the division and falling into the Wild Card. Now, instead of getting a bye into the division series, in which they would have played the Philadelphia Phillies, who they would have most likely beaten easily, they ended up playing the San Diego Padres in the Wild Card Round. As if the Mets season wasn’t already going downhill, as they had already lost the division, and even if they were to beat the Padres, they would have had to face the Los Angeles Dodgers in the division series, who had the best record in the league this season, their season completely fell apart. They lost the series to the Padres. It is the same every year with this team.
This is the first time they are even going to the playoffs since 2016, six years ago. This team must be cursed. They cannot catch a break.
