File photo/TheNYExtra.com File Photo /TheNYExtra.com
Just a few short weeks ago, the Mets were 11 games under 500 and after yesterday’s 12-2 destruction of the Yankees they are back at the 500 mark in clear playoff contention. Meanwhile, the Yankees are in a freefall as they no longer have the best record in the AL (that belongs to the Guardians) and look listless, uninterested and uninspired.
Getting back to the Mets, this lineup is percolating on every level as it is hard to find a deeper one through 9 in the sport. And for those who think the Yankees own this town, think again because the Mets never got that memo. Simply put, the 3 Met best Met starters (Senga, Severino and Quintana) all missed this series as well as Edwin Diaz and the Bronx Bombers started their 2 best starting pitchers. And honestly, the Yankees did not belong on the same field with the Mets.
The Met 2 game sweep means the run of years the Yanks have not taken a season series from the Mets has reached 8 years. At Citi, the Mets are 10-3 in their last 13 games versus the Yanks Overall, the Mets have best June winning percentage in baseball as well as the best OPS. The return of Francisco Alvarez, the torrid hitting of JD Martinez and the on-base acumen of both Francisco Lindor and Brandon Nimmo are the biggest reasons this offense has been unstoppable.
A long time, Mike Piazza would always tell me that navigating through a lineup is the key to any pitching night and on a daily basis this Met lineup makes opponents feel like they are driving on a nail-laden road knowing their tires will not make it through the trip.
In all fairness and honesty, The Mets still have much work to do and they readily admit that. But the path to the playoffs is a reasonable one as likely 86 wins would cement a playoff spot. That means from here to season’s end the Mets need to be 3 games over 500 in the months of July, August and September. That is a very realistic goal.
I joked last week that the season is starting to remind me of 1973 when the Yanks and Mets traded positions in the summer after a Mets You Gotta Believe clubhouse meeting. Well, the Mets have been red hot since the players only meeting they had while the Yankees are in the middle of a free fall.
As Yogi Berra would say, “Could be deja vu all over again.”
