The New York Mets have had quite the roller coaster of a season, and it’s only the All-Star Break. According to ESPN, they were projected to finish with 79-83 record with a 24% chance to make the playoffs. However, they now sit at 49-46 and in sole possession of the third and final wild card spot at the halfway point. So with them exceeding early expectations, let’s take a dive into how the first half of the season has gone.
The Mets began the season 1-5, getting swept by Milwaukee in the opening series at home then losing 2 of 3 in Detroit. They went on to win 11 of their next 15 to bring their record to 12-9 and many Mets fans thought, are the Mets back? The short answer was no. They then lost 2 of 3 in their next two series to San Francisco and and St. Louis, and split a four game series with the Cubs before getting swept by Tampa Bay. Two more wins in early May in St. Louis brought them back to .500 at 18-18, a point they would not make it back to for quite sometime.
Beware the Ides of May
The month of May was a very rough stretch for the team. During May, they went 9-19 and led the Mets to their lowest point of the season. This included 3 series sweeps to Tampa Bay, Philadelphia, Cleveland and the Los Angeles Dodgers. By the end of May, the Mets sat at 24-33. And most fans were looking ahead to who they were going to trade away at the deadline. Nobody, including me a lifelong Mets fan, could have expected what would come next.
Oh, How the Turns Have Tabled
June began and they dropped the first two games to Arizona. The next two series they swept Washington and split one and one with Philadelphia in London. But after the trip home from London, everything changed. All Mets fans know what happened on Wednesday, June 12th as the season dramatically turned around. And after our savior threw out that first pitch, the New York Mets went on to win seven consecutive games to bring their record to 35-37. They finished the month of June with a 16-8 record and sat at 40-41.
Staying Hot in July
In July, to close out the first half of the season, the New York Mets have gone 9-5, which includes them winning 5 out of the last 6 before the All-Star break. In a season full of early disappointment, they are currently tied with the Astros for the best record in the MLB since June 1st at 25-13. With the Mets now in the playoff picture, it will be very interesting to see how they approach the trade deadline on July 30th.
