The Mets Miracle season continues, as they defeat the Philadelphia Phillies 3-1 in the Division Series, to advance to the National League Championship Series. From 0-5 to OMG, to Grimace, to Francisco Lindor’s Team Meeting, to the call-up of Luisangel Acuña, this team has seen a lot. In the postseason, from Pete Alonso’s fairy tale home run to Lindor’s grand slam, this team just keeps on coming back and refuses to quit. They have taken on the personality of their manager, Carlos Mendoza, who should be a favorite for Manager of the Year in his inaugural season.
New York advances to the National League Championship Series for the first time since 2015. They will face either the San Diego Padres or Los Angeles Dodgers. Importantly, they will be playing carefree, effectively with house money. No one expected them to make it this far. The season started by being swept by the Milwaukee Brewers; the same Brewers that the Mets eliminated in the Wild Card round. New York bottomed out at 11 games below .500 before they became the league’s best team from that point forward.
Here is a look at two stars who have so far shined brightest for the Mets this postseason, driving them to the National League Championship Series:
Francisco Lindor the MVP
In 99% of other seasons, Lindor would be a slam dunk pick as the MVP of the National League. However, Shohei Ohtani is also in the NL, and became the only member of the 50/50 club. That will be hard to overcome, but without Lindor this season the Mets would have been a mess.
Lindor had a bit of an up and down season this year. He got off to a very rough start, which is not completely out of the ordinary in his career. His batting average was not above .200 to stay until May 22nd. Lindor made comments about missing “winning” the most from Cleveland. Things were not looking great.
Then, Lindor took the reins of this team and became the leader that they have needed. He called a Team Meeting. On the surface, it should have been done but was not seen as a season turning point. However, it was. Other players have credited that meeting with turning around the team’s fortunes. In calling this meeting, Lindor established himself as the team’s leader.
Lindor’s performance on the field also improved. He was his normal Gold Glove-caliber defender. In addition to that, he started to hit. As the season progressed, his hits also became more and more clutch. He broke up a no-hitter in the ninth inning against Toronto with a home run, in a game the Mets went on to win. That is just one example of many.
MVP’s make their presence felt the most when it matters the most. Game 4 of the NLDS against the Phillies this year gave him that opportunity. Trailing 1-0 in the sixth inning in a clinching game, Lindor came up with the bases loaded and flipped the script. He put the Mets up 4-1 with one swing. That was it, the Phillies would not come back, there would be no Game Five in Philly with Zack Wheeler on the mound. The Mets advance.
By the end of the regular season, Lindor’s average was up to .273, with 33 home runs, 91 RBIs, and an OPS of .844. In the postseason so far, he has hit .259 with one (huge) home run and six RBIs.
Pete Alonso Has His Defining Moment
Alonso, known as the Polar Bear, is one of the game’s best power hitters. He is also a homegrown talent for the Mets. The team that drafted him out of the University of Florida has helped him develop into one of the best, and best known, first basemen.
A contract year is always a wild card. Some players, like Aaron Judge, are able to take advantage of them. They are able to cash in after having a huge year in the last year of a current deal. Alonso entered 2024 without signing an extension. He was gambling on himself to have a great year, and earn a huge contract in the offseason.
The regular season was mediocre at best, based on his standards. He finished with a .240 average, 34 home runs and 88 RBIs. For a middle of the road first baseman, that would be a great year. For Alonso, not so much. More worrisome, in contrast to Lindor, a lot of Alonso’s damage happened when games were already decided. That all changed one night in Milwaukee.
In the deciding Game Three of the NL Wild Card series between the Mets and Brewers, Alonso came to the plate in the ninth inning with the score 2-0 in favor of Milwaukee. A pending free agent, this could have been Alonso’s last at-bat as a Met. Not so fast, the Mets and Alonso were not done yet. Alonso drove a blast over the wall in right field, giving the Mets a 3-2 lead, a lead they would not relinquish in eliminating the Brewers.
Whenever this dream of a season comes to a close, Alonso and the Mets will meet and hopefully come to an agreement on a new contract. Regardless of how that goes, Alonso has cemented his legacy as a Mets legend.
Feature Picture; MLB.com
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