The New York Mets left fans with a ton of memorable moments in the 2010s. Winning a pennant and five major awards will do that.
The 2010s were a tumultuous decade for the New York Mets. They began the decade as one of the worst teams in baseball. By 2015, they were in the World Series. Since then, though, they’ve struggled to maintain any form of success.
The team hasn’t been to the playoffs since 2016, despite now employing a team filled with young studs.
That said, the decade was filled with unforgettable moments caused by both the unlikeliest of heroes Mets’ fans always dreamed about.
5. R.A. Dickey Throws back-to-back one-hitters
It’s easy to forget just how good R.A. Dickey was in 2012. Looking back, his numbers weren’t the best anyone’s ever seen. He had a 2.73 ERA, 3.27 FIP, 8.9 K/9, 2.1 BB/9 and was worth just 4.7 fWAR. However, that doesn’t really tell the story of Dickey in 2012.
Dickey was 37 years old. He had never made an All-Star appearance, let alone won a Cy Young. At his best, he was a good middle of the rotation starter.
That all changed in 2012. He came out like a house on fire. Leading up to a fateful matchup with the Tampa Bay Rays on June 13, Dickey had allowed more than three runs in a game just twice on the season.
His ERA was a career-low 2.44 at that point in the season. Still, nobody could really believe what Dickey was doing. A 37-year old knuckleballer wouldn’t last.
Then Dickey traveled to Tampa Bay to take on the Rays. He threw a one-hitter. The one hit was a controversial call that many argued could have been called an error. The Mets did argue that to MLB, but they stuck with the original call.
Dickey followed that up by stimying the Baltimore Orioles, who won 93 games and made the playoffs that year.
After that Dickey was a bonafide ace. That moment won him a Cy Young award. The New York Mets’ first since Dwight Gooden.
Dickey would go on to pitch five more seasons after that, proving that the knuckleball was much more than just a gimmick.
4. Jacob deGrom makes MLB debut against the New York Yankees
It was a combination of fate and luck that led to Jacob deGrom’s debut in 2014. The Mets were forced to call up two starters for a doubleheader against the Yankees in 2014.
Rafael Montero was one of the best pitching prospects in baseball and was scheduled to take an injured Dillon Gee’s spot in the rotation that day anyway. However, when rain struck, the Mets needed a second pitcher. Jacob deGrom was the guy.
DeGrom was the Mets’ 10th best prospect. Many of deGrom’s scouting reports had him as a middle-of-the-rotation starter, at best. He was supposed to play second fiddle to the elite pitching prospect Montero.
What nobody counted on was deGrom blowing away the Yankees. The Yankees weren’t a good team in 2014, but they were no pushovers, either. Coming into that game, they were the far superior team.
Yet, deGrom did what he’s made a career of doing. He threw seven innings, allowed one run and took a loss.
DeGrom never looked back after that night. He captured the NL Rookie of the Year in 2014. He made his first All-Star appearance in 2015. Now, he’s a back-to-back Cy Young winner.
3. Wilmer Flores hits walk-off home run two nights after crying on the field
There is no more emotional moment this decade than this one. On July 29, 2015, Wilmer Flores thought he had been traded. He thought he was leaving the franchise he grew up with from age 16. It was all over and the emotions were too much. He cried on the field as he thought he would be headed to Milwaukee the next day.
That wasn’t the case. The trade fell through over concerns for Zack Wheeler‘s health. The New York Mets didn’t end up with Carlos Gomez. Instead, they made a last-minute deal with the Detroit Tigers for Yoenis Cespedes, in a deal that didn’t involve Flores.
Flores rewarded the team with the biggest hit of the season. The Mets came into the night three games back of the first-place Washington Nationals. They knew they needed to win this series to start a second-half run to catch them. The playoffs were in their sights. All they needed was something to give them that first push.
It would be none other than Flores to provide it. In the 12th inning of hot July night, Wilmer Flores hit his third walk-off of the season. It was the spark that started the run of a lifetime.
2. Johan Santana throws Mets first no-hitter
This was an unforgettable moment. The first no-hitter in Mets history. There isn’t much to say other than that. The Mets had gone over 8,000 games without a no-hitter. It took until their 51st season to get it done.
The New York Mets have the second-most Cy Young awards in baseball history, but only the one no-hitter.
Twenty-twelve wasn’t a season that mattered much outside of R.A. Dickey’s performance. The Mets were awful. They won just 74 games. There is no big overarching achievement that this brought.
This was simply a magical night for the Mets and their fans. It was a night when Johan Santana did the impossible. He did what Tom Seaver, Jerry Koosman, Doc Gooden, Ron Darling, David Cone and so many others couldn’t. He threw a no-hitter for the Mets.
It was the culmination of a half-century of building teams through pitching. It finally all came together on one perfect night.
1. David Wright hits a home run in game three of World Series
Most Mets fans want to forget about the 2015 World Series. They led in the ninth inning in four of the five games, yet they lost three of those games. It was its own circle of Hell for many Mets fans.
The one saving grace will always be game three. The first world series game ever played at Citi Field. The Mets blew out Yordan Ventura and the Royals. They were led by their captain David Wright.
It was the last time that Wright really got to play baseball at this high a level. The spinal stenosis robbed him of his playing ability and after 2015 he only played in 39 more games.
Playing in the World Series was everything for him and the fans. So, when he hit a two-run home run in his first at-bat, everyone knew it was going to be a special night.
It was the culmination of David Wright’s career. Almost like the spinal stenosis didn’t matter for this one moment. Everything was going to be OK. David Wright was going to lead the Mets back from the brink to win a World Series.
That didn’t happen, but it doesn’t rob Mets fans of Game 3. That moment when David Wright led the Mets to a World Series win in Queens despite everything wrong with his back.
For one more glorious moment, the New York Mets’ had their captain back.
