In case you missed it over the weekend, the Mets’ season is back on, folks.
After looking dead in the water during an embarrassing sweep at the hands of the Cubs, New York then swept a four-game set against the Pirates at Citi Field. Now as they head to Milwaukee to play the Brewers, New York’s next win will be a little extra special.
The Mets’ magic number to clinch their first postseason berth is down to two games. However, the combination of a Mets win and a Brewers loss would seal the deal, giving the Amazins something to do in October for the first time since 2016.
This occasion — whenever it does happen — is something that’s typically celebrated with things like a dogpile, lots of hugging, commemorative hats and t-shirts, and a wee bit of adult beverages. But with New York neck-and-neck in the division with the Atlanta Braves, should they be celebrating a postseason berth getting secured?
It depends on who you ask. Mike Puma of the New York Post threw the following anonymous opinion of a veteran player on the Twitter machine last week:
Mets have a magic number of 8 to clinch a postseason berth. Will be interesting to see how they react to a potential clinch. I spoke to one Mets veteran yesterday who said if it were up to him the team would only celebrate a NL East title.
— Mike Puma (@NYPost_Mets) September 13, 2022
Since then, this discussion has been met with various opinions. It’d be great to know which veteran said this, right? We’ll probably never know, but that’s OK.
Should the Mets stuff down any celebrations until the NL East is decided? I don’t think so. Look, the entire fanbase wants New York to become an “iconic” franchise where participating in the playoffs is a regular occurrence. But it hasn’t been in recent years.
Since 2000, the Mets have reached the postseason just four times. They’ve only reached the postseason in consecutive years twice in franchise history (1999-00 and 2015-16). It’s been a long year, and for the most part, they’ve performed like very few winning Mets teams from past years.
This is a huge accomplishment, and it should be celebrated in some way. Maybe not an all-out-celebrate-until-wee-hours-of-the-morning-and-start-the-B-squad type of celebration, but something feels necessary.
After all, taking a minute to reflect on the journey it’s taken to qualify for the postseason is by no means celebrating too early. I actually think it’s necessary so the squad can see what they’ve accomplished thus far and see what’s still ahead of them.
The comment from that anonymous Mets veteran immediately reminded me of Kobe Bryant’s interview after the Los Angeles Lakers went up 2-0 in the 2009 NBA Finals:
I get it. With the Mets clinching a postseason berth and the NL East still very much up for grabs, the job’s not done. But everyone knows that. Team owner Steve Cohen wants to build a culture of excellence throughout the organization, and you know manager Buck Showalter will have the perfect thing to say to get his team re-focused if they need it.
We sometimes tend to forget that professional athletes are human beings with thoughts and feelings like us. They’re not robots, and they’re well aware of what’s going on during the course of games. For instance, Trevor May immediately knew his strikeout to end Sunday’s contest was the Mets’ 20th of the day.
So, you’re trying to tell me that even if there’s no huge celebration, we won’t see some extra smiles, hugs, and high-fives once the Mets punch a ticket to the playoffs? That’s doubtful. They don’t need to drench the clubhouse with champagne and beer, but it’s OK to acknowledge significant accomplishments while still being focused on what needs to be done.
More on ESNY:
• WFAN’s John Sterling preparing for Aaron Judge’s home run history
• Mets finally do what’s expected of them and sweep Pirates
• Francisco Lindor hits trifecta for Mets shortstop history
• Jets just saved their season (and more)
• Will Yankees’ Aaron Judge pass Roger Maris … on a streaming service?
Matt Musico can be reached at matt.musico@xlmedia.com and you can follow him on Twitter: @mmusico8.
