Photo courtesy of Slgckgc, Wikipedia
Mets hysteria has swept the baseball world, as the team clinched the National League East title over the weekend, securing their spot in the MLB postseason.
This will be the Mets' first postseason appearance since 2006, and after back-to-back breakdowns that led to missing the postseason in 2007 and 2008, this playoff berth has been long overdue.
“It’s about time,” said Joe Garofalo, a business major at Ramapo. “[Fans] have been waiting for nine years to see some October baseball. It’s going to be a lot of fun to watch.”
There are some questions for the Mets heading into the postseason, especially concerns regarding their pitching staff. The team will run a four-man rotation throughout the playoffs, consisting of Steven Matz, Noah Syndergaard, Matt Harvey and Jacob deGrom. All four of the starting pitchers, like most of the Mets team, will be experiencing the postseason for the first time.
Matt Harvey has been all over the news these past few weeks regarding his pitch count that will hold him to 60 pitches in the postseason. This is all due to the Tommy John surgery that he received two years ago, but he seemed to silence the critics on Saturday by throwing 97 pitches in six and two-thirds innings, letting up just two runs on nine hits and six strikeouts; it was his longest outing since Sept. 2.
The Mets bullpen will have to step up when needed; all season, the bullpen has been shaky, and their play will not fare in the postseason.
On the other side of the spectrum, the Mets' bats have been red hot since the All-Star Break, and there is no doubt among the fans that they will continue to drive in runs.
“They just have to keep doing what they have been all of September,” said Garafalo. “[Yoenis] Cespedes and the top of the lineup will produce. We just need [batters] 1-9 to work together.”
The fans look to expect a big postseason from Mets captain David Wright, who has not played a postseason game since the last Mets’ postseason appearance. Despite playing just 34 games this season due to injury, Wright has batted a solid .307 with five home runs. With the Mets likely facing the hard-hitting Los Angeles Dodgers, Wright must carry his great at-bats with him into the playoffs.
The looming questions mean nothing to Mets fan, who are more than excited to see their team make a push this postseason. With only six games left, the Mets are charged up to begin the postseason and aim to bring a championship back to Queens.
sthomps4@ramapo.edu
