Jun 19, 2024; Arlington, Texas, USA; New York Mets relief pitcher Drew Smith (33) reacts as Texas Rangers center fielder Leody Taveras (3) runs the bases after hitting a two-run home run during the seventh inning at Globe Life Field. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Jairaj-USA TODAY Sports
MLB: New York Mets at Texas Rangers
(Queens, NY) – The Mets’ 7-game win streak has finally come to an end after dropping the series finale to Texas. The defending World Series champions took the lead on a homerun from Leody Taveras off of Drew Smith and never looked back.
While the first-place Yankees have been the talk of the town, there has been a lot of buzz around the Mets and for much stranger reasons.
A team with the highest payroll in the history of baseball has also been one of the most disappointing teams of all time. With a number of expiring contracts and no playoffs in sight, all signs pointed to the Mets having a fire sale at the deadline.
New York’s largely unexpected and longest win streak of the season started against Miami last Wednesday, coinciding with the McDonald’s mascot, Grimace, throwing out the ceremonial first pitch. The stretch brought a team that was previously 9 games under .500 to within a game of a tightly contested wildcard sport.
Mets players were all for anything that could change the tide, outfielder Brandon Nimmo was quoted as saying, “I don’t know about coincidences, but he definitely correlates with us going on this run, and if that’s what you want to attribute it to, then I’m all for it. Whatever it is, let’s keep it going.”
Though it has since ended, the so-called “Grimace-era” may have been the spark that the slumping Mets needed. While correlation does not always mean causation, the next month will tell if they are finally going to live up to their expensive expectations, or if it is time for yet another rebuild in Flushing.
