– by Adesina O. Koiki
A Lot of Sports Talk editor-in-chief
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NEW YORK — Whether I meant this or not (and I didn’t, I assure you), my question to New York Mets manager Carlos Mendoza that concluded last night’s postgame press conference became the latest evidence of the confidence that his team is carrying into the final week of the season, as well a clarion call to those who may still harbor doubts about how, and when, this 2024 season will end.
The final regular-season homestand for the Mets officially started with a resounding sweep, as New York used a nine-run fourth-inning on the way to a 10-0 beatdown of the Washington Nationals on Wednesday evening. That fabulous fourth started with a Brandon Nimmo walk, and, nine batters, six runs and six hits later, the outfielder provided the coup de grâce with a three-run home run to cap the outburst.
Without the ailing Francisco Lindor, the MVP-candidate and spearhead of the team’s resurgence over the past two months who sat out the series with a back injury, the Mets went out and took care of business against Washington to the tune of outscoring the Nationals 22-2 in the three-game set.
Not a bad way to start this concluding last stand at Citi Field in 2024, and something I knew could run into the postseason — but left out when asking Mendoza how important it was to emphasize playing well in the final four scheduled games at Citi Field this weekend against the presumptive winner of the National League East, the Philadelphia Phillies.
“I’m not ready to call it our last homestand,” Mendoza responded to my inquiry, bailing me out later in stating that he understood my actual intent with the question. “I don’t think anybody is ready to call it that.”
Whatever quiet confidence the Mets have been carrying during this resurgence, it’s now speaking volumes being heard throughout baseball. Jose Quintana’s latest gem, throwing seven shutout innings, dropped the starter’s combined ERA to 1.82 since August 29. New York has won 12 of its last 15 home games. The postseason has gone from pipe dream to possibility to probability, as the Mets are now tied with the Arizona Diamondbacks for the second Wild Card spot in the National League, and just two games behind the San Diego Padres for the top Wild Card position, which comes with a home playoff series in the first round. (The Mets own the tiebreaker against both Arizona and San Diego.)
So even with the gauntlet of New York’s final 10 games of the season, with a visit from the Phillies before road stops against Atlanta (the Mets’ closest challenger to the final Wild Card spot) in the house of horrors known as Truist Park and the regular-season-ending series against the NL Central-champion Milwaukee Brewers, the Mets’ road from disaster to redemption throughout the summer has assured them that the most dangerous aspect of those games may be themselves.
“We’ll be ready. We’ll be ready,” Mendoza said about the team’s final stretch. “I think we’ve been showing it for a quite a bit now … The Phillies are really good, but we’re good, too. The guys will be up for the challenge. One day mentality. Continue to believe.”
*Editor’s note: Above the byline is the photo gallery from Wednesday evening’s game. After clicking on a photo to enlarge the picture, press the left and right arrow buttons on either side of the caption to scroll through the rest of the pictures that appear on the first page, Also, click on the numbers and/or arrow appearing immediately below the picture grid to load the next set of photos. There are 26 pictures in total.
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