Mets can build off this much-needed victory (2024)

MIAMI — A chant of “Let’s Go Mets” briefly broke out during the fourth inning Saturday night as the visitors scored eight runs, and a sense of relief enveloped the Marlins’ loanDepot park, which at times like these seems more like a southern precinct of Queens.

The Mets and their traveling or transported band of fans can exhale after their 11-3 victory over the Marlins. The somewhat routine win felt very important after the Mets’ inconsistent September play dropped them, at least temporarily, out of first place in the NL East, which had seemed for many months to be their permanent residence.

Yes, the Mets needed this one.

And you had to know they enjoyed that seemingly endless fourth inning, in which they scored the most runs they have in an inning this season. The outburst was punctuated by a grand slam from Mark Canha, an underpublicized star who has come up with more big hits than any Met not named Pete Alonso, Francisco Lindor or Starling Marte.

The Mets are notoriously ineffective against left-handed pitching, and Marlins manager Don Mattingly had just called upon rookie southpaw Andrew Nardi when Canha hit the homer into the Marlins’ bullpen in left field to clinch the victory early. The first six Mets reached based that inning off Marlins starter Pablo Lopez, the first being Canha, who opened the inning of relief (for the Mets) with a walk.

By the end of the game, everyone eventually got into the act, not just regular stars Lindor (who homered) and Jeff McNeil (who had two hits and continues to challenge Triple Crown threat Paul Goldschmidt for the batting title), but also down-the-order guys Eduardo Escobar and James McCann, who are finally heating up.

“It feels good,” Lindor said. “We were able to execute and help the pitchers today.”

Lopez was at the center of much trade talk at the deadline, and he’s expected to shopped around this winter because the Marlins need to peddle pitching for much-needed bats. This outing won’t help the Marlins with those plans. Lopez ended the day with an ERA of 4.04 after starting the season looking like one of the better pitchers in the league. While Lopez is a solid mid-rotation starter, the Yankees appear wise to have passed on the talk of Lopez plus shortstop Miguel Rojas for Gleyber Torres and top shortstop prospect Oswald Peraza.

The Mets only care now about getting back on the track that kept them in first place for the better part of the season, and while one win won’t solve anything, they had to feel better about a game that had all but ended soon after it started. Their closing schedule, while the easiest in the majors, has been giving them unexpected trouble. This win, though, in conjunction with the Braves’ loss in Seattle, has the Mets back atop baseball’s most competitive and interesting division.

“We’ve got to keep playing every single game,” McNeil said. “It’s not going to be easy. No one said it was easy. The Braves are doing what they need to do. It’s going to be a fight until the end.”

It shouldn’t get any harder, though. The Cubs and Pirates follow the Marlins on the Mets’ September calendar from heaven. And the signs are there that they could be back on their game after starting 3-4 in the softest part of their September slate.

That’s badly needed now, after Marte was placed on the injured list Saturday with a finger fracture, and there is no guarantee he’ll be back when eligible at the end of next week. Manager Buck Showalter said Marte wasn’t able to do any baseball activity yet.

There was some excitement over the call-up of hard-hitting rookie Mark Vientos as Marte’s replacement. He should especially help versus lefties. Vientos had a 1.140 OPS against left-handers for Triple-A Syracuse when he got the call, so he’s a natural to take some DH at-bats from Darin Ruf, who has pitched better than he has hit so far for the Mets. The blame for the mini slump shouldn’t all fall on Ruf, though, as he’s only a part-time player on a team of stars.

The call-up of Vientos stirred up big social media interest for fans of the team, which has been struggling uncharacteristically, but the Mets seemed unaware before the game, seemingly ensconced in a college football game that was on TV in the clubhouse. Even the characteristically focused Showalter, an Alabama fan from the Florida Panhandle who’d been recruited by Bear Bryant as a baseball and football player and who knows Nick Saban, took a peek.

Yes, there are positive signs the Mets remain more relaxed than fans and media about their recent mini-slide, which came against the alleged underbelly of the National League, including the Nationals and Pirates before they came down to Florida to play the Marlins. If it felt as if the Mets were wasting an opportunity against these reputed weaklings, they don’t seem to be stressing over it. And that’s a good thing.

Mets can build off this much-needed victory (2024)

FAQs

What does Mets stand for? ›

It was closely related to the team's corporate name. This was straightforward, as “Mets” is essentially an abbreviation of “Metropolitan.” 3. It was descriptive of the metropolitan area. A generic mascot name like “Panthers” or “Wildcats” was not what Payson wanted.

How did the Mets become a team? ›

They are one of two major league clubs based in New York City, the other being the New York Yankees of the American League (AL). One of baseball's first expansion teams, the Mets were founded in 1962 to replace New York's departed NL teams, the Brooklyn Dodgers and the New York Giants.

What are the New York Mets accomplishments? ›

The Mets have won two World Series championships (1969 and 1986) and five National League (NL) pennants. The Mets trace their roots to the proposed Continental League, whose formation was announced in 1959 by New York attorney Bill Shea; a New York-based team was to be a charter member of the league.

What is the Mets short for? ›

May 8, - New York's National League club announces that the team nickname will be "Mets," a natural shortening of the corporate name ("New York Metropolitan Baseball Club, Inc.")

What do Mets tell you? ›

METs = metabolic equivalents. One MET is defined as the energy you use when you're resting or sitting still. An activity that has a value of 4 METs means you're exerting four times the energy than you would if you were sitting still.

Who has the most wins in Mets history? ›

As of January 2024, Tom Seaver leaded the ranking of the New York Mets all-time wins leaders, having won a total of 198 games throughout his career. Seaver was followed within this ranking by Gooden with a total of 157 games won.

What are the Mets nicknames? ›

The Metsies – Affectionate term used by fans and Mets broadcasters alike. The Amazin' Mets - A reference to the Mets 1969 championship season, first coined by Casey Stengel. The Amazin's – Short version of the previous; more commonly used. The Orange and Blue – The team colors used in the song Meet the Mets.

What does METs sports stand for? ›

METs. MET stands for the metabolic equivalent of task. One MET is the amount of energy used while sitting quietly. Physical activities may be rated using METs to indicate their intensity.

What is a METs in the medical field? ›

Metabolic syndrome (MetS) is a constellation of risk factors for cardiovascular (CV) disease that includes obesity, hyperlipidemia, insulin resistance and hypertension.

What does METs stand for in the hospital? ›

The development of medical emergency teams (METs) or "outreach teams" started with the observation that patients on the general floor often deteriorate in the hours preceding cardiorespiratory arrest or emergency admission to the intensive care unit (ICU).

What is METs in sports? ›

One way exercise experts estimate calories burned during activity is by using the metabolic equivalent of the task, also called the MET value. The MET value represents the energy required for that activity.

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