LOS ANGELES — The season’s signature plastic orange sign remained untouched and tipped over on the dugout bench.
After losing 10-5 in Game 6 of the NLCS on Sunday, the defeated New York Mets retreated to the back of Dodger Stadium one after another. At the Diamond, the celebrations were in full swing under the fireworks of the fountain. Some Mets stayed behind to experience the pain of missed opportunities in full color. Some players, like superstar shortstop Francisco Lindor, avoided the scene altogether and quickly ducked into the clubhouse. Behind them all, the team’s giant plastic OMG sign lingered like a tangerine shadow on a sable night.
“OMG” emerged as the Mets’ slogan after second baseman Jose Iglesias released a song of the same name earlier in the season. The song went viral, as did the Mets. The phrase soon found its way onto hats, shirts, and, of course, the giant plastic sign the team carried into the dugout every game, posing for a photo with every home run.
But eventually, after the last out and exhale, it just sat there. I turned my head 90 degrees counterclockwise and was ignored in my madness and sadness.
Eventually, a Mets clubhouse official came to retrieve it. Holding a bundle of catcher’s equipment under his left armpit, he picked up the sign with his right hand and carried it out of sight into the tunnel. Probably forever.
It was here, under swaying palm leaves and cotton candy skies, in a make-believe town, that the 2024 Mets ran out of their magic.
In reality, they just ran out of pitching power.
One of the most exhilarating ballclubs in recent memory, a group that thrived on chaos and improbability, insomnia and good vibes, became a victim of baseball’s realpolitik. The idea is that outs have to come from somewhere.
These Mets will be remembered as thrilling rides, but the story of their final demise was surprisingly simple and almost… boring. Starting pitcher Sean Manaea blossomed into an ace after being replaced midway through the season, but he allowed the Dodgers five runs and only six outs. The bullpen, which was suffering from overload and lack of manpower, fought admirably, but gave up some runs. New York’s offense chipped away and threatened to come back many times, but they were unable to land the counterpunch they needed.
The Dodgers will then play in the World Series, facing the New York Yankees in the age-old bicoastal showdown. Meanwhile, Mets heads back home and spends the winter thinking about what happened, while at the same time being grateful for what happened.
Because even though it was a disappointing result, this team accomplished something meaningful.
After disappearing at the end of May, the Mets won more games than any other team the rest of the season. Armed with a plethora of schticks and improved starting pitching, they skyrocketed up the standings and had their sights set on making the playoffs. In the process, they discovered a certain emotion and shared it with their fan base. They evoked moments that will last a lifetime, like Pete Alonso’s last-gasp home run in Wild Card Game 3 and Francisco Lindor’s grand slam in Game 4 of the NLDS. Both for those who testified as witnesses and for those who conducted the necrophilia.
“That was the moment,” Alonso, who is set to become a free agent this winter, told Yahoo Sports after Game 6. That’s the team you play for. ”
Some of that group will reunite in Queens next year and beyond, but they won’t be able to recreate the essence of the 2024 Mets.
Of course, some contraptions will survive the winter, but many will die from frost. A frown cannot last forever. Pumpkins rot over time. If Iglesias plays elsewhere, it will be more difficult to hold up the OMG sign.
Annual turnover is inevitable for any team, but the Mets could change dramatically come February. These members are not particularly young members. Sixty percent of the pitching rotation (Manaea, Jose Quintana, Luis Severino) will play in the open game, as will Alonso, Iglesias, Harrison Bader, J.D. Martinez, Jesse Winker and Ryne Stanek. More than $175 million in payroll will be taken off the books. Much of that money went to players who didn’t make the roster this season.
Director of Baseball Operations David Stearns has a great winter ahead of him. Maybe Alonso returns, maybe team owner Steve Cohen opens the checkbook for Juan Soto, maybe Sterns reconsiders his approach from last offseason and chooses to focus on depth over impact. Dew. Either way, despite the bleakness of impending change, the series is in a healthy position. Lindor is a cornerstone superstar. Mark Vientos’ breakout is real. The farm system is solid. And while it’s all run by an invested leadership group that (1) cares deeply and (2) appears to know what they’re doing, for Mets fans; This is not always the case.
But no matter how the winter goes, it’s almost certain that the Mets will enter spring training with multiple rookies and, ultimately, new gimmicks.
That reality – that what was before will no longer last, that the roller coaster is over – seemed to hit several Mets especially hard after the Game 6 loss.
When reporters entered the clubhouse, catcher Francisco Alvarez was crouched on the floor with his back to the wall, tears in his eyes. Outfielder Brandon Nimmo comforted him and offered words of encouragement. Lindor, still wearing his baseball pants, sat on the ground next to Iglesias’ locker, staring blankly into space. Mr. Vientos held the press conference in an unusually calm tone. The usual pitter-patter that signals the end of the season echoed throughout the room, and there was a symphony of high-fives and hugs.
After a while, the Mets pitchers gathered in a corner. Some had beer. Some people poured 40 proof into two stacked soda cups. Chatter filled the circle, admiring the beauty of the vehicle amidst the wreckage. After a short silence, one of the pitchers leaned back and asked aloud. “How long ago does spring training feel like?”
That’s what was great about the Mets this season. This team lived many different lives, from an abandoned train to the beloved Cinderella. When it finally ended, all the memories came back instantly, blurred vision, and a long silence. Many of the Mets will spend a sad night together as a long farewell. They tell stories to relive the magic.
And on Monday, everyone will go their separate ways.
When asked what he remembers most about the Mets’ whirlwind season, Stanek told Yahoo Sports: “I don’t even remember half of the terrible things that happened, because they were so terrible that I couldn’t even calculate them.
“There’s no sense of reality.”
