For the third straight game, the Mets came from behind late to beat the Nationals, thus completing a 3 game sweep. The Mets have now won 6 straight over the Nats, and have a commanding 7 game lead with 23 games to play. This thing is over, right?
Sure, the Nats still have 3 games left with the Mets, but that is both a blessing and a curse. Those games don’t come till the end of the season, which means they would need a sweep unless they can cut it to 1 game back over the next 20 games. Doesn’t look very promising.
But oh….that stubborn recent history. This is the 4th time in the past decade Mets have held a lead with 23 games to go. That is more than any other team in the division! And yet, they have just one title to show for it. People remember the famed 2007 collapse, but the Mets also blew a late division lead in 2008 as well. Even in 2006 when they coasted to the title, they still dropped 4 ½ games over their final 23 contests. If baseball still had the 154 game season, this past decade may have been all Mets.
Looking at all of this rationally, you have to say the past is irrelevant. With the exception of David Wright, none of those Mets from previous collapses are around anymore. Plus the Nationals have not really shown themselves to be a team that can come through in the clutch. And after all the bullpen meltdowns, it’s hard to see how the Nats can pick themselves off the mat right now. So this is over, right? I mean….it couldn’t happen again to the Mets, right?
Fan Interference 
Alright, what did you do to make that image show up on the main page? Because that’s what I was trying to do with mine…..
LikeLike
Word press is a little fussy. You have to first import the picture in to the library, then add it to the post. I still had to go into the code to get it just the way I wanted
LikeLike
I think that’s what I did. It looked like before I hit “publish”.
LikeLike
Right click the image, there is a setting for where it goes on the page
LikeLike
I guess I’m an idiot, because I clicked all the different alignments and I can’t get it to show up the same way that Scout got that typewriter to show up with his post on the main page.
LikeLike
When I do it, I use the featured image on the left and then drag it to the article.
LikeLike
Yup, just fixed it for you. It was the featured image. Apparently that’s necessary to show up on the home page.
LikeLike
Ah. Thanks. I think I get it now. We’ll find out next time I try to make one of these things….
LikeLike
Nice job, Delaware!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thanks!
LikeLike
Agree!
LikeLiked by 1 person
I’ve been around HBT for awhile, but never posted a comment before. Just wanted to say; like the new site and great job on this post.
LikeLike
Nice
LikeLike
We’re doing our best to recreate what was a wonderful forum for give and take amongst peers.
LikeLike
I can completely empathize with the sentiment of this. A non-zero part of me is still waiting to see how the Cubs blow their lead in the WC and miss the playoffs altogether.
LikeLike
For real, though. 😦
I was talking to a Cubs blogger I’m friendly with, and we both agree that just making the playoffs, even the play-in game, would be a huge victory for the Cubs this year. Considering that even with Lester and Bryant coming up, no one really thought they’d be in the mix for anything, and now they are sniffing at the door of the playoffs.
But then again…this team has broken my heart so many times, it’s all I expect from them. So I wait to see when the other shoe drops.
LikeLike
Indeed, that would be a mega-huge victory. Considering they finished 16 games under .500 last year, I remember thinking back in spring training that just finishing with around 80-84 wins would be a massive improvement and a “successful” season.
Being 22 games above .500 at this point never even crossed my mind as a remote possibility.
LikeLike
I was at both games. I was in town on business and figured I would take the Metro down and check it out. I have always liked that stadium. My impression of Nats fans is admirable at first glance. They show up “rockin the red”. But they seem to lose interest quickly, jamming the trains outbound from the 5th inning on. No disrespect intended, but I feel like this town is still feeling its way through this.
LikeLike
I wonder how much of that is the Metro not staying open late on game nights. If it’s not looking good, why risk getting stranded?
LikeLike
Nothing personal, Kevin, but that’s a straw man. Metro has long gone past their typical sched and the trains run long past the game endings.
LikeLike
Nah, not a straw man, more like an outsider’s stab at a reasoning. It was just a guess.
LikeLike
Not a straw man by you, but by Nats fans. They keep trotting it out, even though they know it’s nonsense. Funny story: I was on the Metro last night, and there was a father and son in Nats Jerseys. I asked the son, probably 7 or 8 years old, if he was at the game, and he said yes. Then I asked, “why did you leave so early?”. He said “Daddy has to go to work in the morning. Why did you leave so early?”. I said “because I’m a Yankees fan”. He said “I don’t think there are any other Yankees fans on this train”. “Probably not” I said. Punk.
LikeLike
You, sir, are a stranger in a strange land.
LikeLike
No matter what happens, getting to watch deGrom pitch on a regular basis must be a treat. I don’t watch much NL, but I caught him not too long ago and man that kid is a beast.
LikeLike
deGrom is one of my absolute favorite pitchers right now, and considering how young he is, there is no limit on how great he can become. He already has a good eye for location and doesn’t get too frustrated on the mound, plus he has a good arsenal of pitches already. For such a young guy, to have that kind of veteran poise in only his second real year in the majors is incredible to me. I peg him for getting the NL CY in the next two years.
LikeLike
I too am a huge DeGrom fan. Harvey who? He’s the Mets ace.
LikeLike
Inda – yes! I know I am in the minority, but I just don’t like Harvey. There’s something about him that bothers me. For me, deGrom is their number one. I am also super impressed with young Snydergaard.
LikeLike
atlanta, miami, yankees, atanta, cincinati, philadelphia, washington.
i think they will be ok
LikeLike