Three Magic Home Runs Have Defined the Mets Season

The New York Mets are four wins away from the World Series. Over the past 10 days they clinched against three different opponents, taking down the Atlanta Braves, Milwaukee Brewers and Philadelphia Phillies, with only one more NL team standing in there way of making the Fall Classic.

Across this 10-day odyssey for the Mets, they popped champagne three times in three different cities, with three iconic home runs marking the road that has led them to the NLCS.

None of those celebrations tasted any sweeter than last night, as the Mets took down the NL East champion Philadelphia Phillies, in a very similar fashion to how the Phillies took down the Braves two years ago.

Ever since they were proclaimed the “Worst Team in Baseball” at the end of May, the New York Mets have been the very best, stringing together over four months of consistent winning, while being concealed in the shadow of their stumble out of the gate.

The Mets were 11 games under .500 when they began a series in Washington on June 3rd, their final series before heading off to the London Series. New York swept Washington, then flew across the pond to face off against what was at the time, the best team in baseball.

The Philadelphia Phillies beat the Mets in Game 1 of the two-game set, moving to 45-19 on the season. The Mets narrowly beat the Phillies in Game 2, highlighted by a game-ending double play by new backup catcher Luis Torrens.

New York would carry the momentum from there, finishing the season 61-37 over their final 98 games. From June 1st through the end of the season, the Mets had the best record in baseball.

Magic Homer 1: Just Get Into the Dance

Despite their incredible run to close the season, the Mets playoff hopes came down to doubleheader with the Braves that felt like a Game 163, where the regular season had ended for everyone but the Mets and the Braves, with the Diamondbacks fate hanging in the balance.

A doubleheader split meant both the Braves and the Mets were in the playoffs, but both teams wanted to clinch first to set themselves up for the Wild Card round.

Spencer Schwellenbach carved the Mets lineup for seven scoreless innings, before a six-run rally in the 8th inning put New York ahead of the Braves 6-3.

This game would turn into an instant classic, when the Braves flipped the script again and scored four runs in the bottom half, putting the Mets down 7-6 with three outs left to play with.

In the ninth inning, Francisco Lindor finished his career-year in 2024 with an exclamation point hitting the game-winning two-run homer off Braves closer Raisel Iglesias. For the first time since 2016, the Mets had a champagne shower, and they did it in their house of horrors in Atlanta.

Magic Homer No. 2: Pete Alonso’s Redemption

The Wild Card round can get on you quickly, especially if you have to play a doubleheader the day before it starts. The Mets went from celebrating in Atlanta to on a plane back to Milwaukee in less than 24 hours from when they had left.

The Mets rode their momentum to a Game 1 victory, but then blew a late lead to a tough Brewers team in Game 2.

Then in Game 3, a pair of late back-to-back home runs by Jake Bauers and Sal Frelick had the Mets on the verge of elimination with Devin Williams ready to put the nail in their coffin.

Lindor lead off the ninth inning with an eight-pitch walk, after Mark Vientos struck out, Brandon Nimmo laced a single to put runners at the corners for Pete Alonso.

When the Mets needed a big swing most, their homegrown slugger delivered, as Alonso hit one of Devin Williams’ patented changeups out to the opposite field, giving the Mets a late lead as they would eventually clinch a spot in the NLDS.

Waiting for the Mets was a familiar foe, the same team they met in London four months ago.

Homer No. 3: Lindor’s Slam to Clinch at Home

Until last night, the New York Mets have never popped champagne at Cit Field. A ballpark that opened to a David Wright home run back in 2009, had never seen one of their teams clinch anything at home.

The Mets went to the World Series back in 2015, but they clinched a playoff berth in Cincinnati, clinched the NLDS in Los Angeles and then clinched the NLCS in Chicago after a sweep of the Cubs. Their magical season ended in five games of the World Series, losing at home to the Royals in a game they led until the ninth inning.

In 2016, the New York Mets clinched a playoff berth in Philadelphia, making it into the playoffs as the first Wild Card team. This was back in the days of the Wild Card Game, and waiting for the Mets was Madison Bumgarner and the San Francisco Giants.

Noah Syndergaard matched Bumgarner in front of a home crowd for seven innings, allowing just two hits and striking out 10.

A ninth inning three-run homer from Connor Gillaspie against Jeurys Familia ended the Mets season, as Bumgarner finished the shutout and the Giants celebrated advancing at Citi Field.

The Mets would not make the playoff again until 2022, when they won 101 games and were the first Wild Card seed. New York clinched their playoff berth in Milwaukee, but were waiting to clinch the NL East before they celebrated.

Clinch they never did, as the Braves stole the division late to edge out the Mets. New York went on to host the Padres in the Wild Card round, but lost in three games.

All of this brings us to last night, where the Mets took on the Phillies with a 2-1 lead in the NLDS.

After having won Game 3 in front of their home crowd, the Mets had a chance to send New York into a frenzy if they could just get the job done and win in Game 4. With Zack Wheeler waiting for them in Game 5, the Mets knew the importance of clinching their spot in the NLCS early.

Yet despite loading the bases twice against Ranger Suarez, the Mets came up emptyhanded for their first five turns at-bat, stranding runners in scoring position in three of five innings.

Trailing 1-0 in the bottom of the sixth inning, the moment found Francisco Lindor, with the bases once again juiced and one of the best relievers in baseball on the mound (Carlos Estevez), Lindor got a 99 MPH fastball over the heart of the plate and he did not miss it, crushing it to right-center field for a game-winning grand slam.

That one swing absolutely brought the house down at Citi Field.

The Mets held on to beat the Phillies, and their fan base got to celebrate a clincher at Citi Field for the first time ever. A team that went from the worst in baseball in May, to the best in baseball for the final four months, and now to on the doorstep of the World Series.

This journey for the Mets has almost been too magical to believe, but the job is not done yet. With eight wins left to get, the Mets could end a near four decade long championship drought.

How many more magical home runs do they have left in them?

We have two more rounds to find out.