Mets raised the bar in postseason

LOS ANGELES, Calif. — The New York Mets’ magical season came to a close on Sunday night, and although they did not achieve their goal of winning a World Series, the future is exceptionally bright.

Coming into the season, New York looked like a team lacking direction and identity. Now, they look like a franchise that will be competing for trophies for the foreseeable future.

The amount of adversity they faced this season is beyond comparable, and they showed time and time again that they were capable of coming back from just about anything. Unfortunately, they ran into a Los Angeles Dodgers team that kept throwing punches back at them no matter how hard they fought.

LOS ANGELES, CA — OCTOBER 20: Mark Vientos #27 of the New York Mets celebrates with Francisco Alvarez #4 after hitting a two RBI home run in the fourth inning during Game 6 of the NLCS presented by loanDepot between the New York Mets and the Los Angeles Dodgers at Dodger Stadium on Sunday, October 20, 2024 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Daniel Shirey/MLB Photos via Getty Images)

“I just told the guys how proud I was because of not only we became a really good team, we became a family. And now we raised the bar. Expectations now: this is what we should strive for every year, to be playing deep into October. And we showed that this year,” said Carlos Mendoza.

Francisco Lindor is a superstar that the Mets can continue to build around, and they may have found another in Mark Vientos, who looked like a star in his own right during the postseason.

LOS ANGELES, CA — OCTOBER 20: Francisco Lindor #12 of the New York Mets singles in the second inning during Game 6 of the NLCS presented by loanDepot between the New York Mets and the Los Angeles Dodgers at Dodger Stadium on Sunday, October 20, 2024 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Rob Leiter/MLB Photos via Getty Images)

Vientos hit .327 during the playoffs with 5 home runs and 14 RBIs. His offensive surge this October makes him a player to watch as he continues to develop. He almost found himself left off a major league roster coming into the year and is now an established premier player on a contending team.

“It wasn’t easy for him. He had to fight for an opportunity. He finally got it and ran with it,” said Mendoza. “The performance he had, unbelievable. I’m proud of him. He kept working. So, really good first year for him, but now he’s set the bar high.”

In his first year as a manager, Mendoza showed he has what it takes to be one of the best in the MLB. The way he led his team was admirable and this loss should make him better prepared for the next time they play in the postseason.

LOS ANGELES, CA — OCTOBER 20: Mark Vientos #27 of the New York Mets hits a two RBI home run in the fourth inning during Game 6 of the NLCS presented by loanDepot between the New York Mets and the Los Angeles Dodgers at Dodger Stadium on Sunday, October 20, 2024 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Daniel Shirey/MLB Photos via Getty Images)

Even until the final out, the Mets fought. Out of desperation, they brought in their closer, Edwin Diaz, in the fourth inning to try to neutralize the Dodgers’ attack. He threw two scoreless innings as New York cut a five-run lead down to three, but it still was not enough.

The part that will sting the most is that New York left thirteen men on base in game 6. Despite losing by five, they were only a couple of swings away from forcing a game 7.

After a 0–5 start and a losing record into July, the Mets can hold their heads high thanks to countless come-from-behind wins. Their Cinderella story came up short, but they will not enter the 2025 season as any sort of underdog. Expectations are sky-high in New York moving forward.

Top Image Caption: LOS ANGELES, CA — OCTOBER 20: Mark Vientos #27 of the New York Mets hits a two-run home run in the fourth inning during Game 6 of the NLCS presented by loanDepot between the New York Mets and the Los Angeles Dodgers at Dodger Stadium on Sunday, October 20, 2024 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Rob Leiter/MLB Photos via Getty Images)