Why the Mets Lost in the Playoffs

What was it the immortal philosopher/baseball player Yogi Berra once said about the game he loved: It’s 50 per cent physical and 90 per cent mental. Well, something like that.

Just ask the 2022 New York Mets. They dismayed their loyal fans by losing the first round of the playoffs to the San Diego Padres, two games to one, at Citi Field. The final score of game 3: Padres 6, Mets 0.

The Mets flamed out spectacularly this season, starting fast and ending in middling fashion. They did win 101 regular-season games but couldn’t put the hammer down when it counted.

In September, the lowly Chicago Cubs swept the Mets at Citi Field. When the Mets visited the horrible Oakland A’s, they lost two of three games. The Marlins, and so on? Same deal. When the Mets visited Atlanta in the penultimate regular-season series, they possessed a one-game lead. Really, they just needed to beat Atlanta once that weekend. But they got swept – and with their best pitchers, Max Scherzer, Jacob deGrom and Chris Bassitt on the mound.

Why? Why Why?

Why did the Mets disintegrate when the games meant the most?

About Yogi Berra’s observation...

The Mets seemed to press when things didn’t immediately go their way. Their batters tried to hit the proverbial five-run home run. Their pitchers tried to throw every pitch at 200 mph. When the ESPN cameras did close-ups, you could see the anguish in a Met player’s face after he popped up to shallow outfield.

The Mets plodded. When they needed to string together a rally, they instead looked overanxious and were intent on hitting home runs – lofting harmless fly balls, not making contact and putting the pressure on the San Diego fielders.

Playing at home in Citi Field also somehow worked against the Mets in this series. The Padres should have been intimidated or cowed at the prospect of playing in noisy New York City. San Diego has lovely beaches and lots of charms of its own, but it is not known for intense sports fans. (Who can blame those poor souls; in the past few years, the city of San Diego has lost its National Football League to its rival to the north, Los Angeles, and San Diego has also lost a National Basketball Association team to Los Angeles over the years.)

The Mets seemed to panic in this series. It was as if they started the game trailing 2-0. Professional athletes, particularly in team sports, are finely tuned men and women. They need to feel free and loose to do their best.

But the Mets never got untracked. When they won, in game in two, they seemed almost surprised by their success, rather than expecting a favorable result all along.

And when the Mets fell behind, 4-0, in the third and deciding playoff game, they looked lost. Perhaps the fans will point an accusatory finger at manager Buck Showalter, the veteran skipper who was the toast of the town during most of the regular season. Suddenly, Showalter was being an indecisive blunderer because the Mets lost the biggest game of the season. Hey, Buck, who ever said life was fair?

Wait Til Nest Year!

When the beloved Brooklyn Dodgers lost to the games year after year in the 1950s, the team’s diehards screeched, Wait til next year!

Now, that’s all the Mets can hang on to. Likely, the Mets will be a stronger, deeper team next season. Billionaire owner Steve Cohen will spend what it takes to build the Mets up by (hopefully) re-signing deGrom, adding at least one more big bat (Aaron Judge, perhaps???) and fortifying the bullpen.

Maybe the Mets should also add a therapist to help them figure out how to perform powerfully in the most crucial games of 2023.