The New York Mets hold a 39-39 record after completing a Subway Series sweep of the New York Yankees this week. That puts them exactly at the .500 mark — somewhere they need to be to clinch a playoff berth in a tight race in the National League. Now, of course, we still have the rest of June and then the next three months left of the 2024 Major League Baseball season. However, for a surging hot Mets team to get into the playoffs this year, it’s certainly possible that they might get that job done easily. Here are the reasons why this team has an easy pathway toward clinching a playoff berth this season.
How Mets Can Get In the Playoffs At This Point In Season
Offensive powerhouse
What an impressive run the Mets offense has given the team recently. It’s part of how they swept the Yankees and have won eight of their last 10 games. They’ve been hitting for power and have done a better job getting big hits with runners in scoring position. They’re also not striking out much either.
Mets outfielder Brandon Nimmo spoke to SNY‘s Steve Gelbs in a pre-game interview before Wednesday’s game against the Yankees, and he talked about how everyone is contributing and the fact that J.D. Martinez is making a bigger influence on the team than most people think. He is not wrong at all. Ever since Martinez joined the Mets after starting the season in the minor leagues, it almost seems as if good things will happen every time he makes contact when swinging the bat. Also, yes, just about everyone in the lineup is contributing toward scoring runs and making big plays on the field.
The Mets offense, which went through a rough start to this season, has suddenly turned into a powerhouse that can easily help them win more games than people think. After scoring nine runs on Tuesday and then 12 on Wednesday, that’s a statement that they’ve turned things around big-time. Let’s see if they can continue this surge moving forward.
An easy remaining schedule
The Mets will be playing lots of remaining games against teams who are either currently at .500 or below that mark. For example, the next few series coming up are with the Houston Astros (40-40), Washington Nationals (38-42), and the Pittsburgh Pirates (39-41). They’re also going to be playing the Colorado Rockies both home and away for three games each, and they haven’t even reached 30 wins yet.
Now, we all know that anything can happen during all of those series, such as the Mets losing a few games or so. However, the above-mentioned teams are struggling this season, and you know what they say, good teams always take advantage of opposing teams’ struggles and miscues. So, the Mets have a huge opportunity ahead of them thanks to their remaining schedule. If they can continue playing like they’ve been recently, you know good things will happen in the games and series coming up.
What kind of playoff berth could the Mets clinch?
Again, yes, the season isn’t over yet, but the Mets might achieve that goal easily at this point in the season. If you’d like to know what exactly they can get in terms of playoff berths, they have a good chance of getting into either the second or third wild card spot in the National League. But what about clinching the division? As of now, the Philadelphia Phillies are holding first place in the N.L. East with a 53-27 record, and they’ve been playing well all season long. The Atlanta Braves are in second place with a record of 44-34. The Mets are currently 13 games back of first place. It’s probably not going to happen this year, but you never know, anything is possible. We’ll see what happens, but right now this team is showing everyone that they are deserving of the playoffs.
Main Image: Wendell Cruz-USA TODAY Sports
