After a dismal 22–33 start to the season following a 10–3 loss to the Los Angeles Dodgers on May 29, the team held a critical meeting, led by shortstop Francisco Lindor.[1] The Mets went 67–40 the rest of the way to finish with a 89–73 record.[2] Following a win over the Boston Red Sox on September 4, they improved on their 75–87 record from their previous season.
On September 30, the Mets clinched a postseason berth for the second time in the past three seasons with an 8–7 win against the Atlanta Braves during the first game of a doubleheader.[3]
One of the more memorable moments of the season occurred on June 12, when the McDonald's mascot Grimace threw out the ceremonial first pitch before a game against the Miami Marlins.[4] The team then embarked on a seven-game win streak, a run that fans humorously credited to Grimace's good luck.[5] The Mets also unveiled a new purple "Grimace Seat" in Citi Field on September 16.[6]
Another thing humorously credited for the Mets success was the release of the song "OMG" by infielder Jose Iglesias, which the team played following home runs by Mets players at Citi Field and became the unofficial anthem of the team.[7]
On October 2, 2023, the Mets formally introduced David Stearns as their new president of baseball operations.[12] They also fired manager Buck Showalter, who led the Mets to a wild card berth in 2022 in which the Mets lost in three games to the San Diego Padres, but failed to improve on that in 2023 as the Mets went 75–87 and traded away pitchers Max Scherzer and Justin Verlander in an attempt to lower payroll at the trade deadline.[13]
On October 5, GM Billy Eppler stepped down amid an investigation by MLB into him and the Mets for improperly using the injured list during the 2023 season.[14]
On November 13, the Mets named former New York Yankees bench coach Carlos Mendoza as their next manager. He signed a three-year contract with a club option for a fourth year.[15]
November 17 – re-signed outfielder DJ Stewart to a one-year, $1.38 million contract to avoid arbitration.[17]
November 30 – signed right-handed relief pitcher Austin Adams to a one-year contract.[18]
December 1 – signed right-handed starting pitcher Luis Severino to a one-year, $13 million contract. The Mets also signed infielder Joey Wendle to a one-year, $2 million contract.[19]
December 5 – signed right-handed relief pitcher Michael Tonkin to a one-year, $1 million contract.[20]
December 14 – signed right-handed relief pitcher Jorge Lopez to a one-year, $2 million contract.[21]
January 4 – signed outfielder Harrison Bader to a one-year, $10.5 million contract.[24]
January 8 – signed left-handed starting pitcher Sean Manaea to a two-year, $28 million contract including an opt-out after the 2024 season.[25]
January 11 – signed first baseman Pete Alonso to a one-year, $20.5 million contract to avoid arbitration.[26]
January 30 – re-signed right-handed relief pitcher Adam Ottavino to a one-year, $4.5 million contract.[27]
February 2 – signed right-handed relief pitcher Shintaro Fujinami to a one-year, $3.35 million contract plus up to $850,000 in incentives. The Mets also signed left-handed relief pitcher Jake Diekman to a one-year, $4 million contract plus a vesting option for 2025.[28]
March 21 – signed designated hitter J. D. Martinez to a one-year, $12 million contract.[29]
The Mets started the season 0–5 for the first time since 2005 by getting swept by the Milwaukee Brewers and losing their first two games against the Detroit Tigers.[30] They were able to avoid a sweep to the Tigers thanks to a 9th inning comeback on April 4 while ruining a no-hitter by the Tigers through 7 innings to get their first win of the season.[31] By April 20, the Mets' record improved to 12–8 record thanks to a six-game winning streak and five series wins in a row.[32] The Mets then entered a 1–5 stretch to fall back to .500 by April 27, losing two consecutive series in the process.[33] They would recover to remain above .500 and to avoid a sweep thanks to an 11th inning walk-off home run by Mark Vientos on April 28.[34]
At the end of April into the beginning of May, the Mets split the next series against the Chicago Cubs, including coming back from a 4–0 deficit on May 2, to remain above .500 with a 16-15 record.[35][36] The Mets would then proceed to blow 3 consecutive leads in a series against the Tampa Bay Rays to fall to 16-18 and below .500.[37] This sweep would begin a May that was full of struggles for the Mets, with multiple bullpen collapses and blown leads, most infamously by blowing a 9–5 lead in the bottom of the 9th inning on May 18 against the Miami Marlins.[38][39] By May 29, following getting swept by the Los Angeles Dodgers, the Mets fell to 22–33, and a players-only meeting was held for forty minutes led by Francisco Lindor.[40] The meeting initially produced positive results, as the Mets won the next two games against the Arizona Diamondbacks to improve to 24–33.[41]
The Mets started June by losing two games to fall back to 24–35.[41] Their loss on June 2 marked the sixth time the Mets lost a game after leading after eight innings.[42] However, they would respond with their first sweep in a 3-game series since April, against the Washington Nationals from June 3-5.[43] Subsequently, the Mets traveled to London for the MLB London Series against the Philadelphia Phillies. Despite the Phillies having the best record in baseball at the time, the Mets achieved a split, losing the first game on June 8 but winning on June 9 by coming back from a 3–0 deficit to defeat the Phillies 6–5 on a game-ending double play.[44] Following a loss on June 11 to the Marlins, the Mets began a 7–game winning streak from June 12 to 18, which many fans and media attributed to McDonald's character Grimace throwing out the first pitch on June 12. The streak included coming back from a 6–2 deficit on June 18 against the Texas Rangers.[45] The Mets' success in the month of June continued as the team reached .500 by sweeping the New York Yankees on June 25 and 26.[46] However, they proceeded to lose their first series in a month to the Houston Astros, including a blown 6–1 lead on June 29.[47] As a result, they finished the month, and the halfway point of their season, at 40-41.[48]
Following the series loss, the Mets split their next two series to open up July against the Nationals and Pittsburgh Pirates, to achieve a record of 44-45.[49][50][51] After the Mets achieved their first shutout win against the Nationals on July 11,[52] they found themselves tied for a playoff position for the first time since May 9, and two games above .500 for the first time since April 24, with a 47–45 record.[53] After a win against the Colorado Rockies the next day, the Mets advanced into a tie for the 2nd wild card spot.[54] They proceeded to split the next two games with the Rockies, entering the All-Star break with a 49–46 record, and sole possession of the third wild card.[55][56]
Following the All-Star break, the Mets improved to a 55–48 record thanks to a series split with the Marlins, another sweep of the Yankees and winning the first two games against the Atlanta Braves, briefly surpassing them in the standings and taking the top wild card spot in the National League.[57] However, the Mets finished July going 2–3, finishing the month 57–51 and falling out of the playoff picture.[58]
The Mets then entered a tailspin as August began, dropping a series to the Los Angeles Angels,[59] winning one game against the St. Louis Cardinals,[60] only taking two out of three from the Colorado Rockies,[61] getting swept by the Seattle Mariners where they only put up one run the entire series,[62] and losing a series against the Oakland Athletics. This included blowing a 5–0 lead in the series finale on August 15, which dropped their record to 62–59.[63] However, fortunes for the Mets improved later in August. After winning the series against the Marlins, the Mets were able to win another series against the Baltimore Orioles thanks to walk-off home runs by both Francisco Álvarez and Jesse Winker, to improve to 66–61.[64] Back on their August 17 win against the Marlins, pitcher Luis Severino threw a complete game shutout, the first for the Mets since April 2021.[65]
After going 2–1 in their first 3 games against the Padres, the Mets bullpen collapsed on August 25, forcing the Mets to settle for a split and knocking their record to 68–63, keeping them 2.5 games out of the playoffs.[66] The bullpen collapsed again on August 28 against the Arizona Diamondbacks in an 8–5 loss, and the Mets fell to 4 games back of the Braves in the National League Wild Card. With only 29 games to play, they continue losing control of their own destiny, with a 69–64 record.[67] However, one day later, the Mets still clinched the series win and improved their record to 70–64.[68]
As September approached, the Mets would then go on to achieve a 9-game winning streak, their longest since 2018, by sweeping both the Chicago White Sox and Boston Red Sox, and taking the first two games of the series against the Cincinnati Reds.[69] However, their fabulous winning streak came to an end after the Reds defeated the Mets 3–1 in the series finale, falling to 78–65. With that win streak, they would ultimately end up back in playoff position by tying the Braves for the final NL Wild Card spot.[70]
Despite the Mets' loss to the Reds, they continued to keep their playoff hopes alive and play good baseball, by taking two of three against the Toronto Blue Jays. On September 11, following Francisco Lindor's game-tying home run that broke up Bowden Francis' no-hit bid in the top of the 9th, the Mets scored six runs during that inning, culminated by a three-run homer by Francisco Álvarez, leading them to a 6-2 victory.[71][72] The Mets then traveled to Philadelphia for a three-game set against the Philadelphia Phillies, winning the series opener 11–3, but dropping the next two games to lose their first series in over a month, bringing their record to 81–68.[73][74] However, on September 16, the Mets sealed their first winning season since 2022 when they clinched their 82nd victory of the year, a 2–1 win over the Washington Nationals.[75]
After completing a 3-game sweep of the Nationals, the Mets then proceeded to start another series with the Phillies, ultimately scoring ten or more runs across three games for the first time in franchise history. This established a two-game lead for the wild card over the Braves.[76] The Mets maintained that lead by winning two of the remaining three games against the Phillies, winning the series and improving their record to 87–69.[77] The two weekend games featured a combined attendance of 87,291, which was the largest regular season attendance on back-to-back games excluding the Subway Series in the history of Citi Field.[78] However, the Mets were eliminated from division title contention on September 23 when the Phillies beat the Chicago Cubs 6–2.[79]
On September 24, the Mets lost the series opener to the Braves, making them drop to a game in front of them in the wild card, before the next two games were postponed into a September 30 doubleheader due to the forecast from Hurricane Helene.[80] Following a loss to the Milwaukee Brewers on September 27, the Mets found themselves in a 3-way tie with the Braves and Diamondbacks for the final two spots.[81] Following a series loss on the next day to the Brewers, the Mets still found themselves tied with the Diamondbacks for the final wild card spot. However, the Braves also advanced one game in front of them.[82] Following a win by the Mets and Diamondbacks and loss by the Braves on September 29, the Mets had an 88-72 record, needing to win one game to clinch the playoffs.[83]
In the first game of the doubleheader on the following day, where the Mets would ultimately clinch their 11th postseason berth in franchise history, was regarded as the "game of the year" due to the game's importance and the multiple lead changes in the later innings.[84][85] The Braves led 3-0 after 7 innings, but the Mets scored six runs in the top of the 8th, claiming a 6-3 lead capped by a home run from Brandon Nimmo. However, the Braves scored four runs in the bottom of the 8th, mainly due to a bases-clearing double from Ozzie Albies, to claim a 7-6 lead. However, in the top of the 9th, Francisco Lindor hit a go-ahead 2-run homer to put the Mets in front 8-7, which was the final score. This became the first game the Mets won by trailing by three runs or more after 7 innings since May 17, 2023.[86] The Mets lost the second game of the doubleheader 3–0 to finish the season 89–73.[87]
July 10 – acquired right-handed relief pitcher Phil Maton from the Tampa Bay Rays for a player to be named later or cash considerations.[89]
July 26 – acquired right-handed relief pitcher Ryne Stanek from the Seattle Mariners in exchange for 30th-ranked prospect, outfielder Rhylan Thomas.[90]
July 30 – acquired right-handed starting pitcher Paul Blackburn from the Oakland Athletics in exchange for 25-ranked right-handed pitching prospect Kade Morris. The Mets also acquired right-handed relief pitcher Huascar Brazobán from the Miami Marlins for 22nd-ranked infielder prospect Wilfredo Lara. They also added right-handed relief pitcher Tyler Zuber from the Tampa Bay Rays in exchange for right-handed minor league pitcher Paul Gervase.[92]
The Mets began their Wild Card Series matchup against the Milwaukee Brewers on October 1. The Mets took the first game by a score of 8–4, propelled by a five-run fifth inning.[94] The Mets led Game 2 until the eighth inning, when Jackson Chourio and Garrett Mitchell hit game tying and go-ahead home runs respectively, leading to a 5–3 Brewers victory.[95] The winner-take-all Game 3 was a scoreless affair until the bottom of the seventh inning, when pinch hitter Jake Bauers hit a solo home run off José Buttó to give the Brewers a 1–0 lead. A batter later, Sal Frelick hit a solo home run to extend the Brewers' lead to 2–0. In the top of the ninth, Pete Alonso launched a three-run home run off closer Devin Williams, scoring Francisco Lindor and Brandon Nimmo to give the Mets a 3–2 lead. Later in the inning, Starling Marte hit an RBI single to score Jesse Winker, extending the Mets' lead to 4–2. In the bottom of the ninth, David Peterson closed out the game and series by inducing a series-ending double play ball off the bat of Brice Turang to send the Mets to their first NLDS since 2015. Alonso became the first player in MLB history to hit a go-ahead home run while the team was trailing in the ninth inning or later in a winner-take-all playoff game.[96]
In the first game of the series, the Mets trailed 1–0 heading into the 8th inning against the Phillies due to a Kyle Schwarber leadoff home run. Despite that, the Mets rallied to score five runs in the eighth, winning the game 6–2. This was the third time in MLB postseason history a team made two consecutive comebacks in the eighth inning or later.[97] In the second game, the Mets jumped out to an early lead from a Mark Vientos two-run home run. Then, the lead was extended to 3–0 by a Pete Alonso home run. However, in the sixth inning, the Phillies tied the game due to back-to-back homers by Bryce Harper and Nick Castellanos. The Mets retook the lead in the seventh inning, with Brandon Nimmo hitting a solo home run. In the bottom of the eighth inning, the Phillies retook the lead when Bryson Stott hit a two-run triple and J.T. Realmuto drove Stott home by a fielder's choice, making the score 6–4 in the Phillies' favor. In the top of the ninth, Vientos hit his second home run of the game off Matt Strahm to score two more runs for the Mets, tying the game at 6–6. In the bottom of the ninth, Castellanos hit a walk-off RBI single to score Turner for the Phillies to take Game 2 and even the series at 1–1.[98] Following a 7–2 win against the Phillies on October 8 at home in Game 3,[99] the Mets overcame a 1–0 deficit the next day as Francisco Lindor hit a go-ahead grand slam in the bottom of the sixth inning to secure the series win with a 4–1 victory, advancing them to the National League Championship Series.[100]
Pregame ceremonies for Game 1 of the 2024 NLCS at Dodger Stadium
On October 13, the Mets lost to the Los Angeles Dodgers in Game 1 and were shutout by a score of 9–0.[101] In Game 2 on the following day, the Mets quickly jumped out to a 6–0 lead after a leadoff home run from Francisco Lindor and a 2nd inning grand slam by Mark Vientos. However, the Dodgers reduced the lead to 6–3 and loaded the bases in the bottom of the 6th. Vientos then turned a double play to end the inning without further damage. The Mets scored again in the top of the 9th from an RBI single by Starling Marte, leading the Mets to a 7–3 win and tying up the series at 1–1.[102] They would then proceed to lose Game 3 by a score of 8-0 and Game 4 by a score of 10-2 at Citi Field.[103][104] In their elimination game the following day, the Mets responded by winning 12-6 in Game 5 to force the series back to Los Angeles.[105] However, the Mets were defeated by the Dodgers in Game 6 on October 20 in a 10-5 loss, ending their magical playoff run.[106]
Note: W = Wins; L = Losses; ERA = Earned run average; G = Games pitched; GS = Games started; SV = Saves; IP = Innings pitched; H = Hits allowed; R = Runs allowed; ER = Earned runs allowed; HR = Home runs allowed; HBP = Hit by pitch; BB = Walks allowed (bases on balls); SO = Strikeouts; WHIP = Walks + hits per inning pitched