Houston Astros, New York Mets Combine to Make MLB History With Massive Turnarounds

The Houston Astros and New York Mets were written off earlier in 2024, but both teams have turned around their seasons and seem primed to make playoff runs this fall.

Sep 3, 2024; New York City, New York, USA; New York Mets center fielder Harrison Bader (44) and shortstop Francisco Lindor (12) celebrate after defeating the Boston Red Sox at Citi Field. / Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images

Back in May, it looked like the Houston Astros' run of dominance in the American League was finally over.

It didn't even take that long for the New York Mets to get written off, as they had been dismissed as a playoff contender as early as the first week of April.

Now, both teams are on the verge of making the playoffs, making history in the process.

The Astros opened 2024 on a 7-19 skid, which was the franchise's worst record to start a season since 1969. The Mets, meanwhile, were sitting at 22-33 on May 29.

Entering Sept. 4, Houston is leading the AL West at 75-63. New York may not be leading the NL East, but they are just 0.5 games out of the third NL Wild Card spot at 75-64.

According to OptaSTATS, there have only been two other seasons in MLB history in which multiple teams went from 11 games under .500 to 11 games over .500. The Astros and Oakland Athletics achieved the feat in 2005, while the St. Louis Browns and New York Giants did it in 1916.

Both the @astros & @Mets have gone from 11 games under .500 to 11 games over .500 this season.

The only other seasons in MLB history where multiple teams did this were 2005 (Astros/Athletics) and 1916 (Browns/Giants). pic.twitter.com/RIui9lTZh9

— OptaSTATS (@OptaSTATS) September 4, 2024

No team has ever gone on to win the World Series after starting the season 0-5, as the Mets did this season. Only three have even made the playoffs – the 1974 Pittsburgh Pirates and 1995 Cincinnati Reds as division champions and the 2011 Tampa Bay Rays as a Wild Card team.

New York has a chance to join that exclusive list here in 2024, should the squad hold strong down the stretch.

According to FanGraphs, the Astros have a 99.1% chance of making the playoffs and a 10.1% chance of winning the World Series. The Mets have a 38.1% chance of making the playoffs and a 1.6% chance of winning the World Series.

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