Fastball

New York Mets Complete Historic Comeback in 2024 Season By Reaching NLCS

The New York Mets were an afterthought in early-June, and now they are one step away from the World Series.

Brady Farkas

New York Mets shortstop Francisco Lindor (12) celebrates in the clubhouse after defeating the Philadelphia Phillies in game four of the NLDS for the 2024 MLB Playoffs at Citi Field on Oct 9.
New York Mets shortstop Francisco Lindor (12) celebrates in the clubhouse after defeating the Philadelphia Phillies in game four of the NLDS for the 2024 MLB Playoffs at Citi Field on Oct 9. / Brad Penner-Imagn Images
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The New York Mets rallied to beat the Philadelphia Phillies on Wednesday afternoon in Game 4 of the National League Division Series.

With the 4-1 win, the Mets eliminated their division rivals by winning the series 3-1. They have now advanced to the National League Championship Series, where they will meet either the San Diego Padres or Los Angeles Dodgers.

While the season is not over, the historic nature of what the Mets have done to this point should be appreciated. New York was 11 games under .500 back on June 2, an afterthought that was likely to sell at the then-looming trade deadline.

According to Sarah Langs of MLB.com, the Mets have now joined some very rare baseball history.

the Mets are the 8th team to reach the LCS after being 11+ games under .500, joining:

2019 WSH
2013 LAD
2005 HOU
1989 TOR
1984 KC
1974 PIT
1973 NYM

only ’24 NYM, WSH, HOU, LAD did so by winning at least 1 PS round

h/t @EliasSports

With the invention of the third wild card team just a few years ago, you're clearly never out of it, even if you have a bad start. The Mets should serve as motivation for teams in the future to not pack it in just because your first month or two didn't go the way you wanted.

The Mets have also become one of the most fun teams in baseball, capitalizing on anything they can to bring themselves good vibes. The "Grimace" fad, the Jose Iglesias "OMG" fad and the Pete Alonso playoff pumpkin are all things the Mets have latched onto.

The NLCS is scheduled to begin on Sunday.

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Brady Farkas
BRADY FARKAS

Brady Farkas is a baseball writer for Fastball on Sports Illustrated/FanNation and the host of 'The Payoff Pitch' podcast which can be found on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. Videos on baseball also posted to YouTube. Brady has spent nearly a decade in sports talk radio and is a graduate of Oswego State University. You can follow him on Twitter @WDEVRadioBrady. 

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