Did A McDonald's Mascot Spark The New York Mets Winning Streak?

The New York Mets recent winning streak can be traced back to a unique source.

Jun 17, 2024; Arlington, Texas, USA; New York Mets right fielder DJ Stewart (29) celebrates his three-run home run with teammates in the dugout during the second inning against the Texas Rangers at Globe Life Field. / Jim Cowsert-USA TODAY Sports

The entire baseball world had a laugh when the New York Mets had a McDonald's mascot throw out the first pitch a few days ago, but the smile has yet to fade for the red hot squad.

New York's season had not brought much to be happy about. Just over a week ago they were sitting with a 28-37 record and contemplating who to ship out at the trade deadline. Then Grimace came to town.

Grimace threw out the first pitch tonight at Citi Field 🟣 pic.twitter.com/9i9vEWpDxz

— SNY Mets (@SNY_Mets) June 12, 2024

Since that pitch, New York is 6-0 and the entire city is embracing their new purple friend.

Over this stretch, the offense had already been slashing .280/.364/.509 entering Monday's game against the reigning World Series champion Texas Rangers. Those numbers only improved as the Mets obliterated Texas by a score of 14-2 with a season-high 22 hits.

Over the first 65 games of the year, the offensive unit was slashing .240/.311/.386 as they were closer to the middle of the pack.

Francisco Alvarez broke out of his slump against the Rangers with just this second three-hit game of the 2024 campaign. Pete Alonso also had his second. Francisco Lindor and Brandon Nimmo combined for 7-for-8 at the plate with six home runs.

Even more necessary than New York's change of demeanor at the plate was the improvements made by the pitching staff as they have finally strung together some solid starts.

Entering the hot streak, the Mets' staff had an ERA of 4.24 and ranked bottom-10 for most statistical categories. In the 'post-Grimace era' their ERA has dropped 2.40 which was ballooned by one six-run game against the San Diego Padres.

Opposing offenses have only scored more than two runs in two games. During the first 11 games of the month, they were only held to less than three runs once.

The trade deadline isn't for a few more weeks, which should give the front office enough time to decide if this is just a flash in the pan or if the team has actually woken up. Moves like trading Pete Alonso or shipping away veterans on expiring contracts can and should be put off until that decision is made.

After almost throwing in the towel, the Mets now sit just one game back in the race for a Wild Card spot with a new outlook on the season. That stands even if they face a little bit of regression from the Grimace era in New York.