Inside The Mets

Mets Have 'Legitimate Gripe' With MLB Ahead of Crucial Doubleheader vs. Braves

The New York Mets have the odds stacked against them once again over the next couple days.

Grant Young

Sep 29, 2024; Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA; New York Mets manager Carlos Mendoza (64) looks on from the dug out against the Milwaukee Brewers in the first inning at American Family Field. Mandatory Credit: Michael McLoone-Imagn Images
Sep 29, 2024; Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA; New York Mets manager Carlos Mendoza (64) looks on from the dug out against the Milwaukee Brewers in the first inning at American Family Field. Mandatory Credit: Michael McLoone-Imagn Images / Michael McLoone-Imagn Images
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The New York Mets are about to begin what are inarguably the most important games of their 2024 season.

The Mets must win one of their two games against the Atlanta Braves on Monday. If they do, they'll be in the MLB playoffs. If they don't then their season will be over.

While earning that vital win is obviously priority number one, the MLB's playoff schedule presents another obstacle if (and when) that win is secured.

The NL Wild Card starts on Tuesday. So if the Mets win a game against Atlanta, they'll have to fly to either San Diego or Milwaukee right after Monday's games are done for a quick turnaround tomorrow.

Mets designated hitter JD Martinez made it clear that he was not happy about this scheduling, as he said on Sunday, "I think it's an unfair advantage... to the teams we're going to play," per SNY.

"And then you've got to turn around and get on a flight and you're already blown out [from] the day before," he added. "So it's going to be a tough task. We've just got to suck it up and find a way to get through it."

While this may sound like baseless complaints on the surface, Martinez has a right to be frustrated. In fact, Bleacher Report's Tim Kelly takes Martinez's sentiment a step further in a September 30 article.

"The Mets have played tremendous baseball since June 1 and have a legitimate gripe with the Braves and MLB for not planning better and forcing them to play a doubleheader the day before the NLWCS begins," Kelly wrote.

Given that the Mets had zero control over last week's games in Atlanta getting postponed, it's fair for them to feel like they've been wronged for this scheduling.

Then again, the Mets have had the odds stacked against them all season and have made it this far. Overcoming those odds once again would be fitting.

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Grant Young
GRANT YOUNG

Grant Young covers the New York Yankees, the New York Mets, and Women’s Basketball for Sports Illustrated’s ‘On SI’ sites. He holds an MFA degree in creative writing from the University of San Francisco, where he also played Division 1 baseball for five years. He believes Mark Teixeira should have been a first ballot MLB Hall of Fame inductee.

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