Mets are a far cry from their magical 'OMG' season in 2024
Former Met Jose Iglesias holds up the team's "OMG" sign last season, which was the title of his song as well as a rallying point for the club. Credit: Jim McIsaac
No one doubted the magical powers of “OMG” during the Mets’ improbable romp to the NLCS last season, and for anyone still in need of a chemistry lesson, we submit the Jose Iglesias tribute video from Tuesday night.
Iglesias’ co-star was the ubiquitous OMG sign, and the soundtrack, well, you’re probably humming the chorus while reading these words.
About 20 minutes later, the Mets came to bat, thumped Padres starter Michael King for five runs in the first inning and never looked back, cruising to victory.
Coincidence? Maybe. But there was something to last year’s post-Memorial Day mojo that seemed to transcend the Mets’ on-field talent, or possibly just enhanced those abilities.
Regardless, whatever the spiritual spark was that ignited those ’24 Mets, as symbolized by the OMG phenomenon, it’s definitely been absent from Flushing during the past six months.
These No-MG Mets again are fighting to get into the playoffs, just like last September. But to this point, the whole process hasn’t looked very fun, sort of like baseball’s version of coal mining since mid-June, grinding out infrequent victories with gritted teeth, for the fleeting joy of a brief exhale.
OK, perhaps that’s a bit dramatic, but you get the idea. And Wednesday night’s 7-4 loss to the Padres was another example, as the Mets failed to capitalize on a four-homer party from Pete Alonso, Starling Marte, Juan Soto and Francisco Alvarez.
In the ninth, the Mets got the tying run to the plate in Soto, but he smacked a 100-mph bullet back at reliever Robert Suarez for the final out.
As a result, the Mets stayed winless (0-65) when trailing after eight innings, the only team in the majors to come up empty in that category.
A year ago, during the OMG era, inspired comebacks were the Mets’ calling card, most notably the Game No. 161 clincher at Truist Park.
“We’re still in a good spot, but we got to get going today,” Soto said, referring to the Mets’ slim edges over the Diamondbacks (1 1⁄2 games), Reds (2) and Giants (2). “We cannot wait for tomorrow. Tomorrow’s going to be too late.”
This season, the lucky talismans, goofy mascots and rally anthems have left the building. It’s been up to Steve Cohen’s $340 million roster to look in the mirror for motivation, and now there’s only 10 games left to conjure up an OMG moment or two in the runway up to the playoffs.
“I think this team is very close, we get along very well and I enjoy every day with this team,” Brandon Nimmo said before Wednesday’s game. “But it was just a different relationship with the team last year. It’s not any better or worse. But you are going to have something different when you have OMG come out last year. It was very organic and you can’t recreate that. It’s something that happened naturally and was meant to happen that way. We all kind of rallied around it. This year, we have our own identity.”
But who are the 2025 Mets? Aside from the obvious talent, their DNA is tougher to analyze, and they don’t have someone like Iglesias writing the lyrics for a near-miraculous rebound. Instead, Carlos Mendoza & Co. have played roller-coaster baseball for nearly 3 1⁄2 months.
“I think it’s just the inconsistency,” Mendoza said. “We could sit here and talk about team chemistry, but I guarantee if you asked me, or anyone, back on June 1, people might say, you know what, this is better than last year. And now, they’re saying, how is this possible?”
Remember, the Mets didn’t go into launch mode last year until they finally stopped worrying about being terrible and just played baseball. The ’25 Mets never had that luxury. They raced out to MLB’s best record, then once atop Everest, performed like they were afraid of heights.
“I think it’s tough to create the consistent type of energy that maybe we displayed organically last year when you’ve had the type of streakiness that we’ve had this year,” president of baseball ops David Stearns said on Tuesday. “I think we have the ingredients for a very productive team chemistry and team energy. In my opinion, we just haven’t allowed it to flourish yet because we haven’t gotten on a run.
Hard to argue. The Mets’ .398 winning percentage (33-50) is the fourth-worst in the majors since June 13.
“Last year we were the best team in baseball from May on,” Nimmo said. “That’s an easy wave to ride, and it’s a lot of fun when you’re winning games and having concerts on the field. For this team, it’s what I would expect to be a little more normal.”
This season isn’t over yet. The Mets could still turn this “normal” year into something extraordinary, and they still have the clubhouse personnel to make this a special October once (if) they get there.
“We’re an extremely scary team to play for anyone when we’re playing well,” Nimmo said. “That’s kind of the path I see for us right now. It takes everybody going in the right direction at the end.”
Chemistry? The Mets will settle for a winning formula.
David Lennon is an award-winning columnist, a voter for baseball's Hall of Fame and has covered six no-hitters, including two perfect games.
