Five Mets moments that made fans fall in love with current players

The New York Mets have been blessed with many very likable players in recent years, many of whom made their mark in Queens with one triumphant moment. For Wilmer Flores, it was the “Five Days in Flushing” saga of July 2015, when he cried on the field over a non-trade with the Brewers one day and was the walk-off hero against the Nationals a couple of days later. For Endy Chavez, it was his spectacular catch-turned-double play against the St. Louis Cardinals in Game 7 of the 2006 NLCS.

Of course, who can forget Johan Santana, who firmly etched his place in franchise history when he pitched the first Mets no-hitter on June 1, 2012? Santana had many fantastic starts in his injury-shortened Mets career, including a shut out on the second-to-last day of the 2008 season, but his no-hitter clearly stands out as his apex with the orange and blue.

On the current roster, there are several players who first stood out to Mets fans with one unforgettable game or play. Let’s look back at five moments that endeared Mets fans to specific players on the current roster.

Jacob deGrom: Mets beat the Dodgers in Game 5 of the 2015 NLDS

Even though he had already won the NL Rookie of the Year award in 2014, Jacob deGrom did not truly “arrive” in the eyes of most Mets fans until October 15, 2015. That night, deGrom faced off against Zach Greinke and the Los Angeles Dodgers in the deciding game of the National League Division Series. deGrom had already dominated the Dodgers’ formidable lineup in Game 1 of the series, shutting them down with seven shutout innings and a whopping 13 strikeouts.

Several days later in Game 5, deGrom was clearly less dominant from the start. He gave up two runs in the bottom of the first inning on singles to Justin Turner and Andre Ethier, immediately surrendering the 1-0 lead that the Mets had gotten for him in the top of the inning. Things looked bleak for the man who, just a few months prior, had dismantled three American League All-Stars on ten nasty pitches in the All-Star game.

Instead of caving into his struggles, deGrom bared down. He ended up allowing six hits and three walks in six innings of work, but he did not allow another run for the rest of the game. Clutch strikeouts of Corey Seager and Yasmani Grandal, as well as a double play off the bat of Kike Hernández, bailed him out of a few more jams.

Multiple Mets-related personnel have called this game deGrom’s “coming out party” of sorts with the Mets. Steve Gelbs said as much during this postgame interview right after the Mets sealed the victory in the 9th inning, when he repeatedly referred to deGrom’s performance as “gutsy.”

We saw what deGrom could do during the regular season in 2014, but in 2015, his true toughness emerged. From then on, it’s been a constant love affair between him and the Flushing Faithful.

Noah Syndergaard: Game 3 of the 2015 World Series

Just a couple of weeks after deGrom’s ace-worthy attitude blossomed against the Dodgers, Noah Syndergaard endeared himself to Mets fans everywhere with one attention-getting pitch against the Kansas City Royals in the World Series. Syndergaard had an outstanding rookie season in 2015, going 9-7 with a 3.24 ERA, 166 strikeouts in 150 innings, a razor-thin WHIP of 1.047, and a 4th place finish in the NL Rookie of the Year voting.

By the time the Mets got to Game 3 of the Fall Classic, they were in an 0-2 hole with the series shifting back to Queens. It was do-or-die time, and the tall rookie pitcher was on the mound against the stacked Royals lineup. Alcides Escobar stepped into the batter’s box shortly after 8:00 pm eastern time, having hit an inside-the-park home run a few days prior to kick off the World Series in rather chaotic fashion. Syndergaard’s first pitch to Escobar sailed high.

So high, in fact, that it flew straight over Escobar’s head and smacked the wall behind home plate. Escobar sat down by home plate, looking perturbed, while his teammate Mike Moustakas barked at Syndergaard from the Royals’ dugout. The Citi Field faithful roared with appreciation, and the game was underway. The Mets ended up winning Game 3, the only game they won in the 2015 series.

Syndergaard defended his daring decision in a postgame interview, famously inviting any member of the Royals who disagreed with his approach to come have a friendly chat with him on the mound.

https://twitter.com/SNYtv/status/1318658249713856513

The Mets may not have won it all against the Royals that October, but Syndergaard certainly earned his stripes that day.

J.D. Davis: Walk-off against the Indians + epic postgame interview

Alonso may have had the postgame spotlight on August 5, 2019, but just a couple of weeks later his teammate J.D. Davis would snatch that spotlight away from the Polar Bear for a night. On August 21, the Mets were facing the Cleveland Indians at home, still solidly in contention for a Wild Card spot. In the bottom of the 10th inning, the game was tied at three apiece. The Mets had runners on first and second with two outs. J.D. Davis, who had been a bench player for much of the season but had hit very well at Citi Field, stepped up to the plate.

He grinded out a long at-bat against Indians closer Brad Hand and finally hammered a 3-2 breaking ball into the left field corner for a hit. Michael Conforto scored from second base, and the Mets players poured out of the dugout to celebrate the victory while fans went wild in the stands. It was the first walk-off hit of Davis’s young career, and the biggest hit he’d had in a Mets uniform to date.

Afterward, he had a memorable on-field interview with Gelbs as the newly-crowned “star of the game.” It started with a Gatorade shower and ended with an amped-up message to all Mets fans in attendance. It was, quite frankly, the most exciting postgame interview that I had ever seen from a Mets player.

Mets fans already knew that Davis was a likable guy before this interview, but he truly became “one of us” that day. He gained his New York swagger by raising his volume to a level not often seen in regular season postgame interviews. That memorable interview may have single-handedly led to co-starring on SNY’s web series “The Cookie Club,” alongside another Mets player known for a 2019 walk-off.

Dominic Smith: Season-ending walk-off sends the Mets home happy

Dominic Smith started off 2019 in danger of losing a roster spot to his friend and fellow first baseman Pete Alonso. Both competed for the starting job in spring training, with Alonso ultimately winning out, but Smith traveled north with the team and made the most of his bench player status.

He began starting in left field and got his batting average up over .280, with a respectable OPS close to .900, when all of a sudden his season was halted. In late July, Smith was diagnosed with a stress reaction in his left foot, which sidelined him until late September. He could not contribute on the field for much of the Mets’ thrilling second-half run, but he did rebrand himself as “biggest Mets cheerleader” during that time. Smith’s jubilant scoot out to center field on his “LFGM” scooter to celebrate Michael Conforto’s walk-off hit on August 9 perfectly summed up his enthusiasm.

By September 29, the Mets were eliminated from postseason contention, Alonso had already broken the rookie home run record, and the Amazins were staring at a two-run deficit against the Atlanta Braves in the season’s final game. Smith came into the game replacing Alonso in the top of the 11th inning, the same frame where the Braves hit back-to-back home runs to take a 6-4 lead.

In the bottom of the inning, Luis Guillorme got the action started with a single off of Braves lefty (and Mets fan favorite) Jerry Blevins. A couple of batters later, Wilson Ramos singled. Smith stepped up with two on and two out. As Gary Cohen reminded the TV audience, it was his first MLB at-bat in over two months. I’ll let Cohen tell us the rest.

With one of the most emphatic pen slams ever recorded, Cohen perfectly encapsulated the excitement of every Mets fan who might have forgotten about Smith until that moment. One mammoth left-handed swing later, Smith reminded us all that he was far too talented to play second fiddle to Alonso any longer.

After delighting Mets fans with his hilarious quips on “The Cookie Club,” Smith followed up that walk-off home run with a monster season in 2020. Hopefully, the walk-off was merely a preview of more clutch hits to come.

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All five of these players are among my favorite Mets players ever. They play with heart, flair, and fervent competitiveness. There are plenty of other recent and current quality players who have had success with the Amazins, but not every good player has as distinct a “signature moment” as these five players have had for the orange and blue.