NY Mets: The three Marlins players that I despise the most

The New York Mets have enjoyed success against the Miami Marlins in their brief franchise history. The Mets have gone 246-216 against the Marlins franchise which was established in 1993.

The Marlins are the team that I hate the least in the National League East. This in large part is due to them never winning the division. They usually are at the bottom of the division, while the Braves, Phillies, and Nationals beat up on the Mets a lot more.

This rivalry really only exists because the Mets and Marlins because they play each other 19 times a year.

Every Met fan who hates the Marlins hates them for what they did at the end of the Mets tenure at Shea Stadium. In 2007 and 2008, the Mets were in prime position to make the playoffs. All they had to do was play competent baseball down the stretch and they would be in. Unfortunately, the Mets collapsed both years and were eliminated on the final day of the season both years by the same team. The Marlins.

The 2007 collapse is the more famous collapse of the two. The Mets had a seven-game lead in the division with 17 games left to play and lost 12 of their last 17 games. The last game of that season was at home against the Marlins with future Hall of Famer Tom Glavine on the mound.

Glavine was expected to show up due to his veteran presence and big-game experience but instead, he imploded, allowing seven first-inning runs and only recording one out. The Mets season would end with that 8-1 loss.

Now to 2008, the final season at Shea Stadium. The Mets held a three and a half-game lead in the division with 17 games to go. The Mets went on the blow that lead as well and had their season end on the final day at the hands of the Marlins. Johan Santana had pitched a three-hit shutout the day before to keep the Mets alive, but on the final day, the bullpen cost the Mets. Wes Helms and Dan Uggla hit back to back home runs in the eighth inning and New York lost the game 4-2, ending their season.

What makes these collapses more frustrating is the fact that the Marlins were not fighting for a playoff spot themselves. They played the role of spoiler as well as you possibly could, as Mets fans suffered through a tough final two seasons of Shea Stadium.

With the Mets only winning one division title since and the Marlins winning none, it’s safe to say these teams haven’t been too competitive in the National League East. The Mets have made the playoffs twice and the Marlins have once, but they both weren’t good at the same time.

While this isn’t a very heated rivalry, the Marlins still have had some players who I have disliked. Here are three that came to mind.

Giancarlo Stanton

Giancarlo Stanton along with Ryan Howard is someone I have always feared, whether he is in a slump or not. This is because, with one swing of the bat, he can change the outcome of a game. Stanton possesses one of the more feared power bats in baseball when he is healthy. When he was healthy with the Marlins, he won an MVP and was a guy who could be counted on for at least 30 home runs a year.

While Stanton hit a lot of home runs against everybody in the National League East, he hit the most against the Mets. By a lot. In his career against the Mets, Stanton has slashed .262/.350/.557 with 36 home runs and 84 RBI. This damage has been done in 114 games against the Mets. If he had played a full 162 game season against the Mets, he would be on pace for 51 home runs. That is an absurd number.

Most of Stanton’s damage was done in years that the Metropolitans boasted an elite starting rotation with guys like Jacob deGrom, Noah Syndergaard, and Matt Harvey.

I don’t recall any crazy Stanton home run, I just remember a ton of second deck shots that were just remarkable to watch. He swings the bat so effortlessly yet the ball jumps off his bat like no other.

I am glad Stanton is no longer in Miami because he was just annoying to face 19 times a year. He would hit home runs often in games the Mets would win, but he just had a remarkable amount of success against New York. He has hit nine more home runs against the Mets than he has against any other team in his career and was always a threat to do real damage.

Jon Berti

This is a name not many recognize, and he has not been in the majors for long at all, but Jon Berti is someone I cannot stand. Berti was never a highly-touted prospect, is not an everyday player with the Marlins, is just a random utility man on their team. The reason he is here is he just kills the Mets.

It is an extremely small sample size which is important to note, but Berti so far in his career has slashed .311/.391/.459 with three home runs and 10 RBI. This average went way down after he struggled against the orange and blue in 2020, but in 2019 he owned the club from the moment he was called up.

In the 2019 season, he slashed an absurd .372/.400/.581 against the Mets, putting up 16 hits in 10 starts against the Mets. It seemed like every game they played he would get at least two hits. The most annoying thing about Berti is his base stealing.

In 2019, he stole six bases in six tries against the Mets. In 2020, he stole four bases in four attempts. Three of those happened in one trip on the base paths. He stole second, third, and home in a game the Marlins won. That was the second game of an infuriating double header which saw the Mets get outscored 7-0 in the two games.

While Berti has not put up insane stats against the Mets and isn’t even a regular starter on the Marlins, he still annoys me so much, and with the Mets never seeming to figure out how to stop the running game, he is probably going to be a thorn in the Mets side until he leaves Miami.