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I know, this is brutal. I'm a life-long New York Mets fan. I have withstood countless failures before. But this would rank among the worst of the worst. If the Mets go from 45-24 in June to out of the playoffs, they will never live this down. This would compete with any heartbreak in Mets history.
But the good news, fellow Mets fans, is that we are built for this. It would almost feel weird if things were easy. And if more heartbreak does rear its ugly head, we know how to get through it. But what if the Mets get to punch back this time? What if the Mets get to fight back, make the playoffs, and take down some recent rivals to get there? That wouldn't feel very Met-like. Except, it would be surprising. Which may be the most Met-like thing of all.
They face off against the Padres, the Nationals, the Cubs, and the Marlins. Each series poses its own chance for retribution. Let's take a look.
The Washington Nationals- You're still little brother
The Nationals haven't done the Mets too wrong yet. But there is still a bitter taste in our collective mouths from Kurt Suzuki's three-run walk-off home run that capped the greatest 9th inning comeback in baseball history. The Nats scored seven runs in the 9th with two outs. More Mets embarrassment. Oh, and one of the guys who scored on that three-run shot by Suzuki? A very young, very talented Right Fielder named Juan Soto. That name sounds awfully familiar, but I can't quite seem to put my finger on why.
Oh, and I also just don't like that the Nationals have won a World Series more recently. They're still the fake Expos, right?