On this day in NY Mets history the team hit a much-needed rock bottom

May 29 should be the newest annually featured holiday in New York Mets history. It was the official rock bottom moment for the 2024 team. A 10-3 loss to the Los Angeles Dodgers that involved a complete bullpen meltdown started by Adam Ottavino and ended by Josh Walker included a signature bad season moment when the man who pitched in between them tossed his glove into the stands upon exiting the field.

Jorge Lopez wasn’t meant to be a remembered Mets player. Signed to a one-year deal for the purpose of trying to reestablish himself in the big leagues, Lopez actually started off the 2024 season pretty well. In fact, even after this game where he was charged with 2 earned runs while recording a single out, his ERA ballooned up to just 3.76. He wasn’t a bad pitcher. He just seemed a little too combustible for the front office’s liking.

The incident didn’t stop on the field. After the game, Lopez said something that might’ve been misconstrued as saying he felt like he was the worst player on the worst team in the league. An expletive or two was included. Words slightly lost in translation, the team cut him from the roster anyway. It didn’t stop there. A turning point of the season was about to take place.

The 2024 Mets had their rock bottom moment and took quick action after

The Mets beat the Arizona Diamondbacks the next day. The storm calmed. David Stearns wasn’t about to convince himself another tornado wasn’t on the way.

A trade with the New York Yankees brought us a guy named Luis Torrens. The countermove was to DFA veteran Omar Narvaez who wasn’t hitting his weight or throwing out any attempted base thieves. He didn’t stop there. Brett Baty was demoted, Mark Vientos was named the starting third baseman, and veteran journeyman Jose Iglesias was promoted.

We could say “and the rest was history” and leave it at that. Torrens had an immediate impact at and behind the plate. In the absence of Francisco Alvarez, the team finally had stability at the catcher spot. Vientos continued to prove he was overdue for more playing time. Iglesias was a little slower to turn up the heat, but some early moments of hustling on routine ground balls signaled the team had a new public persona.

The timing was crucial for the Mets who split their series with the Diamondbacks. The two clubs would finish with identical records with the Mets taking the season series and the third Wild Card spot. A closed door player's only meeting led by veterans Francisco Lindor and J.D. Martinez is said to have sparked the players into waking up.

Never has a rock bottom moment seemed to so immediately turn a franchise around. Different faces, a change in attitude, and summer of unintentional gimmicks would follow.