3 things we learned from the Mets series win against the Cardinals

The Mets have championship mettle as evidenced in Monday’s sensational comeback

The defining moment of the first three weeks of the Mets’ season was the five-run ninth inning comeback in Monday’s instant classic victory. But the way they scored their runs and who they were facing on the mound was most impressive and reminiscent of championship teams of the past.

First off, they faced Giovanny Gallegos, one of the toughest relievers in baseball. They balanced grinding out at-bats and staying aggressive at the plate. Mark Canha’s seven-pitch at-bat after falling behind 0-2 in the count with the Mets down to their last out was remarkable. Canha put a ball in play which the sure-handed Nolan Arenado couldn’t record the final out and kept the game alive.

Then after a Jeff McNeil double on the second pitch of the next at-bat, Dom Smith swung at the third pitch of his at-bat, and he hustled to first base and beat out Gallegos who didn’t cover on the bag in time, allowing two runs to score, giving the Mets the lead for good in a statement 5-2 win.

The Mets’ grit and toughness has been refreshing to a fanbase that is used to their team not playing fundamentally sound and championship caliber baseball, and they will find new ways to win games, even when they are not at their best.

You can argue that Monday's comeback was the best win any team in the major leagues had this season up to this point.

The Mets are a team that has each other’s backs

The Mets’ hit by pitch epidemic continued as Mets batters got hit by five pitches in the three games at Busch Stadium. Pete Alonso got plunked in the head by Kodi Whitley in the eighth inning on Tuesday night, and the Mets immediately came out of the dugout, seemingly almost ready to charge further.

This incident drew blunt postgame comments from both Alonso’s wife Haley on Instagram on how the league valued velocity over artistry in developing their pitchers and from Chris Bassitt, claiming the league does not care about the players’ health or the quality of the balls used in games.

The benches cleared again in the bottom of the eighth inning of Wednesday’s game, where after St. Louis’ Genesis Cabrera hit J.D. Davis in the ankle in the top of the eighth inning, Mets reliever Yoan Lopez threw high and inside at Arenado in the bottom of the inning, causing the benches to empty. Lopez was so not in the wrong in this situation as the pitch wasn’t as bad as the one that struck Davis, and the ball didn’t even hit Arenado. But Arenado decided to play the victim card, and it resulted in him being ejected from the game.

This series further tested the Mets’ resolve as things go against them, and this series proved the Mets are willing to fight for what they believe in and for their teammates.