It has long been an incontrovertible fact that the Mets have bad vibes. Even when they won their World Series, victories came via cursed moments: The black cat in Chicago. The Game 6 ground ball in Boston.
Which is why this video is so stunning to behold:
What you see in this video is what we, in the industry, generally refer to as “a vibe.” That phrase, of course, can mean many things, but in this case? In this case, what it means is that every single person in that ballpark is having the time of their life, with the crucial exception being those who are about to face Edwin Díaz, a man who has struck out more than half the batters he’s opposed this season (only guy with more than four innings pitched to do that).
Then, there’s this:
What’s this? Well, this is a veritable tub of a man, recently acquired in anticipation of the trade deadline, crossing home plate with not a lot of speed, no, but more momentum than your high school physics teacher ever prepared you to calculate. The context is key, too: Who’s he scoring against? The Mets’ division rival’s young stud of a pitcher.
The Mets took four of five from Atlanta this weekend, sweeping a doubleheader on Saturday, enjoying dominance from recently returned Jacob deGrom yesterday, and taking a lead so decisive that FanGraphs currently rates their division championship probability as identical to that of the Yankees, whom we were told wrapped up the AL East a long time ago. Cruising for a fall? That would be the assumption with the Mets. But something’s different this time around, and that “something” is the vibes. Even sending gallons of gold to San Francisco for an aging journeyman has not dampened them. At this point, it’s hard to imagine what will.
