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The Mets unveiled their City Connect uniforms over the weekend, and although the team hasnt quite connected with the fans of this great city yet, it should. And it will. The team from Queens was only 19th in attendance heading into Sundays great win, and Some of its the weather, which generally has ranged from dismal to crummy (Sunday was a rare exception), but a lot of it is likely a wait-and-see mindset in whats been advertised as a transitional year before the big player personnel push thats expected in the winter of 2024-25. Francisco Lindor hits a home run during the Mets win over the Cardinals on Sunday. Bill Kostroun/New York Post Well, the Mets are now exactly a month and a day into their season, and they are showing they deserve your attention. They may be only a game over .500, but thats pretty good considering that they have yet to play any of the dregs of the leagues, and at least a quartet of teams theyve yet to see are including the injury-wrecked, star-cro sed Marlins in their own division. The reality is that the Mets are showing they are probably better than most and very likely playoff caliber, as predicted in February to The Post by new baseball president David Stearns. While they werent all-in over the winter, the gue s here, too, is they are good enough to qualify for October baseball. More From Jon Heyman Their 14-13 mark is a lot better than it appears when you consider theyve played only serious teams so far. Consider, too, that they already had a string of five straight series wins against teams that are otherwise .500 or better, including sets against the nemesis Braves and even the celebrity Dodgers, with the one roster that rivals the Mets for payroll and beats all 29 others in name recognition, international interest and, of course, attendance. The Mets salvaged the weekend series against the Cardinals with Jarred Kelenic Jersey hat manager Carlos Mendoza called a great win. But he laughed when I asked if it was a great win because it would have qualified as an even worse lo s, likely because he knows thats true. The Mets wasted two innings where they began with men on first and second and none out, and another where they had second and third and one out. A lo s would have qualified as an all-time waste. The Mets also received their best pitching performance of the season, 99 pitches and eight full innings of pure mastery by soft-to sing starter Jose Quintana, followed by a clean, two-strikeout inning by star closer Edwin Diaz and two more solid innings by new star setup man Reed Garrett. The heretofore unknown Garrett is now tied for the league lead in wins with star starters Tyler Glasnow and Ranger Suarez at 5-0 and on pace to become the clubs first 20-game winner since R.A. Dickey. Its a memorable win, sure, but it would have been an unbearable lo s. The performance Quintana put up and Edwin put up and Reed put up, it couldnt go to waste, Francisco Lindor said. We had to win that game for sure. Harrison Bader celebrates his game-typing hit in the 11th inning on Sunday. Bill Kostroun/New York Post Left unsaid was the offensive record of no hits in 15 at-bats with runners in scoring position until Harrison Bader down to the Mets last strike in the 11th lined a single to center to tie it. The very next batter, the just-promoted Mark Vientos, sent everyone home happy with a walk-off, two-run home run off lefty Matthew Liberatore that barely cleared center fielder Michael Sianis glove just to the right side of center field. Happiest of all was Vientos, who gets credit for handling an undeserved demotion with grace. There are still no promises he sticks around once Starling Marte comes off the bereavement list, and Vientos suggested he isnt thinking about that, or anything beyond the joy following one of the biggest and best wins of the season. Delivering insights on all things Amazins Sign up for Inside the Mets by Mike Puma, exclusively on Sports+ Thank you By clicking above you agree to the and . Enjoy this Post Sports+ exclusive newsletter! Vientos said it felt like dj vu because the moment was just how he imagined. It feels good, Vientos said. It feels good, for sure. Say this for the Mets, they look pretty good, and better than most folks (including me) expected. And theres plenty of reason to believe Stearns a se sment was dead-on accurate. The Mets po se s the fourth lowest ERA (3.69) in the league, and theyre even better out of the pen. With Diaz, Garrett and Adam Ottavino, they are solid bet to win the close ones. And their stars really havent played their best yet. Pete Alonso, Lindor, Brandon Nimmo and Jeff McNeil are all carrying batting averages and OPSs below their career marks, and only Alonso is relatively close to his normal numbers. Harrison Bader (44) celebrates with Mark Vientos after Vientos hit a two-run walk-off home run in the eleventh inning. Bill Kostroun/New York Post Lindor has been especially up-and-down, and the way hes gone it cant be a surprise he followed Saturdays 0-for-5, four-strikeout performance with a game that included a home run, two stolen bases and a couple nice plays in the field. As he does often, Lindor lamented his inconsistent ledger. Once we all get clicking, its going to be fun, he said. It already is, folks. Ralph Garr Jersey
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