June 12, 2025 was the beginning of the end for the 2025 New York Mets. On that day the Mets led the National League East division by 5 games. It was also on that day that the Mets had the best record in baseball by far. The Mets saw themselves as a serious playoff contender on their way to yet another deep playoff push. However, at the end of that day, the good times of the New York Mets had ended.
The Mets best starting pitcher, Kodai Senga, sustained a crippling hamstring injury fielding a ground ball to first base. Senga would go on to pitch fewer than five more times at the Major League level. Senga was sent to the minor league in early September. His previously impressive ERA had ballooned to nearly 7.0.
With Senga gone, the Mets were forced to rely more heavily on the bullpen to help. The relief pitchers became increasingly more exhausted as the demand for more pitches and more innings grew dramatically. As a result, the starting pitchers began to slack as they were demanded to go deeper into the game to soften the load on the relievers. The starting pitcher ERA of the Mets before June 12 was 2.79, the best in the Major Leagues. After June 12 it jumped all the way up to 5.09, nearly the worst in the Majors.
As the trade deadline approached, the Mets desperately needed more relievers who could support the starters and go more innings. The Mets traded top prospects for Ryan Helsley, the electric closer of the Cardinals, and Tyler Rogers, a submarine throwing reliever from the Giants. Two of the most anticipated relievers of the entire off- season immediately underperformed after the trade deadline. Helsley’s ERA with St. Louis was well under 3, but with the Mets it skyrocketed to over 10! Rogers gave up key hits and inside-the-park homeruns to blow his first few “Save” attempts.
Situational hitting began to suffer. The Mets became the worst in the MLB at hitting with RISP (runners in scoring position). The top of the Mets order suffered tremendously in August, with star Pete Alonso posting the worst numbers of his career during that stretch. The Mets experienced issues against lefty pitchers, losing almost every game they faced.
In a desperate attempt to ease the pitching damages, Mets President of Baseball Operations David Stearns brought up three rising-star pitching prospects in Nolan Mclean, Jonah Tong, and finally Brandon Sproat. Although they proved effective, these three were not enough to tighten the race.
By September 21, 2025 the Mets now lost their playoff spot after previously being the best team in baseball through the first half of the season. Psychological issues, momentum shifts, frequent errors, blown saves, 0-67 when trailing after 8 innings, and a negative record against teams under .500 has led the Mets to yet another historic collapse before October. With fewer than 10 games remaining, and morale at an all time low, can the Mets pull off the impossible and secure a playoff berth? Or will they suffer yet another blown season? Only time will tell.
PS: in their last game of the season, the Mets needed to beat the Miami Marlins to clinch a Wild Card spot in the playoffs. They lost 4-0. Spring Training is only four months away.
