Dodgers must now be the standard for the Mets to live up to - and exceed

The Brewers were better than the Mets in 162 games, but the Mets were able to solve that thanks to an eternal hit from Pete Alonso's bat, and so they were eliminated from the National League play-in series.

The Phillies were better than the Mets in 162 games, but the Mets were able to solve that because at some point in the four games and five days of the NLDS, almost everyone lined up to be counted, and then Francisco Lindor hit a grand slam that was considered the all-time would serve as a bookend to the home run he hit in Game 161 to beat the Braves.

There was a lot of talk about “magic” as the Mets pushed deeper into October, and those of us with laptops and microphones were among the loudest sonnet makers in this story. But in some ways, reducing what we saw starting on September 30th to the foggy swamp of mysticism did the Mets a disservice. After all, they were the best team in baseball from June 1st. This is real. This is real.

But sometimes legitimacy meets legitimacy.

And so the Mets met the Dodgers. The Mets' 65-39 record after June 1 was the best in the major leagues, but the Dodgers' record was fifth at 61-41, and the Dodgers had the advantage of being 37 at that point :23 stood.

There was a reason the Dodgers won nine more games than the Mets that year, a reason they could take it easy in October instead of sweating it out, and a reason they could skip the play-in round. One reason they beat the Mets in six games of the National League Championship Series, which ended at 11:24 p.m. Sunday when Francisco Alvarez jumped to second base, ending the game 10-5 and leaving them six wins behind their season Aiming finished it going.

And a reason why the Mets want to co-opt their conquerors.

“We not only want to be like them,” Mets manager Carlos Mendoza said of the Dodgers, who will renew their old postseason rivalry with the Yankees starting Friday night, “but we also want to be better than them.”

The Dodgers have made the playoffs every year since 2013. That's the model. This is the blueprint. But part of the package that comes with a regular October membership is being a regular October mourner. Each of those years — with the exception of the odd COVID year of 2020 and (so far) this year — ended for the Dodgers the way the Mets' season just ended.

With regret. With disappointment. With the empty echo of elimination.

But that's exactly what happens when you fire your shot every year. And what the Mets want more than anything is for this all to become a habit, not a specialty. Just like the Dodgers do. Just like the Yankees do. In a few weeks, one of these teams will feel the same way the Mets did on Sunday. But they will continue to fire their shot.

“It’s October 20th and we’re going home,” Mendoza said. “Of course it stinks because we have not only become a really good team, but also a family.

“But we have now raised our expectations. That's what we should aim for every year, playing well into October. We showed that this year.”

They want to show that every year.

“Honestly,” Alonso said. “The pressure is a privilege. It was a real treat.”

Alonso, of course, immediately manages to go from being an important part of the ensemble that helped shape the last three weeks to becoming the dominant part of the Mets' narrative over the next few weeks. Will he stay or will he go? Soon, this will be part of every baseball conversation here

“I’m proud of everyone in this room,” Alonso said. “It was a pleasure to be part of this team and this season. I love New York. I love Queens. I love this team.”

It feels like the outcome of this drama has reminded even Mets fans who are on the other side of the debate that it would be right for Alonso to be part of what everyone else here sees as the beginning of a new era, of a new era and a new commitment to annual prosperity. Francisco Lindor will definitely be here. This also applies to Brandon Nimmo and Mark Vientos, David Peterson and Francisco Alvarez.

Will Alonso? Whether this is reflected in the agenda of the clear-eyed, cold-blooded men who will determine this course – David Stearns and Scott Boras – we will find out soon enough. Boras' job is to maximize Alonso's value, and Stearns' job is to figure out whether retaining Alonso puts the Mets in the best position to do what matters most.

“We want this to be the starting point,” Nimmo said. “We want this to set the standard.”

The standard should not be operational until October 20th each year. Such regular trips to the summit will come with a bit of heartache. Shoot enough, but eventually you'll make it to the end of the month. That has to be the standard.

Dodgers must now be the standard for the Mets to live up to – and exceed

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