The New York Mets have had a 2023 season to forget. While there are many miserable moments that Mets fans can point to, one botched play on Saturday just about sums it all up.
During the top of the eighth inning in a one-run game, Atlanta Braves outfielder Austin Riley lined a ball right to second baseman Danny Mendick. The hard-hit ball could have set up a double play with Braves baserunner Ozzie Albies at first. Instead, Mendick botched the play and the ball rolled to center field.
The speedy Albies appeared destined for third base. But Mets center fielder Tim Locastro couldn’t field the ball properly, which allowed Albies to score all the way from first base.
The Mets bungled a golden opportunity to keep the game close with the top of their order coming up in the bottom half of the inning. Instead, the potential double play turned into two errors. The Braves piled on after that play with four more runs in the final two innings for a 6-0 victory.
Somehow, the scoreless, error-filled loss was not even the worst one witnessed by fans on Saturday. The two sides played a make-up game just hours prior, with the Braves pummeling the Mets by a score of 22-3.
The Mets entered the 2023 season with a sky-high payroll and even loftier expectations, but has now traded away their two ace pitchers Justin Verlander and Max Scherzer, as the team sits well outside of the playoff picture. Team owner Steve Cohen even had to issue a statement on the Mets’ current direction. The Mets are nine games out of the final NL wild-card spot as of this writing.
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