Eighteen Years Later, Are the Mets Choking Again?

The Mets don’t have to be reminded what 2007 means in Queens. That was a September collapse that still hangs over the franchise. It's the yardstick for squandered opportunity across baseball.

And now, 18 years later, after six straight losses, a shrinking Wild Card lead, and whispers from their own fans, the parallels are impossible to ignore, SNY columnist John Harper suggested.

Thursday’s sweep in Philadelphia pushed the Mets’ skid to six. A week ago, they held a comfortable cushion for the final NL playoff spot. Now, the Giants and Reds are closing fast, and the margin for error feels paper-thin. Harper put it bluntly on social media: the vibe couldn’t be worse, and this stretch is beginning to look like an ’07-style choke.

That year, of course, the Mets dropped 12 of their final 17 games, coughing up a seven-game division lead. This version of the Mets may not flinch when '07 is mentioned. After all, Jonah Tong, the rookie expected to face Jacob deGrom on Friday, was four years old when it happened.

But the tears of Mets fans from that September still stain the seats at Citi Field.

Harper suggests the schedule provides an opening for the Mets to avoid a nightmare deja vu.

Nine straight games at Citi Field against Texas, San Diego, and Washington could flip the mood in a hurry. And Friday night, with deGrom returning to face his former team, offers a chance at catharsis if the Mets can turn the page.

But they have to play better.

If the bullpen continues to crack and the offense can’t keep pace, the narrative is going to get uglier in New York. The Mets, once again, are finding ways to stumble when it matters most. In other words, LOL Mets.

The ghosts of 2007 are back. And unless this team starts rewriting quickly, history could repeat itself in brutal fashion.