Wild stat gives Mets fans something to feel optimistic about

New York Mets fans are clinging to hope amid what has been another rollercoaster of a season, but there is one particular statistic that might make them feel better about their team’s chances as October quickly approaches.

The Mets entered Monday with a record of 81-76, which gave them solo control of the third and final Wild Card spot in the National League. They are looking to hold off both the Cincinnati Reds and Arizona Diamondbacks, who are just one game back of the Mets.

The Mets exceeded expectations early in the year and looked like the best team in baseball for a while. They even had the best record in the league more than two months into the season. New York then lost seven straight games from June 13 through June 20. The Mets have since had two other losing streaks of seven-plus games.

If the Mets manage to make the playoffs, they will become only the second team in MLB history to do so in a season in which they had three different losing streaks of seven or more games. The only other team to do that was the 2006 St. Louis Cardinals, who won the World Series.