New York Mets shortstop Francisco Lindor celebrates a home run Wendell Cruz-USA TODAY Sports

From Grimace to 'OMG': How surging Mets changed their mojo

By Zack Panariello | Last updated Jul 18, 2024 3:08 PM ET

Two months into the season, the New York Mets seemed destined for another playoff-less year.

On May 30, they fell to 22-33 after a sweep at home by the Los Angeles Dodgers and subsequently jettisoned reliever Jorge Lopez for throwing his glove into the Citi Field stands. Fast forward to Thursday and the Mets are 49-46 and hold the third National League wild-card spot.

So, what changed?

The easy answer is that Mets stars started playing like stars. Shortstop Francisco Lindor holds a batting average above .300 since his move to the leadoff spot and the return of catcher Francisco Alvarez has provided a needed spark. For the Mets and their fans, though, it's never that simple.

Something special happened at Citi Field on June 12. The Mets, who have a partnership with McDonald's, let the company's purple mascot Grimace throw out the ceremonial first pitch against the Miami Marlins. The Mets won that night 10-4 and proceeded to win the next six games thereafter. Grimace had become a savior among the Flushing Faithful.

can we get a grimace chant going @Mets pic.twitter.com/4pvHUKpkVP
— McDonald's (@McDonalds) June 26, 2024

In what has come to be known playfully as "The Grimace Era," the Mets are 21-9 and have climbed back into a crowded NL playoff race. While Grimace has become a common face around Queens, he isn't the only rallying cry.

Shortly before the fast food mascot made his first appearance, the Mets called up veteran infielder Jose Iglesias from Triple-A Syracuse. While he has hit .380 with three home runs and 16 RBI since his promotion, the team is rallying around him for a different reason.

Iglesias has a passion for music. When he arrived at Citi Field, the 12-year veteran revealed that he planned to release a song called "OMG" under the stage name Candelita.

Iglesias played the song to his teammates and the team quickly rallied behind it. It even became the Mets' home run song at Citi Field and Iglesias performed his song for fans and teammates following a win against the Houston Astros on June 28.

Former Red, Jose Iglesias just out here performing concerts now while playing with the Mets?

Kind of a bop too if we’re being honest.

pic.twitter.com/K9ekzFWhn0
— Reds Daily (@RedsDaily4) June 30, 2024

While the team rallied behind the song and fans rallied behind Grimace, both show why we love baseball so much.

It's such a long season that you can never really count teams out, because they can always rally behind a Grimace or an "OMG."

We're eager to see where the Mets ultimately finish, but it's setting up to be an exciting second half in Queens.

Zack Panariello

Zack Panariello is a writer based on Long Island, New York. He has written for WRUF at the University of Florida, and writes primarily about MLB, NFL, NBA, NHL and SEC Football. Zack has a Journalism degree with a specialization in sports and media from the University of Florida.

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