New York Mets Could Already Be Out of World Series Race After Latest Brutal Loss
The New York Mets were expected to spend 2024 rebuilding, but even the most pessimistic projections didn't have them out of World Series contention one week in.
The New York Mets fell victim to the Detroit Tigers once again on Thursday, putting them in a tough spot in regards to the rest of 2024.
No team in MLB history has ever gone on to win the World Series after starting the season 0-5. The Mets are now the second team to reach that record this year, following in the footsteps of the winless Miami Marlins.
Only two teams have ever bounced back from 0-5 starts to win their division – the 1974Pittsburgh Pirates and the 1995 Cincinnati Reds – while only one has snuck in as a Wild Card – the 2011 Tampa Bay Rays. Per The Athletic's Time Britton, just 15 of the 92 teams to start a season 0-5 have won 84 or more games, which is what is took to make the postseason in the NL in 2023.
The way New York has lost hasn't been pretty either, with Thursday afternoon's defeat serving as just the latest example.
After scoring two runs in the third inning and going up 3-0 through five, the Mets allowed runs in the sixth, seventh and eighth innings to let the Tigers crawl back into it. Detroit then scored three runs in the top of the 11th to bury New York in the front end of a double-header.
It was an eerily similar result to the series opener on Monday – the last time the Mets played, due to multiple rain-outs.
In that game, New York and Detroit were stuck in a scoreless tie for nine full innings. The Mets failed to walk it off in the ninth, setting the stage for the Tigers to score five runs in the 10th and ultimately snatch the 5-0 win.
The two losses at the hands of the Tigers come on the back of a three-game sweep against the Milwaukee Brewers. The Mets lost those games by two, one and three runs, respectively.
Of course, the Mets did not come into 2024 considered to be World Series contenders, let alone favorites. Injuries have hit New York's starting rotation hard, and the front office is still paying off massive retained salaries to Max Scherzer and Justin Verlander after shipping them out at last summer's trade deadline.
But if they are historically eliminated from winning a championship just eight days into the season, that is still coming in well below expectations.
FanGraphs gave the Mets a 29.9% chance of making the postseason and a 1.0% chance of winning the World Series prior to Opening Day. Now, those numbers have dropped to 19.8% and 0.7%.
Considering New York still boasts the league's highest payroll at $309 million, declaring any season a lost one is a tough blow. Doing so on April 4 just stings that much more.
The Mets and Tigers will wrap up their double-header and series starting at 4:20 p.m. ET on Thursday.
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