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Inside The Mets

Mets Slugger Reveals Secret to Team’s Hot Streak

Mets' J.D. Martinez opened up about why New York has been winning in recent weeks.
Grant Young|
Jun 13, 2024; New York City, New York, USA; New York Mets third baseman Mark Vientos (27) and right fielder Tyrone Taylor (15) pour water on designated hitter J.D. Martinez (28) after his ninth inning walkoff two run home run against the Miami Marlins at Citi Field. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports
Jun 13, 2024; New York City, New York, USA; New York Mets third baseman Mark Vientos (27) and right fielder Tyrone Taylor (15) pour water on designated hitter J.D. Martinez (28) after his ninth inning walkoff two run home run against the Miami Marlins at Citi Field. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports | Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports

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New York MetsSan Diego PadresWashington NationalsMiami Marlins

The New York Mets are playing their best baseball of the season.

After defeating the San Diego Padres 2-1 on Friday, the Mets are now 7-3 in their last 10 games and are steadily creeping up on the Washington Nationals in the NL East standings. There have been a couple factors to the team's recent success, such as the return of Francisco Alvarez from injury, improvements from the starting rotation, and the hot hitting of slugger J.D. Martinez.

But when a media member asked Martinez what has felt different about the Mets in the past couple of weeks after Friday’s win, the 36-year-old designated hitter believes the pressure-free attitude his team has assumed over the past few weeks has been the most integral part to their winning ways. 

“I think just the atmosphere,” Martinez continued. “Kind of a no-pressure thing. You know, no one’s thinking anything about the Mets. Everyone kind of just, you know, has us written off. And so it’s just no pressure. Let’s just go out and have fun. If we win, we win. If we lose, we lose.”

This carefree atmosphere seems to be a catalyst for Martinez’s success. Ever since making his New York debut on April 26, Martinez has a .272 batting average, a .793 OPS, six home runs and 23 RBI; since May 30, he's been hitting .275/.373/.549 with 14 hits, half of them going for extra bases. His walk-off home run on June 13 cemented a series win against the Miami Marlins. 

Martinez also praised New York’s pitching staff in his postgame interview. 

“Our pitching has been doing a phenomenal job of giving us a chance and keeping us in games.”

Over the last 7 days, the Mets’ pitching staff’s combined 3.00 ERA is 7th best in the MLB. This is especially impressive, given the Mets’ expected 2024 ace Kodai Senga has been sidelined since late February due to multiple injuries.

Martinez's "pressure-free" Mets will look to keep their winning ways rolling at home against the Padres on Saturday, with a chance to guarantee a series win. First pitch is at 4:10 PM ET.

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Grant Young
GRANT YOUNG

Grant Young covers the New York Mets and Women’s Basketball for Sports Illustrated’s ‘On SI’ sites. He holds an MFA degree in creative writing from the University of San Francisco, where he also played Division 1 baseball for five years. He believes Mark Teixeira should have been a first ballot MLB Hall of Fame inductee.

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