The New York Mets’ season began with its broadcasters lamenting a nearly empty Citi Field amid multiple consecutive home losses — fast forward to October, and the new era of the Miracle Mets was born. Instead of a show-tune theme, there is Grimace the purple McDonald’s monster and Billboard-charting “OMG” by Mets infielder Jose Iglesias to thank. 

Baseball in Queens has a storied history, but recent years have been tumultuous for fans, despite four playoff appearances in the last 10 years. Fortunes changed when new owner Steve Cohen took over in 2020 despite a rough 75-87 2023 season. This year, the Mets emerged as real contenders for the World Series. Although the season ended on Sunday with a tough 5-10 loss to the Los Angeles Dodgers, New York cannot help but see the 2024 Mets as the team that could have had it all. 

Prior to the teams’ defeat, Steinhardt senior and baseball devotee Steven Broun marveled at the miracle run the squad pulled off.

“The Mets have had such an unbelievable season in terms of where they started to where they’re looking now,” said Steven Broun, a WNYU baseball reporter. “I think it’s remarkable that they are in the [National League Championship Series].” 

Broun noticed an excitement and spark for the sport around campus after both teams — the Mets and their cross-town rivals, the Yankees — made it to their respective League Championship Series. 

“With NYU and its large international population, getting student interest in baseball is a little bit harder, specifically, because baseball is a very American sport,” Broun said. “I think having both teams in their respective championship series definitely increases that interest.” 

Matthew Koebele, a senior at the Tisch School of the Arts and a lifelong Mets fan, found it “a little bit surprising” that friends who were previously disinterested in baseball reached out to him about watching the games. 

“This season for the Mets has meant a lot more to me than probably the last six seasons,” Koebele said. “It’s the most excited I’ve been about being a Mets fan in a while.” 

Looking back on the season, Jay Horwitz, an NYU alumni and vice president of media relations for the Mets, was nostalgic about the progress the organization has made. Having spent over 40 years with the team, Horwitz has seen it all, and he too sees something special about this team.

“We had so many miracles, so many comebacks that I thought we would go all the way,” Horwitz said in an interview with WSN. “This team was not expected to do what it did, so when the unexpected happens, it makes it very special.” 

The strangest part about this season, though, was the memes. From Grimace throwing a first pitch and becoming a symbol of the Mets’ winning record, to having veteran Seymour Weiner on the jumbotron, Citi Field became the best place to be in the city on a summer night. 

“OMG” by Jose Iglesias gave the Mets not only their home-run celebration in the form of a large blue-and-orange cutout of the song title, but a way for the fans of the game to congregate around the Mets culture. 

“It’s become a team anthem,” Koebele said. “It’s an awesome thing for the team and fans. I listen to the song and it puts a smile on my face — it makes you feel a part of something. I’ve never gone out and played nine innings, but it just makes you feel a lot more part of the team culture.”

In regards to the future success of the Mets, fans choose not to get their hopes up. The team’s inconsistent record year after year tends to fall short of expectations, and this year might as well have been the exception. 

“As a Mets fan, I’ve learned not to have expectations for the next season,” Koebele said. “Whatever you expect, they normally let you down.”

Contact Jason Alpert-Wisnia at [email protected].