The Mets came into the final week of the regular season with loads of promise, but after two devastating series losses in as many weekends, the season has come to a sudden end.
“This is a kick in the balls,” Max Scherzer said. “You sacrifice everything…for these moments, to get to the postseason. When it doesn’t work out, it’s the worst day of the year. Our goal was to win the World Series and we failed.”
New York won 101 games in the regular season, but losing a 10.5-game lead in the NL East necessitated a three-game Wild Card Series with the Padres, who took down the Mets in three games at Citi Field.
“I feel for the players because they put so much into it,” Buck Showalter said. “I don't know if I've ever had such a good blend of good people and good players. It creates a bond, you hate to see them not get it.”
The team has several key free agents and may not get a chance to run it back with the same core next season, though nobody, including Jacob deGrom, was interested in talking about potential contracts and free agency. But the reality lingered that there would likely be many new faces in the locker room come spring.
“It really hurts,” Pete Alonso said. “It’s not just the losing, it’s the disbanding of the group.
“It's just really frustrating to not do it with this group of guys. It's really tough. That's gonna be a tough pill to swallow for a while.”
Follow Ryan Chichester on Twitter: @ryanchichester1
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