Evan was very unhappy after the Mets were swept by the lowly Tigers on Thursday, and declared that the NL East race was already over.
On Friday, after a profound realization and a good night's sleep, Evan is feeling a lot better about his team.
Why? Not because he changed his mind about New York's chances of winning the division, but more because of the fact that winning that division no longer matters.
"I feel better today than I did yesterday," Evan said. "I feel better because I remembered that in 2023, winning the division doesn't mean a damn thing. I don't have to win 100 games. I don't have to match the Braves win for win.
"If you've made peace with divisions not mattering, then maybe you can have a good time this weekend and say, 'Let's just win some games.' But if you're still living in the world I was last year, you're going to have a miserable time."
A common rebuttal would be the fact that the top two division winners in each league get a bye right into the LDS round, bypassing the crapshoot of the three-game Wild Card Series. But Evan says last season proved that it's not that big of a difference, especially when looking ahead to it during the first six weeks of the season.
"Last year, at this time, if we go back to May 5-6 of 2022, you would notice that the Braves were 12-16 and six games out, the Phillies were 11-15 and seven games out, and [the Yankees] basically had the record the Rays have right now," Evan said. "What did we learn from all of that? It doesn't mean anything."
Of course, Evan would prefer the Mets to win the NL East, but after acknowledging the fact that the division title isn't nearly as impactful as it used to be, it's much easier to accept New York's fate.
"Sure, I'd rather be in the Division Series than the Wild Card Series," Evan said. "What I realized during that Padres series, is that while I want to win these games, it really doesn't freaking matter. It's about surviving and just getting into the dance in October."
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