The Mets are gearing up for a huge series against the Braves, a three-game set in Atlanta that could very will dictate the Wild Card field in the National League.
Sal Licata has been burned for years as a Mets fan watching his team in Atlanta, and he says he can’t officially buy into this 2024 team being truly different from years past until they “slay the beast” and win a road series against the Braves.
“This beautiful Mets season that came out of nowhere is really about to get defined, starting [Tuesday] in Atlanta,” Sal said. “This is the one last thing they need to prove, to beat that damn team in that house of horrors.
“Until I see them do it - it’s been going on for 25 years - until I see them actually beat Atlanta two out of three...I just can’t bring myself to trust that they will.”
The 2022 season was derailed in Atlanta when the Mets were swept at the end of the regular season, completing their NL East collapse and sending New York into the Wild Card Series, where they lost to the Padres in three games. Sal says that can’t happen again, and if this core can prove that they can topple the “final boss,” then the sky is the limit come October.
“I do want this series. I just want to see them beat this damn team for once,” Sal said. “It was always going to be about what they do against Atlanta. This will show me what they are made of.
“It’s personal for me...it should be personal for the Mets. This is like a movie script...you’ve fought your way to the top, and now you have to take down your nemesis.”