New York Mets starting pitcher Noah Syndergaard throws during the second inning of a baseball game against the Philadelphia Phillies, Sunday, Oct. 1, 2017, in Philadelphia. (AP Photo/Derik Hamilton)
This week, Daily Campus Sports is celebrating both the highs and the lows of invested fandom with a series of personal articles telling the stories of our sports memories. This is Fandom Week.
Our writers are writing passionately about the most rewarding moments they’ve had while rooting for a team this week. We, however, are Mets fans. So here’s how bad life has been:
Rachel Schaefer, Staff Writer
For me, the absolute worst moment I can remember is Luis Castillo dropping the pop-up in the bottom of the ninth, game one of the Subway series. The Mets weren’t having a great season, but with Santana pitching game two we were confident the Yanks wouldn’t sweep us. And then, low and behold, K-Rod comes in for the save and we were overjoyed. But on a routine pop-up, Castillo failed to do the easiest part of his job. The Yankees walked off. The next day, Santana bombed and the Yanks got upwards of 15 runs. We somehow managed to win the third game, thanks in part to the team debut of Nelson Figueroa. He does pregame on SNY these days.
Michael Logan, Staff Writer
Trying to pinpoint the absolute worst moment as a Mets fan is nearly impossible. As Rachel pointed out, Castillo’s drop, Beltran’s strikeout looking in the 2006 NLCS, Familia’s blown saves in the 2015 World Series and of course the historic 2007 collapse, these are all great examples of Mets sadness. However, the worst moment as a Mets fan is the team’s current inability to stay healthy. David Wright has chronic neck/back injuries, Noah Syndergaard refused an MRI only to partially tear his lat muscle days later, Matt Harvey needing Tommy John surgery and thoracic outlet surgery, Steven Matz and Zack Wheeler being perpetually injured and Cespedes’ hamstring injuries. Unfortunately, the list goes on and on. Will it end after the team fired long time trainer Ray Ramirez? Probably not, but this Mets fan certainly hopes so.
Stephanie Sheehan, Managing Editor
Reading these paragraphs honestly makes me question why I root for the Mets. For me, the worst thing is the 2015 World Series, period. The 2015 season was magical in so many ways, from Wilmer Flores crying to blowing a 7-1 lead to the Padres in the rain, a moment that almost all Mets fans thought was the nail in the coffin. But then they get Yoenis Cespedes. And then Flores walks it off against the Nationals to trigger a series sweep that put the Mets in first place. The Mets were somehow winning games they used to blow, dominating teams they used to bend to. They beat one of the best pitchers in baseball history, Clayton Kershaw, in game 5 of the NLDS on the road. They swept the Cubs in the NLCS in what was supposed to be their year per “Back to the Future.” They led all but one game of the World Series through seven innings. The bullpen blew it. Terry Collins blew it. Matt Harvey blew it. I thought the Mets had it going into the series. It physically pains me to think David Wright may never get a World Series ring, because God knows he deserves one more than anyone.
Rachel Schaefer is a staff writer for The Daily Campus. She can be reached via email at rachel.schaefer@uconn.edu.
Michael Logan is a campus correspondent for The Daily Campus. He can be reached via email at michael.logan@uconn.edu.
Stephanie Sheehan is the managing editor for The Daily Campus. She can be reached via email at stephanie.sheehan@uconn.edu. She tweets @steph_sheehan.
