I am still recovering from that first game of the doubleheader.

I’ve been lucky enough to see some amazing Mets comebacks in my life.

But facing elimination like that - I don’t know, I guess there will be some retrospectives that cover all this but off the top of my head there’s Game 6 of the 1986 World Series and Game 5 of the 1999 NLCS.

Game 6 of the 1986 NLCS might as well have been because of Mike Scott looming in Game 7 but that wasn’t technically elimination.

But certainly not a regular season game.

In fact, the games of that magnitude in the regular season have been losses more often than wins.

And I guess this one wasn’t truly an elimination game.

But it sure was nice, after blowing the lead the Mets fought so hard to come from behind and take, to not have to worry about an official elimination game in Game 2 of the doubleheader.

No matter what happened in Game 2, the Mets were in the playoffs in the most unlikeliest of fashions.

October baseball lies ahead - but the Mets sure took care of business in September.

Let’s take a second to recognize this fact: It has been a rare thing for the Mets to make the playoffs. You see other teams do it year after year and it looks like it should be easier…but it is not easy. It’s also tempting to think this is the start of a streak where this team - with all of the young talent it has - will be back often. But there’s no guarantee. Atlanta and Philadelphia aren’t going anywhere yet. The Nationals are on the verge of being a very good team again. The Marlins seem to pull a rabbit out of the hat every few years. And that’s just the division.

So congratulations, thank goodness, it’s nice to have the reward for all of the time invested in this team.

It’s nice to have about 24 hours to celebrate it before we get back to heart-stopping baseball.

OK. Let’s get to the Monthly Recap:

March: 0-3

April: 15-11

May: 9-19

June: 16-8

July: 17-10

August: 15-13

September: 17-9

This was a real methodical month. The Mets just went out and won series after series. And in the end, they did just enough against Milwaukee and Atlanta to earn their spot.

89-73 overall. What a season. I’m never surprised by the Mets making the playoffs because part of my problem is I believe it can happen every year…well, most years. But this year I believed it - I wrote about it. The path, though? Never thought it would unfold that way.

Player of the Month: Francisco Lindor is forever player of 2024. He could get this nod for the second straight month…but he did miss time with injury. (Which makes the fact that he led the Mets to their two most important wins in Milwaukee Sunday and Atlanta Monday even more impressive.) But Brandon Nimmo stepped up in this last week-plus of games in the way you’d want him to…and the way that you also would have hoped Pete Alonso could have. With his home run to beat the Phillies, and then a big hit against the Brewers, and what turned out to be a huge home run against Atlanta, sure it’s a little recency bias, but Nimmo’s September is a big part of the reason why the Mets will be playing in October. Maybe then it will be Alonso’s month to finally shine.

(And I gave these credits in my last post earlier today so I won’t name everyone again but the Mets have gotten so many contributions from so many guys - I didn’t mention Jose Iglesias, and he could easily have been Player of the Month for September too with his long hitting streak and constant big hits, or Luisangel Acuña who filled in so well for Lindor, or the starting pitching which has been OUTSTANDING - but that’s how you win this many games. Everyone plays a role.)

The Month Ahead: Well, the only thing that was important about Game 2 for the Mets was dictating where the month ahead starts. It’s back to Milwaukee…and hopefully much more beyond that.

The season started with three games against Milwaukee - it was supposed to end with three games in Milwaukee…but it didn’t, because of the doubleheader. Maybe this season is not destined to end in Milwaukee.

Notes:

*Oh man, do I need to get an ‘October Ready’ t-shirt? I don’t know. I’ve got a lucky shirt. I’ve bought way too many shirts this year? Do we need another one?

*Hey, real quick reminder: I am running the New York City Marathon for the Joe Torre Safe At Home Foundation - fundraising continues through October - please consider making a donation here and helping me reach my fundraising goal. Thank you!

*Lastly, if you need a reason to root for the Mets beyond baseball: my first playoff game would be the first home game of the Division Series. So hopefully the season is still happening then.

Let’s Go Mets.