The Seattle Mariners have won a playoff game for the first time in nearly 21 years.
The burden of expectations can weigh heavy. The 2022 Mets were, by most measures, the franchise’s most successful team in three decades. An offseason spending splurge by owner Steve Cohen demonstrated the franchise’s newfound financial might. Cohen financed a team that won 101 games, its best total since 1986. New manager Buck Showalter reduced the slapstick hum that for so many years has surrounded the team.
No team in baseball spent more in 2022 than the Mets, whose tab came to just shy of $282 million, according to Spotrac. But the Padres, denizens of one of baseball’s smaller television markets, were one of only seven teams to exceed the $200 million mark. San Diego owner Peter Seidler put forth a $236 million payroll, a franchise record, which only added to the pressure on general manager AJ Preller.
At the deadline, Preller had envisioned slotting Juan Soto into a lineup with Fernando Tatis Jr. and third baseman Manny Machado. With Tatis out and Soto slumping, Machado remained magnificent. He will receive MVP votes after hitting 32 homers with a .897 OPS and his customary, sparkling defense. The club’s best strength is its starting rotation. The trio of Yu Darvish, Joe Musgrove and Blake Snell can match up with any team in baseball.
Only a few weeks ago, a Mets fan might have scoffed at this suggestion. Except both Jacob deGrom and Max Scherzer have stumbled into the playoffs. A blister sprouted on deGrom’s right hand during his last outing in Atlanta. At 38, Scherzer is nursing an oblique issue. As an offense, the Mets pester pitchers, but a collective lack of power stood in stark contrast with the Braves, who blasted past them in the division-deciding series last week.
Even so, few Mets teams have been better than this one. And the Padres have reached the playoffs for only the fourth time in the 21st century. If these results cause disappointment, well, such is the burden of expectation. For at least one of them, that burden will lighten with a victory.
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