November has once again brought the MLB postseason, and the field is filled with juggernauts, including the Chicago Cubs, the Kansas City Royals, and…the New York Mets?

Yes, at long last the boys in blue and orange are back in the playoffs! Breaking a drought of nine years that dates back to the 2006 season that ended in a loss in the NL Championship Series, the Mets won the NL East and punched their ticket for a chance at a championship. Then, they showed the ability to win in October with an NLDS victory over the Los Angeles Dodgers.

A team long known as the Yankees’ little brother and a franchise that was for a while a perennial bottom of the barrel ball club, the Mets finally struck some very well-deserved hope into the minds and hearts of their fans and have made themselves known as a skillful bunch that knows how to win. The Yankees made a quick and quiet playoff exit against Houston, and the Mets have responded by coming into the spotlight on one of the largest stages in all of sports: New York.

One of the most important aspects of the Mets’ season has been their pitching. The rotation boasts pitchers like Jacob DeGrom and Matt Harvey, who have ERAs (earned run averages) of 2.54 and 2.71 and records of 14-8 and 13-8 respectively. Harvey had already shown flashes of being a great pitcher over the past couple years, while DeGrom burst onto the scene this year as one of the game’s best pitchers. In fact, DeGrom out-pitched one of baseball’s most respected and skilled pitchers, Clayton Kershaw, in a recent October 9th game against the Dodgers. Additionally, the Mets have veteran pitcher Bartolo Colon as yet another reliable option they can go to in their rotation. Evidently, the Mets’ formidable rotation of pitchers made them a force to be reckoned with in postseason play.

While pitching is no doubt the strongest aspect of the Mets’ game, they have generated a reliable offense that can hold its own, and coupled with their pitching, has made them very capable of winning games. Granderson, picked up as a free agent from the Yankees in 2013 has transformed into a viable source of power for the Mets, smacking 26 home runs and 70 RBIs (Runs batted in) this year. Cespedes, who recently bounced from the Athletics to the Red Sox until finally going to New York, hit for an average of .287 with 17 home runs in just 57 games in a Met uniform this year. Meanwhile, Murphy has stayed a reliable and consistent hitter all year, accruing a very respectable batting average of .281 in his 130 games this season.

Unfortunately, the Mets lost Ruben Tejada after he sustained a broken leg during Game 2 of the Division Series against the Dodgers, but the Mets had enough talent to make up for this loss. The Mets offense has shown itself to be a consistent source of runs with the power to be a threat in the postseason.

Optimism abounded for Mets fans, as New York was a legitimate contender for this year’s World Series and perhaps with the young talent on the team, many in the future.

“The Mets pitching staff is filled with young talent, and can be just as good as any other rotation out there. Opposing teams will really have to battle to generate reliable offense against them,” says Jeremy Ganes ‘17, who was one of many Met fans pumped up for this year’s postseason.

The Mets truly do have one of the strongest rotations in all of the game. “Acquisitions like Curtis Granderson and Yoenis Cespedes have paid off, as they have become reliable sources of offense for the Mets. Also, Daniel Murphy has become one of the best batters on the team. Even with the unfortunate loss of Ruben Tejada, these are players who are capable of challenging opposing pitchers,” remarks ‘16 Aria Dandawate, commenting on the Mets’ offensive abilities. The offense truly has looked the part this postseason, with Daniel Murphy on an absolute tear and Granderson and others holding their own.

The Mets are a young team with an elite pitching staff and a solid offense. Bringing the MLB postseason to New York fans for the first time in years, there is a lot of optimism that the Mets will be able to accomplish something special in future years, even though this season didn’t end with the victory they would have liked. Overall, Mets fans at Ridge are extremely enthusiastic about their team’s chances for the future.