Mets manager Carlos Mendoza offers baffling response after handing Reds control of postseason fate

Hunter Cookston

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Mets manager Carlos Mendoza offers baffling response after handing Reds control of postseason fate image

The New York Mets are enduring the worst collapse in Major League Baseball this season — and potentially one of the worst in league history. This kind of downfall is unprecedented, and the wounds just keep piling on. In fact, ESPN’s Jeff Passan doesn’t even consider it a collapse anymore, but rather something much worse.

“The New York Mets, losers of six straight, are down 6-0 and facing Jacob deGrom. Since starting 45-24 and owning the best record in MLB, the Mets are 31-47, better than only the Rockies, Twins and Nationals. This isn't a collapse. It's a disintegration,” Passan posted.

The Mets have been so bad since starting 45–24 that their fall from grace defies logic. Last season, they were double-digit games out of the playoff race before clawing their way back in. This season, they were double-digit games into the playoff picture before completely imploding. And getting to this point wasn’t a fluke — it was a series of brutal losing streaks.

“The Mets lost 7 straight in June. They lost 7 straight again in August. They lost 8 straight in September. The only team in MLB history to have 3 separate 7+ game losing streaks & yet still make the playoffs was the 2006 Cardinals, who went on to win the World Series that year,” Opta Stats posted.

On Friday night, the Mets lost yet again — this time to the Miami Marlins — dropping them into a tiebreaker situation with the Cincinnati Reds. The problem? The Reds control that tiebreaker. After the game, Mets manager Carlos Mendoza gave a response that raised eyebrows.

“That's a good question, obviously. It's on me, it's on all of us. We continue to make the same mistakes and it's costing us games,” Mendoza said.

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While Mendoza did take accountability, it’s clear those repeated mistakes haven’t been addressed — or fixed — for months. For a team that has been spiraling this long, that’s a troubling reality.

With just two games left in the regular season, the Mets are in a dire position. The Milwaukee Brewers have already locked up a top-two seed and may not put up a fight against the Reds. Meanwhile, the Marlins seem determined to play spoiler. The Mets, once riding high at the top of the standings, are now fighting just to survive — and the odds are stacked against them.

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Hunter Cookston

Hunter Cookston began his career as a sportswriter for the Marion Tribune, where he covered local high school football, basketball and baseball. His passion for sports started at the age of four when he played his first year of tee ball. Growing up in Tennessee, he developed a deep love for the Tennessee Volunteers and Atlanta Braves. Hunter is currently attending Tennessee Wesleyan University, where he is pursuing a BA in Sports Communications/Management.