Jonathon couldn’t break free from the ongoing turmoil.
Could this be the end for the Mets?
Friday marked a particularly low point in what has become a spiraling season. Fans booed, and in just 19 minutes, the game took a dive, further fueling the “Tanking Mets” narrative. Once considered the top team in baseball in mid-June, they had even claimed a five-game wildcard lead on September 2nd. But now, they’re potentially facing a seventh straight loss.
Jon did not last through the first inning. Jeff McNeill, thrown into the fourth spot, might have recalled the moment when Jacob DeGrom was celebrated by 41,040 fans bidding farewell to the Mets in 2025.
The final homestand started poorly with an 8-3 blowout against the Texas Rangers, a team that has left Mets fans frustrated since June 13. Now, the Mets are sitting at 31-48, which is, well, disappointing.
After the game ended, the Mets (76-72) found themselves just one game ahead in the wildcard race, anxiously awaiting the outcomes of late games featuring the Giants and Reds. If they continue the way they’ve played in the last seven games, scoreboard watching may not even be necessary.
The outcome of this game felt almost predetermined. It seemed that anyone but Nolan McLean—or maybe Brandon Sproat—could pitch better than the start we witnessed.
At 7:11 PM, Jon’s first pitch drew cheers from the crowd eager for a spark, hoping a 22-year-old would shine. But by 7:30 PM, manager Carlos Mendoza was already walking to the mound to pull him from the game.
In his third career start, Jon’s performance was dismal, allowing six runs and throwing just 40 pitches before he was replaced by Huascar Brazobán. You could sense the frustration mounting. He struggled with his locations all game and couldn’t find his way out of a seemingly endless inning against a challenging lineup. Of his first 19 pitches, the Rangers swung once, resulting in two walks and a couple of strikeouts.
After a flyout by Jake Burger, the next five batters reached base. The damage? An RBI single by Josh John, another by Alejandro Osuna, a walk for Jonah Heim, and a two-run single by Cody Freeman, capped off by a two-run double from Michael Hermann to wrap up the horror show on the field.
Once touted as one of the Mets’ top prospects, Jon had barely seen the field for Triple-A Syracuse before this promotion. You have to wonder if it was wise to give him a stage in mid-September when every game feels crucial.
Meanwhile, the outlook for the Mets seems to be plummeting as challenges on the field begin to take their toll. Pete Alonso was waiting on the field, while Brazobán was scrambling to cover a base that was way too late. Brazobán seemed to think there wouldn’t be a throw coming, and Alonso tried, albeit in vain. The throw almost sailed into the dugout, which drew a frustrated glare from Brazobán.
McNeill didn’t hold back after being called out on a pitch he thought would be a ball. He erupted, got ejected, and it felt like familiar chaos for the team. After battling back from an 0-2 count and forcing a full count, he thought he’d earned his walk, only to react in frustration when he was called out by home plate umpire Scott Barry.
DeGrom, now pitching for the Texas Rangers, delivered seven innings allowing just three runs, perhaps all too familiar with this kind of chaos.
