Luis Severino, who pitched in 162 games over nine major league seasons, said he couldn’t imagine a worse time looking at the Mets’ upcoming schedule.
“This is the longest road trip I’ve ever seen,” Severino said Wednesday. “It’s going to be tough for us, but that’s what we’re paid to do, to go out there and play every day.”
Starting on Friday, 10 games will be played over 10 days in four different cities across three time zones.
What started as just a long road trip became especially grueling after the May 8 game against the Cardinals was rained out and rescheduled for the trip’s only day off.
So there will be no day off from Anaheim to St. Louis, and the Mets will play one game in St. Louis before finishing off the trip with three games in Colorado and three games in Seattle.
The Mets will have traveled nearly 8,000 miles by the time they finally return home after their game against the Mariners on Aug. 11.
Even before his brief visit to Missouri was scheduled, Brandon Nimmo knew August would be a challenging month.
Following that 10-game road trip, manager Carlos Mendoza’s team will play nine games at home before returning to the West Coast for a 10-game road trip that will see them stop in San Diego, Arizona and Chicago (against the White Sox).
“I saw this at the beginning of the season and I thought this was going to be a big test and a tough part of the season,” Nimmo said. “Going to the West Coast is always tough, and when you go there twice in a month it makes it harder.”
“You came here for a challenge, but it’s going to be a challenge.”
The bright spot for the upcoming matches is the quality of the opposition.
The one game against the Cardinals will be crucial in a tight wild-card race, with the remaining nine games against teams with a combined record of 144-185, the Mariners being the only team with a winning percentage above .500.
Denver’s game through the air is unpredictable and can be tough on pitchers.
“We’re going to take this in stride,” Nimmo said. “I’m really proud of the way our guys have competed so far.”
“But it’s definitely going to be a battle this month.”
Mets player Francisco Lindor is the recipient of the Heart and Hustle Award, presented to the active player who demonstrates a passion for baseball and best embodies the values, spirit and traditions of the game.
The award is voted for by former players, with one winner selected from each team.
The overall winner will be announced in November.
