Before a single pitch was thrown this season, there was a shared confidence swirling around the New York Mets — their offense was going to be a juggernaut. Lineup one through nine? A nightmare for opposing pitchers. But when the conversation shifted to the mound, the mood changed.
The rotation looked patchy, the bullpen uncertain. And when news broke that Sean Manaea, Frankie Montas, and Paul Blackburn would miss Opening Day, that concern quickly turned into borderline panic.
Turning Doubts into Dominance
But baseball, as it often does, threw everyone a curveball. The Mets’ pitching staff didn’t just rise to the occasion — they blew the doors off expectations. This wasn’t a case of “holding it together” or “just staying afloat.” It was full-blown domination.
If the preseason narrative painted the pitchers as a liability, the current numbers flip the script entirely.
Let’s talk cold, hard stats: the Mets entered Monday with a league-best 1.91 ERA — not just good, not just great, but over half a run better than the next-best team, the Dodgers.
Think about that gap. In pitching, a half-run might as well be a mile. It’s like showing up to a marathon and finding out you’re already six miles ahead at the starting line.
SNY Mets dropped the mic on X: “No team in baseball has a better ERA from their pitching staff than the Mets. They rank first in both the starter (2.40) and reliever (1.29) categories as well.”
The Unsung Heroes on the Hill
So how did we get here? Magic? Not quite. The credit belongs to Jeremy Hefner and the entire Mets coaching crew, who’ve pulled off what looks like a pitching masterclass. They’ve taken a cast that lacked star billing and turned them into a well-oiled machine.
Names like Max Kranick, Griffin Canning, Huascar Brazobán, Clay Holmes, and Tylor Megill weren’t exactly making headlines during the offseason. But they’ve become the backbone of this early-season surge.
It’s like pulling together a band with backup singers and turning them into chart-topping rockstars.
When the Bats Catch Fire
The offense — yes, the one everyone expected to carry this team — is still stretching its legs. But that’s the scary part: they haven’t even clicked yet. When they do, and all signs point to “soon,” this Mets team might go from surprise story to serious contender faster than a Jacob deGrom fastball in his prime.
For now, the Mets are winning with arms instead of bats, and in the world of baseball, that’s a plot twist worth watching.