Last June marked my first visit to Citi Field, where my nephew, Andrew, and I watched Matt Harvey and the Mets lose to the Giants.
I learned two things that night. First, how delightful Citi Field happens to be. (A Shake Shack just beyond center field!) And second, that the Mets needed some offense if they hoped to play into the postseason.
By the time I returned in August, the Mets had acquired Yoenis Cespedes, who may be one of the best leftfielders and hitters in baseball. The Mets looked like a different team with Cespedes, with his arm wrapped in a dayglo yellow compression sleeve, in the field and at the plate.
The face you make when @ynscspds crushes a baseball. #Mets #LGM pic.twitter.com/3FIC8THOXL
— New York Mets (@Mets) October 13, 2015
The Mets lost that night to the Pirates in 14 innings. But watching Cespedes get two hits in five tries and cover what seemed like the entire outfield suggested the Mets had become a different threat. Plus, I had pulled pork and corn bread.
So who wins the World Series? The Royals have the experience. But the Mets have deGrom, Syndergaard, Harvey, Murphy, Granderson, Colon, Familia, and Cespedes. And the Shack.
Mets in seven.