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Coming off a crushing series loss to the National League (NL) East-leading Philadelphia Phillies, the Mets (81-68) returned home to Citi Field for a crucial seven-game homestand against the Washington Nationals (68-81) and the Philadelphia Phillies (90-59).

The Mets entered the homestand tied for the last spot in the NL Wild Card standings with the Atlanta Braves, both with an 81-68 record on the season. The Mets, continuing their strong play, began a three-game series with the Nationals, hoping to gain some ground in the standings.

Following a pitchers’ duel in game one on Sep. 16, which resulted in a 2-1 walk-off win, game two was pure dominance by the Mets. Right-handed pitcher (RHP) Tylor Megill shut down Washington, allowing only two hits over six innings. Pete Alonso led the charge, driving in a season-high five runs on three hits, including his 33rd home run of the season. However, the spotlight shone on Luisangel Acuña, who was playing in his fourth career major league game. Acuña recorded his first big-league run batted in (RBI), an extra-base hit and a home run to cap off a 10-run day for the New York Mets. Left-handed pitcher (LHP) Alex Young shut the door in the ninth to secure the Mets 10-1 victory and the series win. 

Game three was more of the same for this Mets team. Held scoreless through three innings, the Mets offense once again broke out in the fourth. Scoring three runs in the inning before recording a single out and going on to score another six runs before out number two. The inning was capped off by a 419-foot three-run blast by Brandon Nimmo to make the score 9-0, marking the first time the Mets scored more than nine runs in one inning since July 2021. That score would hold until the eighth inning, where Acuña launched a solo home run for the second straight day to extend the lead. RHP Huascar Brazobán closed the game for a 10-0 victory and a series sweep. 

Starting a four-game set with the Philadelphia Phillies, the Mets hoped to turn the tide against their rivals, as they have gone 3-6 against them this season. The Mets would jump to an early lead in game one following back-to-back home runs from Mark Vientos and Pete Alonso off of former Met Taijuan Walker. Despite a game-tying home run by Phillies’ Trea Turner in the third inning, the Mets would keep fighting. They scored another eight runs over the next five innings, with two more home runs from Nimmo and Francisco Álvarez. The Phillies continued to push back, but the damage was already done. The Mets secured a 10-6 win to start off a big series against the Phillies.

The Mets made franchise history over their last three games. For the first time in their 62-year history, the New York Mets scored ten runs in three consecutive games. 

The Mets continue to stay red-hot. They sit two games above the Braves for the final Wild Card spot and are tied with the Arizona Diamondbacks for the number five seed. Following this ongoing series against the Phillies, the Mets will head to Atlanta for a three-game series against the Braves. With only nine games remaining, the Mets’ postseason dreams may come down to that series.