The Mets run out of magic in their final loss to the Dodgers

LOS ANGELES — And in the end, the playoff pumpkin ended up in the bottom of a blue trash can in the visitors' clubhouse at Dodger Stadium, nestled between bottles of Pacifico and Presidente, its magic extinguished two wins before the World Series.

Late Sunday night, the lights went out on a Mets summer that lasted long enough to feel the fall chill. New York will play next spring, with a different roster, a different vibe and different expectations.

Dodgers 10, Mets 5, the pennant to Los Angeles.

Unfortunately, the season that no one expected ended in a way that no one thought was right.

“We didn’t want to lose,” Mark Vientos said. “We wanted to keep going, we wanted to win the World Series. That was the plan. It sucks.”

“No one,” said Jesse Winker, “imagined it would end.”

Jesse Winker watches the Dodgers celebrate. (Jayne Kamin-Oncea / Imagn Images)

Afterwards there were handshakes and hugs in the clubhouse, glittering eyes and thousand-yard stares.

“I’m just super proud of everything we’ve accomplished, everyone here. “There’s no one else I would do it with,” said starter Sean Manaea, his voice paused with emotion. “These guys have been grinding all year long. It's sport. It just is what it is.”

“It’s a shame not to win the last game of the year,” said Ryne Stanek. “It doesn't feel good, especially when you know you have a good team. We did a lot of special things as a group and just fell short.”

In fact, the 63rd season of Mets baseball was not supposed to last 175 games, extend into the third week of October and a confrontation with the world's best Dodgers. And yet, as the Mets rode the wave of Grimace, OMG, the playoff pumpkin and so many things you'll remember with a smile for years to come, they made you believe it couldn't possibly end so quickly.

What a season.

Thank you, Mets fans. We couldn't have done it without you. #LGM pic.twitter.com/ggd0NpWKQX

— x – New York Mets (@Mets) October 21, 2024

New York was ultimately defeated by an irrepressible Dodgers lineup that pushed their pitching staff to the limit. For weeks, the Mets had been checking the fuel gauges of Manaea, Luis Severino, Jose Quintana and a makeshift bullpen that had punched above its weight down the stretch. They had pushed past E for so long that they could see light at the end of the tunnel – if they lasted just one or two more starts, the pennant and a World Series championship would be within reach.

Instead, the tank ran empty against Los Angeles. The Mets gave up 46 runs in six games – more than any other National League team has ever given up in a series, more than the Mets had allowed in total in the title-winning 1969 or 1986 postseasons.

“I wouldn’t say we ran out of gas. I would say we left everything out,” said Stanek, one of the heroes in the final month of the season. “We definitely left no stone unturned. We worked our asses off and did whatever we could.”

The main perpetrator in Los Angeles on Sunday night was Tommy Edman. Mets historians will nod here: This franchise's toughest October moments tend to have nothing to do with stars. No, the Mets' playoff trauma is caused by names like Sojo and Scioscia, Gillaspie and Guillen. Different generations have their own devastating LCS home run by a hard-hitting catcher.

Edman added his name to the list on Sunday. The skinny shortstop turned cleanup hitter — an afterthought of a trade deadline addition for LA — delivered the two biggest hits of Game 6: a two-run double in the first and a two-run homer in the third off Manaea . Edman was named MVP of the NLCS, joining the likes of Eddie Pérez and Jeff Suppan (and yes, Orel Hershiser in his prime).

For the Mets, there was less reflection on the details of this 81st and final loss of the season and more on an adventure spanning more than eight months. They reported to spring training the day after the Super Bowl; The season ended 252 days later, coinciding with a rematch of this football game.

“S-, man, look where we come from. Look at the journey we’ve been on,” JD Martinez said. “It’s nothing to hang your head about.”

“You have this strange mix of people who have come together, bonded and experienced so much,” Pete Alonso said on the precipice of free agency. “You can look at every guy in this locker room and they did something to get us here.”

Swaggy is in the record books 📚@MarkVientos_5 | #LGM pic.twitter.com/OXQibHcKfQ

— x – New York Mets (@Mets) October 21, 2024

“The chemistry was really good. We loved each other and pushed each other,” said Vientos, his past tense already stinging. “Every day I came to the ballpark was fun.”

“We are all brothers here,” Manaea said. “It was one of the coolest and most magical runs I’ve ever taken part in.”

“It was an incredible roller coaster ride,” said Francisco Lindor, who experienced those g-forces more than most. He was booed throughout April. By September he was being celebrated with MVP chants. He inspired The Temptations to sing in Queens in October.

From here the task doesn't get any easier. Alonso is one of 10 players on the NLCS roster scheduled for free agency. That list includes Manaea, the club's second-half star, Stanek and Phil Maton in the bullpen, Winker and Martinez, and Jose Iglesias in the lineup.

“You never know with this stuff,” Brandon Nimmo said. “You don't want to think, 'Well, there's always next year.' Because I think you should try to take advantage of the opportunities that come your way. And you don’t know when the next one will come.”

“Now we have raised the bar,” Mendoza said. “That’s what we should strive for every year, playing well into October.”

And that's the problem. It took 252 days and a multitude of magical memes to get here. This will all be reset now.

“I’m just ready for next year,” said a stone-faced Vientos. “I’m ready to get back to work.”

(Top photo of Mark Vientos of the Mets: Jayne Kamin-Oncea / Imagn Images)