OMG, Grimace, a playoff pumpkin: There are a lot of lucky charms in the Mets

NEW YORK (AP) — OMG! See who advances to the National League Championship Series.

From hers Playoff pumpkin for the Purple Grimace seat and that catchy pop song by infielder Jose Iglesias, The merry New York Mets are riding a wave of good luck and infectious camaraderie to unexpected success in October.

“Despite all the craziness, insanity, and ups and downs, at the end of the day, this game is supposed to be fun.” First baseman Pete Alonso said. “What’s the point if you don’t have fun?” That’s part of the culture here.

“We are not afraid to embrace the fun part of the game. It’s not just about business. The game is much more than just trying to win or lose. You try to enjoy the ride with the group you’re in.”

Alonso jumped right into the fray in late September when he and his wife picked up his little “playoff pumpkin,” as he called it, while visiting a farm in Wisconsin as the Mets played the Brewers.

The lucky pumpkin was on display last week during a wild clubhouse celebration in Milwaukee after the All-Star Slugger’s Go-ahead home run in the ninth inning that saved New York’s season in the decisive victory of the Wild Card Series.

Next this The wild card Mets defeated rival Philadelphia in their Division Series to reach the NLCS for the first time in nine years — which brought tears and raw emotions Wednesday night from longtime outfielder Brandon Nimmo, rookie manager Carlos Mendoza and other members of a close-knit team as they ran a little short of breath describing it all .

They face the San Diego Padres or the Los Angeles Dodgers in a best-of-seven set starting Sunday on the West Coast.

Quite a surprise for a New York team that started 22-33 in what was essentially a transitional season under Mendoza and first-year president of baseball operations David Stearns, who grew up a Mets fan in Manhattan.

But it’s not just Alonso who is having so much fun.

After home runs, smiling Mets players pose for group photos in the dugout with a blue-and-orange “OMG” sign — in the team colors, of course — as a nod to the name of Iglesias’ hit song playing over the Citi Field sound system.

“Right now the Mets are playing really good baseball. They’re hot,” Phillies outfielder Nick Castellanos said. “Seeing them play at the beginning of the year, in April and May, and watching Jose Iglesias be able to, I don’t know, unite them and get the city to participate in something bigger is nothing short of incredible. ”

With that in mind, starting pitchers wear completely unnecessary black eye paint when they’re not on the mound – and write the starter’s uniform number on it that day to show unity and support.

“Just another good luck charm, I guess,” Sean Manaea said earlier Monday beating the Phillies with a Game 3 gem the following day. “I don’t know. It just started last week in Atlanta. The last week was crazy, so we just stuck with it.”

And when a starter leaves the game after a good play, everyone gathers on the bench in a rugby threesome to jump up and down with their arms wrapped around each other.

“We just feed off each other and just have fun doing it,” Manaea said.

Dugout props for celebrating home runs – Things like rubber swords or funny hats – have exploded across the MLB in recent seasons. But there’s no doubt that the Mets lead the league when it comes to silly scenes and inside jokes. Center fielder Harrison Bader recently called the team a “traveling circus.”

One that also comes with a cartoon mascot.

Fans turned their heads when Grimace, the kid-friendly McDonald’s character, threw out a funny looking first pitch — as best he could with those furry fingers and short arms in his pear-shaped purple costume with a baseball glove on his back — before New York beat the Miami Marlins at Citi Field on June 12.

That win coincided with the start of a seven-game winning streak, and Grimace the Mets’ lucky charm soon went viral and took on a life of its own.

The club has pulled out all the stops since then, and Grimace took the subway to the third game against the Phillies — about three weeks after one A purple commemorative seat was installed at Citi Field to honor “his special connection to Mets fans.”

“The reason we have all these things, be it Grimace or the Pumpkin, and not just us in the clubhouse – the fans have embraced it too. The fans seemed to have a lot of fun,” said Alonso. “When you have that connection between the guys in the clubhouse and the spectators, it’s electric.”

But does it really contribute to victory?

“Listen, the team that is the most cohesive and the team that is the most connected,” Bader said, “those are the teams that tend to go the furthest.”

Perhaps most importantly, none of the lighthearted shenanigans distracted the Mets down the stretch or during a stressful postseason.

“I think it’s hard to explain. We have a lot going on. But we have to keep the main thing, which is that you have to go out and play baseball,” Mendoza said. “You have to go out there and execute. You have to prepare. If they continue to find ways to keep it light and keep it fun in the locker room, then I’m all for it.”

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