Mets Morning News: 2021 Mets make history (the bad kind)

Meet the Mets

The Mets are back at Citi Field for their final four home games as they take on the Marlins.

Pete Alonso participated in the first ever Battle of the Boroughs youth home run derby at Maimonides Park in Brooklyn to raise funds for Homers for Heroes.

Brandon Nimmo could soon be taking on more of a leadership role with the team.

While Jeurys Familia could be seeking a two-year deal, he may be interested in sticking around in New York for one year, according to a source close to the pitcher.

The Mets made history, but not the kind you want to make: They are the first club to spend 103 days in first place and finish the year below .500.

If you wanted to remind yourself of how far the Mets have fallen, Michael Baron calculated the club’s record since blowing that game to the Pirates before the All Star game. Spoiler alert: It’s not pretty.

Joel Sherman believes Steve Cohen and his future head of baseball operations will need to figure out why this club and its talent under-performed before doing anything else this winter.

As they prepare to play out the string, the Mets have learned that a reset takes more than one year.

Justin Toscano explored three pressing questions for the club as they head into the offseason.

Danny Abriano of SNY made the case for parting with and retaining Luis Rojas.

Around the National League East

The Phillies will embark on their biggest series in a decade as they play the Braves with first place on the line.

The Philadelphia Inquirer looked at what making and missing the playoffs would mean for the Phillies.

Talking Chop examined three things to look at in the Braves’ upcoming series.

Kim Ng, who broke baseball’s glass ceiling, will be responsible for fixing the Marlins, one of baseball’s worst teams.

Jhon Romero relished his big league debut with the Nationals.

Washington edged out the Rockies 5-4.

Around Major League Baseball

Here’s how the remaining contenders stack up heading into the final week of MLB’s regular season.

The Reds crushed the Pirates 13-1.

Cleveland defeated the Royals 8-3. In that game, Cleveland’s Bradley Zimmer homered off his brother Kyle Zimmer, something that has not been done in baseball since 1975.

The White Sox held on to beat the Tigers 8-7 after Detroit put up a five-spot in the bottom of the eighth.

The Mariners annihilated the Athletics 13-4.

An X-Ray showed that Brandon Belt suffered a left thumb fracture.

Yesterday at Amazin’ Avenue

Episode 135 of From Complex to Queens went live for your listening pleasure!

Allison McCague brought us the position player meters for the week.

This Date in Mets History

The Mets played the final game at Shea Stadium on this date in 2008, falling 4-2 to the Marlins and completing a second straight September collapse in front of a crowd of over 56,000 fans.

In a happier OTD in Mets History, Pete Alonso set the new benchmark for home runs by a rookie when he slugged his 53rd dinger on this date in 2019.