I absolutely credit the great Gary Cohen for our title, because no words I would use could possibly use would do what we just watched justice. The first game of the doubleheader in Atlanta today wasn’t just one of the best baseball games of the year, but of all time. The Mets and Braves took my bad day at work and made it awfully entertaining…easy for me to say though as a neutral party. If you had a stake in this game, the heart attack you just experienced took years off your life. I talked to every Met fan I know throughout this thriller and I’m happy to report they’re all alive (you all know who you are haha). Now, exhale with me.

There has been a lot of talk since early last week that this was the “same old Mets.” That they blew their chance to make the postseason by losing game one to the Braves and that this hurricane induced double dip at Truist Park would doom them. But this team has felt different for a while, and they had to prove it one more time. That journey to proving it started yesterday with David Peterson’s gem in Milwaukee.

He was backed up by Francisco Lindor, who started to look like himself Sunday after time on the shelf. This was something to file away as we headed into Monday and the Mets fell behind to Atlanta 3-0. They couldn’t get to Spencer Schwellenbach and were in the process of wasting a solid effort by Tylor Megill. But then the 8th inning came along, and the Mets bat came with it. Six runs in the inning, two off which were charged to Braves closer Raisel Iglesias who served up this bomb to Brandon Nimmo for a 6-3 Mets lead, capping a rally Lindor played a huge part in.

So, three run lead, after breaking the Braves spirit, should be an easy finish from there right? Right? Wrong. Not with the Mets, who just always have that gene in them where it has to be scary and difficult as hell. It began with Phil Maton hitting the leadoff man, and eventually having to exit the game with the tying runs on base and one out and Edwin Diaz coming in. To say Diaz didn’t look sharp would be understatement, and then he poured gasoline on the fire by not covering first on a play that would have potentially ended the inning. As always this time of year, leave the door open a crack, and your opponent kicks it down.

With Ozzie Albies swing of the bat, all the bad energy and negativity came flooding back. 7-6 Atlanta going to the ninth, trying to find a way to steal it back and not need game two. Starling Marte would reach on a single and turn the spotlight over to the man of the hour, Francisco Lindor with the Mets looking for an MVP moment from their MVP.

Off the bat you were lying if you thought he struck it well enough. But as Michael Harris kept going back on it, you know it had a chance and then it dropped it in the Atlanta bullpen. Lindor’s shot to give the Mets an 8-7 lead should seal his status as the NL’s MVP. With all due respect Shohei Ohtani and his brilliance, no player in the league is more valuable to their ball club than Francisco Lindor, who took all the negativity surrounding him this year and changed the narrative to become a celebrated player in this town. The home run gave Edwin Diaz a shot at redemption, one he seized and the Mets are on their way with hugs all around. Even Steve Cohen got in on the act to celebrate with his players and coaches.

I sit here writing this while game two is still in progress. We don’t know who the Mets will play yet, though we’ll have picks for the Wild Card round on the site one the matchups are set. But does it even matter right now? This team should be celebrated for their turnaround, one of the all time great ones in the history of sports. It took .637 (win %) baseball since June 3rd just to reach this point, an utterly mind boggling level of play. The OMG Mets worked their way into the hearts of their fans and the minds of the national media and capped it in their typical Amazin’ fashion. They’ll be a tough out no matter who they draw, as after all they’re inspired by Grimace ya know. And so concludes one of the better New York baseball summers in a long time, and may it give way to an epic New York baseball October!

You can find Nick on Twitter @YNWA9623, Mike @Mike_Sheerin, Tyler @TMon_19 and Sean @SeanMartinNFL. Subscribe to the site by hitting the follow button in the bottom right corner and entering your email address. Check out our Instagram feed @thebroadwaybreakdownsports for special gameday and promotional content. Our fall of podcasts are available on Spotify. Visit the Rangers Ed Shop by clicking the link on our homepage. The store is live, and Little Ed has been in the lab cooking up some can’t miss items for you fans. Check out our mailbag page to join the conversation here on the site and on our partners show, The Rangers Ed Podcast! We’ll be back with more soon!