10 moments that define 2025 Mets' epic collapse

MIAMI -- The New York Mets' stupefying 2025 season, a 162-game thrust that launched with World Series aspirations, ended with an due dud/with a thud astatine 2:59 p.m. EST connected Sunday, the last time of the regular season.

The Mets reported to loanDepot Park needing to bushed the Miami Marlins and needing the Milwaukee Brewers to bushed the Cincinnati Reds to scope the postseason. But New York couldn't grip its business, losing 4-0 to autumn abbreviated of playing October baseball. The Reds volition unfastened a three-game chaotic paper bid successful Los Angeles against the Dodgers connected Tuesday. The Mets volition spell location wondering what happened.

Just 3 weeks ago, connected Sept. 8, the Mets owned a four-game pb implicit the Reds with 19 games remaining. They had a 92.2% accidental to scope the postseason, according to FanGraphs. Even this weekend, erstwhile their descent had been going for 3 months, optimism inactive existed. Day aft day, disappointment aft disappointment, the Mets repeated the aforesaid line: There was excessively overmuch endowment successful that clubhouse not to beryllium capable to reverse people and play successful October.

But the world is the Mets were 1 of the worst teams successful the majors for astir two-thirds of the season. The Mets woke up connected June 13 with the champion grounds successful shot astatine 45-24. Their playoff likelihood were 96.2%. They were playing similar a squad with the second-highest subordinate payroll successful the majors should play. After that, they morphed into a bottommost feeder, going 38-55 for the remainder of the season. Only 4 teams -- the Colorado Rockies, Washington Nationals, Minnesota Twins and Chicago White Sox -- were worse.

Those clubs' playoff hopes died months ago; FanGraphs calculated the Mets' chances astatine 33.4% entering Sunday. They were extinguished erstwhile Francisco Lindor deed into a treble play to extremity the game. It was the 3rd clip since 2007 that the Mets had their playoff hopes dashed with a nonaccomplishment to the Marlins connected the last time of the regular season.

And truthful a squad with a $340 cardinal payroll -- a squad that went to the NLCS past play and past signed Juan Soto to the largest declaration successful North American sports past -- could not wide the barroom of being 1 of the National League's six champion teams aft 162 games. In the 5th twelvemonth of Steve Cohen's ownership -- a span successful which helium declared upon buying the squad that helium expected to triumph a World Series -- the Mets won't adjacent get a accidental to play successful October for a title.

Here are 10 moments that encapsulate the franchise's latest collapse.

June 12: Senga's play goes disconnected the rails

Record: 45-24
Division: First spot (5.5 games up)
Reds' record: 35-34 (10 games back)
Playoff projection: 96.2%

Kodai Senga was 1 of the champion pitchers successful the majors for the season's archetypal six weeks, with a 1.47 ERA done 13 starts. Then helium exited his commencement connected June 12 with a hamstring wounded helium suffered covering archetypal base, and that ace-level pitcher ne'er surfaced again.

Though disappointing for the Mets, which boasted the champion rotation ERA successful shot to date, the Grade 1 di...