IN THE HEARTS and minds of Mets fans, every baseball season ends twice. There's the moment when it's officially over -- mathematical elimination -- and the moment when, in retrospect, we should've known it was. On paper, the 2021 Mets weren't eliminated from postseason contention until Sept. 25, but that was just for the coroner's report. According to FanGraphs, the Mets' odds of making the playoffs on June 16 were 89%, leaving a mere 11% chance for the Mets to Mets away the season. It was more than sufficient.
By the time the Mets were done, they'd pulled off an ambitious achievement even by the lofty standards of a franchise renowned for its face-plants: they finished with a sub-.