WASHINGTON — It has only been six games, so it would be foolish to jump to any conclusions just yet. Every man who has ever managed the Mets — even Casey Stengel — has gone 5-1 over a six-game stretch. Six games doesn’t allow for anything resembling a definitive conclusion.
But six games can give you a sense.
Six games can give you a feel.
The single most important manager the Mets ever hired was Gil Hodges. By the time he came aboard in time for the 1968 season, Mets fans had officially grown tired of the “loveable losers” line that had been slapped on them under Stengel.