As the calendar flips to September and the finish line of the MLB regular season is in sight, Mets' fans know all too well not to feel assured that this might be a postseason team. Memories of the 2007 and 2008 season still ring loudly in the heads of many die-hard supporters and the month of September only is a bitter reminder of what did happen, and what could possibly happen again.

On September 12th, 2007 the New York Mets entered the night with a seven-game lead in the NL East over the Philadelphia Phillies. After losing in game 7 of the NLCS the year before, fans were ecstatic for another taste of October and another crack at reaching the World Series. But things didn’t turn out that way. The Mets lost 12 of their final 17 games and on the last day of the regular season the Phillies won the division title and advanced to the playoffs. Biggest reason for the sudden downfall was pinpointed on their pitching, or lack of. Between September 16th and 25th, the Mets in four of those six games scored a total of 30 runs. This fold, to this day, is still regarded as one of the worst collapses in MLB history, ironically, surpassing the Phillies' collapse of 1964.

Entering the 2008 season, the Mets were more confident and fiery than ever hoping to bury the hatchet of the 2007 campaign. But things got rocky before the All-Star break even hit. The Mets fired manager Willie Randolph and pitching coach Rick Peterson in June, and interim manager Jerry Manuel took over the reigns for the rest of the season. Coming into September, the Mets were two-games ahead of the Phillies in the NL East but once again the lead was unable to be secured as they barely skimmed .500 on the month of September. They were eliminated from the playoffs on the last day of the regular season by the, then, Florida Marlins for the second straight year. Their biggest woes of September, and the whole season, was their bullpen. If each game the Mets played would have ended after the 8th inning, there is a good chance the Mets would have won the division by more than ten games. Again, though, heartbreak was set upon the New York Mets organization and fans in September.

As this September commences, the New York Mets seem to be in full control of the NL East. The heavy favorites at the beginning of the year, Washington Nationals, seem to be fading and feeling the pressure the Mets have put on them in August. You have a team who was the front runner, to not just win the NL East, but the World Series as well, sitting 6.5 games back with things not looking any easier. On the other side of the page, the Mets are looking at one of the easiest schedules in baseball to finish out the year. The only team above .500 the Mets play in this final stretch? Six games against the Nationals. Three on the road and three at home to end the season. Washington is looking at two more games with St. Louis in September, along with three against Baltimore to contend with those six against the Mets.

In both those two seasons the Mets fall apart it was due to their pitching. This season, with the mixture of both young and veteran arms along with multiple acquisitions to bolster the bullpen, New York seems to have built themselves to prevent from a repeat of both the ‘08 and ‘07 September.

Since the New York Mets acquired Yoenis Cespedes, Juan Uribe, Kelly Johnson, and Tyler Clippard at the end of July, they have been one of the best teams in the MLB. One of the biggest sleepers of the Mets’ success has been Wilmer Flores, who since the “trade”, or non-trade, is hitting a slash line of .322/.352/.552 with 4 HRs, a .153 wRC+, and .387 wOBA. This young man taught all of baseball that there is crying and he has brought many tears to Mets fans over the course of the last month.

This team has been revitalized and the month of August was a clear demonstration of that. They have had the pitching and now they have the hitting to blend with it. They also have got their captain, David Wright, back who has been out since April. With Lucas Duda also returning from his back injury at the beginning of this month and closer Jeurys Familia looking unhittable once more, things couldn't seem any brighter.

Mets fans, and baseball fans, get ready because the New York Mets are coming. Nothing beats Flushing, NY during playoff baseball and these next few months could be a wild ride. The fans, the players, the coaches, and the front office are all hungry for October.

A rejuvenated team in New York, a dwindling team in Washington, what could possibly go wrong?