It’s been a long nine years since the New York Mets have found themselves in the postseason. Since then, the Mets have struggled to put all the pieces together; from the endless injuries to late-season collapses, the team has been one of the biggest jokes in baseball.

However, the Mets currently stand atop the National League East with a six-game lead with only 29 games remaining. What makes this season different from any other? Well, the bullpen is still struggling and injuries have lingered throughout the entire season. How can the Mets be in first place?

First, the starting pitching has been stellar. Pitcher Matt Harvey has come back strong from Tommy John surgery and is performing at a very high level. Another Mets ace, Jacob DeGrom, has emerged as one of the best pitchers in baseball, like Harvey, and is currently in the National League CY Young race.

Other young studs like Noah Syndergaard and Steven Matz have really impressed as well with standout performances. All of these rising stars have kept their earned run average relatively low and have piled up a high number of strikeouts.

Even with the phenomenal pitching staff, the Mets still struggled offensively and couldn’t give their pitchers any run support throughout a good portion of the season. The Mets front office finally took a step forward and made some moves at the trade deadline by bringing in bats that can help the dwindling offense along with some other arms to bolster the bullpen.

Acquiring outfielder Yoenis Cespedes was huge for the ball club because he provides power, which is something that Mets have lacked in previous years. Since Cespedes joined the team in early August, he’s already hit ten home runs. Before the arrival of Cespedes, there really weren’t many hitters that opposing pitchers feared in the Mets lineup.

Also, the addition of veteran utility players Juan Uribe and Kelly Johnson give the Mets experienced players who can swing the bat and help provide offense. Johnson and Uribe have already filled in nicely with the Mets as they look to make a push towards the pennant.

Mets closer, Jeurys Familia has been spectacular this season, unlike the rest of the bullpen, who often struggled and blew leads. The Mets addressed this issue by bringing in pitcher Tyler Clippard, who has really established himself as the eighth inning guy and has embraced his roll since he joined the Mets a little over a month ago.

With the reinforcements coming in, the Queens boys look to be in good shape down the stretch as they have a favorable schedule facing mostly last place teams in the final month of the regular season.

Also, the return of the captain, David Wright, has really helped the Mets keep their foot on the gas. The Mets are getting healthy, which is a good sign, and the team atmosphere has been great all year. Overcoming adversity has been key, and this team has worked very hard at getting better for every game. Mets Manager Terry Collins looks to break the spell and bring his squad to the playoffs.

Only time will tell for the Mets, but things are going smoothly right now and fans have something to be excited about for the first time since 2006. They most definitely have a really good chance at making the playoffs, and if they keep playing consistently, they have a shot to make it to the World Series. All the pieces seem to be connected to the puzzle, so it should be an exciting month as the finish line is in sight. Let’s go Mets!!!