"One year after steering the Mets to a surprising run to the NLCS, Mendoza's club constructed by Stearns in the offseason to include Juan Soto, but a suspect pitching staff flopped under sky-high expectations. They won 45 of their first 69 games, but then played the rest of the year with a full-season pace of 96 wins, going 38-55 as one of the worst teams in Major League Baseball."
"Despite that, they still controlled their destiny on the final day of the season, needing a win to get into the playoffs after the Cincinnati Reds lost to the Milwaukee Brewers. Instead, New York put forth a 4-0 dud to complete what could very well be the worst collapse for a franchise that has had two other massive nosedives in the last 20 years (2007, 2008)."
David Stearns immediately committed to Carlos Mendoza as Mets manager for the 2026 season following a season-ending collapse that cost the team a postseason spot. Mendoza led the Mets to the NLCS the previous year, and the roster added Juan Soto, but a malfunctioning pitching staff collapsed under high expectations. The Mets started 45-24 before going 38-55 the rest of the way, finishing with a full-season pace of 96 wins and losing a decisive 4-0 final-day game. Mendoza has one guaranteed year left on his contract and a 172-152 record; other coaches did not receive the same vote of confidence.
Read at www.amny.com
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