Baseball Fans Claim The 4.8-Magnitude Earthquake 'Saved The New York Mets'
Ever since the 4.8-magnitude earthquake hit the Tri-State area, the New York Mets have been playing better, drastically improving their record.
On Friday, April 5, residents from Boston, Massachusetts, all the way down to Baltimore, Maryland, felt the earthquake, but it was centered near Lebanon, New Jersey, approximately 68 miles from the Mets stadium, Citi Field.
4.8-Magnitude Earthquake Felt Along The East Coast
The earthquake made headlines as it was the strongest quake to hit New Jersey in over 200 years. Luckily, it left no surface rupture. It has, however, caused 51 aftershocks since it hit.
According to the U.S. Geological Survey, the most recent aftershocks were recorded on Friday morning in Somerset County.
Experts confirmed that aftershocks could continue for weeks or even months after an earthquake, so more reports are expected within the next few weeks.
Did The Earthquake Help The New York Mets?
Before the earthquake hit the East Coast, the New York Mets had a record of 1-5, averaging 2.1 runs per game. After the quake, the MLB team won six games, lost three, and now has an average of 6.2 runs per game.
This raises the question, "Did the earthquake save the Mets season?"
In a social media post shared by Bet MGM, baseball fans shared their input on the newly improved Mets team. Baseball fans had puns following the earthquake, as one user commented, "Looks like all they needed to do was shake things up!"
Another said something along the same lines, writing "[They] had to go through a little organizational shake up....lol (I'm sorry.)"
All The Mets Needed Was A 'Shake Up'
Over on X, baseball fans also expressed that the earthquake has helped the Mets improve. "The earthquake Mets [are] the best team ever," one user said.
"The earthquake shook the Mets around," another wrote.
Another joked, "It really is the end of the world. Earthquake. Total eclipse. The Mets beat the Braves in Atlanta. Nice knowing all of you!"
The New York Mets have been on a hot streak, with their most recent win on Sunday, April 14. Hours after Dwight Gooden’s No. 16 was retired in a pregame ceremony, the New York Mets celebrated a third straight series victory, thanks to Harrison Bader's infield hit in the eighth inning.
New York Mets Take Home The Win On Dwight Gooden's Number Retirement Day
Dwight “Doc” Gooden is considered one of the best pitchers of all time. By age 20, Gooden led the league in strikeouts with 276 as a teenager, quickly making a name for himself.
Gooden's number is now the ninth to be retired in Mets history, as No. 16 was unveiled at Citi Field alongside other icons, including Willie Mays' No. 24 and Keith Hernandez's No. 17.
And what better way to end the Gooden retirement day than with a Mets win? In the eighth inning, the bases were loaded on walks to Pete Alonso, Jeff McNeil, and Brett Baty against reliever Chris Stratton. Bader then stepped up to the plate with two outs.
He decided to opt for a swinging bunt and hit the ball just 75 feet, something that Bader was not anticipating. “I thought it was going to hit the wall,” Bader joked in a post-game interview. “That was maybe not the most conventional way of scoring an RBI, but it did get the job done. I think we had really good at-bats and to push it across for my team means a lot to me.”
Mets Retire Dwight Gooden's No. 16
Former Mets player and current commentator Ron Darling, who once played with Gooden, spoke highly of the legend.
“The only thing I can compare it to is like in Little League, occasionally you get the kid that’s almost shaving, that’s better than everyone else, that strikes everyone out. That’s what he was like,” Darling recalled of what it was like being a part of the Gooden days. “He was just bigger, stronger, better. No one had a chance.”
“Nobody knew about Dwight Gooden until he made the team,” Darling added. “There was an innocence about ballplayers then. Players came out of the cornfields. They came out of Tampa. They could be 19 years old.”
Gooden has come a long way since his drug and alcohol addictions, which placed him behind bars. Now, he is sober and is celebrating his legacy with the New York Mets.
Congratulations to Dwight Gooden!
