MIAMI -- Pete Alonso stood, lips slightly parted, and dropped his arms in disbelief. Alonso stared into left field, where Javier Sanoja had just made a running snare of his 115.9 mph liner, the hardest-hit ball by a Met this year. In another world, in another season, that line drive could have changed everything. In this Mets reality, it changed not a thing.

Instead, Alonso’s liner encapsulated one of the most puzzling, frustrating seasons in franchise history. On June 12, the Mets held the best record in baseball, a full 21 games over .500. They had stretched their NL East lead to 5 1/2 games with an 8 1/2-game margin for error in the fledgling playoff race.

Three and a half months later, their season ended without a postseason berth. In a win-or-go-home game, the Mets lost to the Mar

See Full Page