List of New York Mets seasons

The New York Mets are an American professional baseball team based in Flushing, Queens, New York City. They compete in the East Division of Major League Baseball's (MLB) National League (NL). The team's current home stadium is Citi Field, after playing two years at the Polo Grounds and 45 years at Shea Stadium.[1] Since their inception in 1962, the Mets have won two World Series titles and five NL championships. As of the end of the 2024 season, the Mets have won more than 4,800 regular season games, a total that ranks 20th among MLB teams and fourth among expansion teams.[2]

The exterior of a baseball stadium, which has a round brown entrance area with a white and orange "citiFIELD" on top.
Citi Field is the home stadium of the Mets.

The Mets lost 120 games in their inaugural season, the second-most by an MLB team behind the 2024 Chicago White Sox.[3] After six more years in which their best league finish was ninth, the Mets won the World Series in 1969, defeating the Baltimore Orioles in five games to earn what is widely considered one of the biggest upsets in baseball history.[4][5] Four seasons later, the Mets returned to the World Series, where they lost to the Oakland Athletics in seven games. After winning two NL championships in five years, New York struggled for the next decade, not coming within 10 games of the NL East leader until 1984.

In 1986, the team posted 108 wins, the most in franchise history, and defeated the Houston Astros in the National League Championship Series (NLCS) to advance to the World Series. Trailing three games to two in the series, the Mets were one out from defeat in game six before coming back to win 6–5; they won game seven two days later to earn their second World Series championship.[6] After a second-place finish in 1987, the Mets won the NL East the next year, but lost to the Los Angeles Dodgers in the NLCS. The Mets' next playoff appearances were their back-to-back wild card-winning seasons of 1999 and 2000; in the latter year, they won their fourth NL championship, but lost to the cross-town New York Yankees in the "Subway Series".[7] The 2006 Mets earned an NL East title, before the St. Louis Cardinals defeated them in the NLCS. In 2007 and 2008, the team was eliminated from playoff contention on the last day of the regular season.[8] The Mets won the NL East in 2015, and swept the Chicago Cubs in four games to win the NLCS and advance to the World Series for the first time since 2000;[9] they lost the Series to the Kansas City Royals in five games. The following year, they returned to the playoffs with a wild card berth, but lost the 2016 NL Wild Card Game to the San Francisco Giants. In the most recent season, 2024, the Mets finished in third place in the NL East and reached the National League Championship Series before losing to the Los Angeles Dodgers.

Table key

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Catcher Gary Carter played six seasons for the Mets, and was a member of the 1986 World Series-winning team.[10]
Legend for "Year by year" table below
Term Meaning
ASGMVP All-Star Game Most Valuable Player
CPOY Comeback Player of the Year
CYA Cy Young Award
Finish Final position in league or division
GB "Games back" from first-place team[a]
Losses Number of regular season losses
MLB season Each year is linked to an article about that particular MLB season
MOY Manager of the Year
NLCS National League Championship Series
NLDS National League Division Series
NLWC National League Wild Card Game/Series
ROY National League Rookie of the Year
RPOY National League Reliever of the Year
Team season Each year is linked to an article about that particular Mets season
Wins Number of regular season wins
WSMVP World Series Most Valuable Player Award

Year by year

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Note: Statistics are correct as of October 20, 2024.

World Series champions † NL champions * Division champions ^ Wild card berth (1995–present) ¤
MLB
season
Team
season
League[11] Division[11] Finish[11] Wins[11] Losses[11] Win%[11] GB[11] Post season[12] Awards
1962 1962 NL 10th 40 120 .250 60½
1963 1963 NL 10th 51 111 .315 48
1964 1964 NL 10th 53 109 .327 40
1965 1965 NL 10th 50 112 .309 47
1966 1966 NL 9th 66 95 .410 28½
1967 1967 NL 10th 61 101 .377 40½ Tom Seaver (ROY)[13]
1968 1968 NL 9th 73 89 .451 24
1969 1969 NL* East[b]^ 1st 100 62 .617 Won NLCS (Atlanta Braves) 3–0
Won World Series (Baltimore Orioles) 4–1
Tom Seaver (CYA)[14]
Tommie Agee (CPOY)[15]
Donn Clendenon (WSMVP)[16]
1970 1970 NL East 3rd 83 79 .512 6
1971 1971 NL East 3rd 83 79 .512 14
1972[c] 1972 NL East 3rd 83 73 .532 13½ Jon Matlack (ROY)[13]
1973 1973 NL* East^ 1st 82 79 .509 Won NLCS (Cincinnati Reds) 3–2
Lost World Series (Oakland Athletics) 4–3*
Tom Seaver (CYA)[14]
1974 1974 NL East 5th 71 91 .438 17
1975 1975 NL East 3rd 82 80 .506 10½ Tom Seaver (CYA)[14]
Jon Matlack (ASGMVP)[17][d]
1976 1976 NL East 3rd 86 76 .531 15
1977 1977 NL East 6th 64 98 .395 37
1978 1978 NL East 6th 66 96 .407 24
1979 1979 NL East 6th 63 99 .389 35
1980 1980 NL East 5th 67 95 .414 24
1981[e] 1981 NL East 5th 41 62 .398 18½
1982 1982 NL East 6th 65 97 .401 27
1983 1983 NL East 6th 68 94 .420 22 Darryl Strawberry (ROY)[13]
1984 1984 NL East 2nd 90 72 .556 Dwight Gooden (ROY)[13]
1985 1985 NL East 2nd 98 64 .605 3 Dwight Gooden (CYA)[14]
1986 1986 NL* East^ 1st 108 54 .667 Won NLCS (Houston Astros) 4–2
Won World Series (Boston Red Sox) 4–3
Ray Knight (CPOY), (WSMVP)[18][19]
1987 1987 NL East 2nd 92 70 .568 3
1988 1988 NL East^ 1st 100 60 .625 Lost NLCS (Los Angeles Dodgers) 4–3
1989 1989 NL East 2nd 87 75 .537 6
1990 1990 NL East 2nd 91 71 .562 4
1991 1991 NL East 5th 77 84 .478 20½
1992 1992 NL East 5th 72 90 .444 24
1993 1993 NL East 7th 59 103 .364 38
1994[f] 1994 NL East 3rd 55 58 .487 18½
1995[g] 1995 NL East 2nd 69 75 .479 21
1996 1996 NL East 4th 71 91 .438 25
1997 1997 NL East 3rd 88 74 .543 13
1998 1998 NL East 2nd 88 74 .543 18
1999 1999 NL East 2nd[h]¤ 97 66 .595 Won NLDS (Arizona Diamondbacks) 3–1
Lost NLCS (Atlanta Braves) 4–2
Rickey Henderson (CPOY)[20]
2000 2000 NL* East 2nd¤ 94 68 .580 1 Won NLDS (San Francisco Giants) 3–1
Won NLCS (St. Louis Cardinals) 4–1
Lost World Series (New York Yankees) 4–1*
2001 2001 NL East 3rd 82 80 .506 6
2002 2002 NL East 5th 75 86 .466 26½
2003 2003 NL East 5th 66 95 .410 34½
2004 2004 NL East 4th 71 91 .438 25
2005 2005 NL East 3rd 83 79 .512 7
2006 2006 NL East^ 1st 97 65 .599 Won NLDS (Los Angeles Dodgers) 3–0
Lost NLCS (St. Louis Cardinals) 4–3
2007 2007 NL East 2nd 88 74 .543 1
2008 2008 NL East 2nd 89 73 .549 3 Fernando Tatís (CPOY)[21]
2009 2009 NL East 4th 70 92 .432 23
2010 2010 NL East 4th 79 83 .488 18
2011 2011 NL East 4th 77 85 .475 25
2012 2012 NL East 4th 74 88 .457 24 R. A. Dickey (CYA)[14]
2013 2013 NL East 3rd 74 88 .457 22
2014 2014 NL East T-2nd 79 83 .488 17 Jacob deGrom (ROY)[13]
2015 2015 NL* East^ 1st 90 72 .556 Won NLDS (Los Angeles Dodgers) 3–2
Won NLCS (Chicago Cubs) 4–0
Lost World Series (Kansas City Royals) 4–1*
Matt Harvey (CPOY)[22]
2016 2016 NL East 2nd¤ 87 75 .537 8 Lost NLWC (San Francisco Giants)
2017 2017 NL East 4th 70 92 .432 27
2018 2018 NL East 4th 77 85 .475 13 Jacob deGrom (CYA)[14]
2019 2019 NL East 3rd 86 76 .531 11 Jacob deGrom (CYA)[14]
Pete Alonso (ROY)[13]
2020[i] 2020 NL East T-4th 26 34 .433 9
2021 2021 NL East 3rd 77 85 .475 11½
2022 2022 NL East 2nd¤[j] 101 61 .623 0 Lost NLWC (San Diego Padres) 2–1 Buck Showalter (MOY)[23]
Edwin Diaz (RPOY)[24]
2023 2023 NL East 4th 75 87 .463 29
2024 2024 NL East 3rd¤[k] 89 73 .549 6 Won NLWC (Milwaukee Brewers) 2–1
Won NLDS (Philadelphia Phillies) 3–1
Lost NLCS (Los Angeles Dodgers) 4–2

All-time records

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New York Mets all-time win–loss records
Statistic Wins Losses Win%
New York Mets regular season record (1962–2024) 4,816 5,148 .483
New York Mets postseason record (1962–2024) 59 46 .562
All-time regular and postseason record 4,875 5,194 .484

Record by decade

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The following table describes the Mets' MLB win–loss record by decade.

Decade Wins Losses Pct
1960s 494 799 .382
1970s 763 850 .473
1980s 816 743 .523
1990s 767 786 .494
2000s 815 803 .504
2010s 793 827 .490
2020s 368 340 .520
All-time 4,816 5,148 .483

These statistics are from Baseball-Reference.com's New York Mets Team History & Encyclopedia,[11] and are current as of October 20, 2024.

Postseason record by year

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The Mets have made the postseason eleven times in their history. Their first appearance was in 1969 and the most recent was in 2024.[12]

Year Finish Round Opponent Result
1969 World Series Champions NLCS Atlanta Braves Won 3 0
World Series Baltimore Orioles Won 4 1
1973 National League Champions NLCS Cincinnati Reds Won 3 2
World Series Oakland Athletics Lost 3 4
1986 World Series Champions NLCS Houston Astros Won 4 2
World Series Boston Red Sox Won 4 3
1988 National East Champions NLCS Los Angeles Dodgers Lost 3 4
1999 National League Wild Card NLDS Arizona Diamondbacks Won 3 1
NLCS Atlanta Braves Lost 2 4
2000 National League Champions NLDS San Francisco Giants Won 3 1
NLCS St. Louis Cardinals Won 4 1
World Series New York Yankees Lost 1 4
2006 National League East Champions NLDS Los Angeles Dodgers Won 3 0
NLCS St. Louis Cardinals Lost 3 4
2015 National League Champions NLDS Los Angeles Dodgers Won 3 2
NLCS Chicago Cubs Won 4 0
World Series Kansas City Royals Lost 1 4
2016 National League Wild Card Wild Card Game San Francisco Giants Lost 0 1
2022 National League Wild Card Wild Card Series San Diego Padres Lost 1 2
2024 National League Wild Card Wild Card Series Milwaukee Brewers Won 2 1
NLDS Philadelphia Phillies Won 3 1
NLCS Los Angeles Dodgers Lost 2 4
11 Totals 13–9 59 46

Notes

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  • a This is determined by calculating the difference in wins plus the difference in losses divided by two.
  • b In 1969, the National League split into East and West divisions.[25]
  • c The 1972 Major League Baseball strike forced the cancellation of the Mets' first six games of the season.[26]
  • d Matlack and Bill Madlock were co-winners of the award.[17]
  • e The 1981 Major League Baseball strike caused the season to be split into two halves.[27] The Mets finished with a 17–34 record in the first half of the season, and a fifth-place finish in the National League East. After the strike was resolved, the team had a 24–28 record in the second half, placing them fourth in the division.[28]
  • f The 1994–95 Major League Baseball strike, which started on August 12, led to the cancellation of the rest of the season.[26]
  • g The 1994–95 MLB strike lasted until April 2, causing the 1995 season to be shortened to 144 games.[26]
  • h The Mets finished the 1999 season tied with the Cincinnati Reds for the National League wild card playoff berth. In a one-game tie-breaker, the Mets defeated the Reds 5–0 to win the wild card.[29]
  • i The 2020 season was shortened to 60 games by the COVID-19 pandemic.[30]
  • j The Mets finished the 2022 season tied with the Atlanta Braves in the NL East.[31] Instead of playing a one-game tie-breaker as in years past, the division champion was decided by the teams' head-to-head records, which favored the Braves.[32]
  • k The Mets finished the 2024 season tied with the Atlanta Braves for second place in the NL East, and both teams finished tied with the Arizona Diamondbacks for the second and third NL wild-card berths.[33] Since the Braves won both season series versus the Mets and Diamondbacks, Atlanta was awarded the second NL wild card. The Mets were awarded the third NL wild card, because they won their season series over the Diamondbacks, 4 games to 3.[34][35]

References

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General
  • "New York Mets Team History & Encyclopedia". Baseball-Reference.com. Archived from the original on May 20, 2019. Retrieved April 19, 2009.
  • "New York Mets: History". CBS Sports. Archived from the original on October 10, 2012. Retrieved April 19, 2009.
  • "New York Mets year-by-year results". New York Mets. Major League Baseball. Archived from the original on February 25, 2009. Retrieved October 3, 2024.
  • "Mets Postseason Results". New York Mets. Major League Baseball. Archived from the original on June 20, 2009. Retrieved October 3, 2024.
Specific
  1. ^ "New York Mets Attendance, Stadiums, and Park Factors". Baseball-Reference.com. Archived from the original on September 24, 2008. Retrieved April 21, 2009.
  2. ^ "List of all the Major League Baseball Teams". Baseball-Reference.com. Archived from the original on August 8, 2010. Retrieved October 22, 2024.
  3. ^ Nadkarni, Rohan (September 27, 2024). "Chicago White Sox lose 121st game this season, most in baseball history". NBC News. Retrieved September 27, 2024.
  4. ^ "List: Biggest baseball playoff upsets". ESPN. Archived from the original on March 7, 2009. Retrieved April 22, 2009.
  5. ^ Leggett, William (October 27, 1969). "Never Pumpkins Again". Sports Illustrated. Archived from the original on March 19, 2004. Retrieved August 26, 2018.
  6. ^ Fimrite, Ron (November 3, 1986). "Good To The Very Last Out". Sports Illustrated. Archived from the original on March 25, 2009. Retrieved September 23, 2017.
  7. ^ Johnson, Dirk (October 25, 2000). "Baseball: Subway Series; New York Swaggers, But America Shrugs". The New York Times. Archived from the original on October 11, 2015. Retrieved April 22, 2009.
  8. ^ Cothran, Jeremy D. (September 29, 2008). "After another choke ends the season, choked-up Mets ponder what-ifs". The Star-Ledger. Archived from the original on October 18, 2017. Retrieved October 17, 2017.
  9. ^ Kestin, Olivia; Brand, Anna (October 22, 2015). "The New York Mets are headed to the World Series (!)". MSNBC. Archived from the original on October 23, 2015. Retrieved October 22, 2015.
  10. ^ "Gary Carter". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved April 22, 2009.
  11. ^ a b c d e f g h "New York Mets Team History & Encyclopedia". Baseball-Reference.com. Archived from the original on May 20, 2019. Retrieved October 6, 2023.
  12. ^ a b "World Series and MLB Playoffs". Baseball-Reference.com. Archived from the original on January 9, 2010. Retrieved October 11, 2022.
  13. ^ a b c d e f "All-time winners: Rookie of the Year". Major League Baseball. Archived from the original on September 6, 2015. Retrieved November 12, 2019.
  14. ^ a b c d e f g "All-time winners: Cy Young". Major League Baseball. Archived from the original on November 12, 2019. Retrieved November 13, 2019.
  15. ^ Leggett, William (June 15, 1970). "A Boo-boo Or Baby For Bowie". Sports Illustrated. Archived from the original on December 2, 2012. Retrieved November 27, 2021.
  16. ^ "Donn Clendenon". Baseball-Reference.com. Archived from the original on April 12, 2009. Retrieved June 28, 2009.
  17. ^ a b "All-Star MVPs". Major League Baseball. Archived from the original on July 17, 2009. Retrieved December 16, 2017.
  18. ^ "Sports People; Coming and Goings". The New York Times. December 2, 1986. Archived from the original on December 15, 2014. Retrieved April 19, 2009.
  19. ^ "Ray Knight". Baseball-Reference.com. Archived from the original on April 2, 2020. Retrieved June 28, 2009.
  20. ^ "Rangers' Palmeiro named Sporting News Player of Year". ESPN. October 18, 1999. Archived from the original on September 28, 2017. Retrieved September 27, 2017.
  21. ^ Cothran, Jeremy D. (October 23, 2008). "New York Mets outfielder Fernando Tatis wins National League Comeback Player of the Year award". The Star-Ledger. Archived from the original on September 4, 2014. Retrieved September 1, 2014.
  22. ^ "All-time winners: Comeback Player of the Year". Major League Baseball. Archived from the original on September 6, 2015. Retrieved November 8, 2015.
  23. ^ "MLB Manager of the Year Award Winners". Baseball-Reference.com. Archived from the original on September 25, 2000. Retrieved November 23, 2022.
  24. ^ "Reliever of the Year Award Winners | History". MLB.com. Retrieved 2024-11-11.
  25. ^ Leggett, William (April 14, 1969). "One Hundred And One". Sports Illustrated. Archived from the original on March 2, 2017. Retrieved May 23, 2017.
  26. ^ a b c "Baseball stoppages date back to 1972". ESPN. Associated Press. August 29, 2002. Archived from the original on July 28, 2011. Retrieved April 20, 2009.
  27. ^ Kirshenbaum, Jerry, ed. (October 5, 1981). "Scorecard". Sports Illustrated. Archived from the original on October 6, 2008. Retrieved September 23, 2017.
  28. ^ "1981 Season". ESPN. Archived from the original on May 17, 2008. Retrieved April 21, 2009.
  29. ^ Battista, Judy (October 5, 1999). "The Mets Erase Cincinnati, the Doubts and Frustration". The New York Times. Archived from the original on June 11, 2011. Retrieved April 20, 2009.
  30. ^ Gonzales, Mark (June 23, 2020). "Column: A 60-game MLB season might not sound like much. But pulling it off with the coronavirus still out there would be a major feat". Chicago Tribune. Archived from the original on September 18, 2020. Retrieved September 30, 2020.
  31. ^ "2022 National League Team Statistics". Baseball-Reference. Archived from the original on October 25, 2022. Retrieved August 8, 2023.
  32. ^ "Baseball Tiebreaker Games Now a Thing of the Past". U.S. News & World Report. Associated Press. October 3, 2022. Archived from the original on August 10, 2023. Retrieved August 8, 2023.
  33. ^ "2024 National League Standings". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved October 14, 2024.
  34. ^ Gilbert, Steve (September 30, 2024). "D-backs eliminated after Mets, Braves split doubleheader". MLB.com. Retrieved October 14, 2024.
  35. ^ Miller, Kerry (September 22, 2024). "Everything to Know on MLB Playoff 2024 Races, Tiebreakers, Best Matchups, More". Bleacher Report. Retrieved October 22, 2024.