Wild-card loss to Padres should serve as fuel for Mets

It was a gut-wrenching loss for the players, who had higher aspirations.

“We didn’t play up to our potential when it mattered the most,” Mets slugger Pete Alonso told the media, via SNY, during spring training. “It’s frustrating.”

But that disappointment will certainly drive the Mets this season.

"Ever since the last pitch of last year, I've been looking forward to getting back down here again and getting it going," Mets reliever Adam Ottavino told SNY upon arriving at spring training.

In addition to the returning players who still feel the sting of elimination, the Mets brought in reinforcements who could power them to their first World Series title since 1986. Tops among them are ace Justin Verlander, who has championship pedigree with the Astros, and right-hander Kodai Senga, a former Japanese professional star.

Teams across sports have turned disappointing endings into success the next season.

In the 2015 NLCS, the Mets swept the Cubs, who went on to win the 2016 World Series. 

In 2019, the Tampa Bay Lightning posted the best regular season in NHL history but were swept by the Columbus Blue Jackets in the first round of the playoffs. The Lightning then won the next two Stanley Cups.

The Mets have the roster, leadership and determination to bounce back from last year’s defeat. Beginning with the opener Thursday at the Marlins, the journey begins.