There were 38,476 people inside Citi Field on a picture-perfect afternoon and they knew — they just knew — how this was going to end. The Mets had entered the bottom of the ninth down 8-5 to the Mariners. It was now 8-7. There was one out. The tying and winning runs were in scoring position. 

The rancor inside the yard reflects a new perspective for Mets fans, who so often look for black cats and dark clouds, even on a day as brilliantly sunny as this. The 2022 Mets had done this before, after all. They play all 27 outs. Of course they were going to pull this out. 

They didn’t pull it out. Diego Castillo and his ERA north of 9 struck out Starling Marte. Then after Seattle manager opted to walk Francisco Lindor to load the bases, Castillo threw six sliders through the shadows at Pete Alonso. No. 6 was ball four and would have tied the game but Alonso broke his wrists with a half swing. 

Mighty Polar Bear had struck out. 

“Sometimes,” Alonso said, “you just have to tip your cap. He beat me.” 

So there wouldn’t be a third miracle ninth-inning comeback in the season’s first 36 games, and the Mets would finally drop a series. For the first time in what has been a season mostly frosted with stardust so far, the Mets have a touch of adversity on their hands. 

Tylor Megill was sent to the injured list before the game with biceps tendinitis, robbing the Mets for now of a starter who has been mostly untouchable, save for a terrible start his last time out. He joins James McCann on the list, which already includes Jacob deGrom and a growing pile of relievers. For all of their success winning series, Sunday’s loss dropped the Mets to 5-5 their last 10 games. 

“Winning in the big leagues,” Buck Showalter said, “is hard.” 

Showalter has managed 3,105 games in the majors, so if you’re looking for him to sound any alarms you’ve come to the wrong place. 

“There’s a fine margin between winning and losing, and we’re doing our share of positive things,” he said. “You go through periods where things don’t go your way. You’ll seek your level all year.” 

If anything, the Mets’ hot start — and make no mistake, 23-13 still qualifies as a hot start — is a reminder of just how long, how unforgiving, how ceaseless the baseball season is. Across 162, there will be 5-6 times when even the very best teams have to recalibrate and grind their way through problems. 

If you have to wait 36 games for that first crucible, consider yourself ahead of the game. 

“We’ve been playing extremely good baseball, which is something to be proud of,” Alonso said. “We have to do whatever we can to keep playing well. It’s been a very fun season so far. We’ve got to get back on the horse tomorrow.” 

That means Monday, and that means the start of a four-game series with the Cardinals. It was against the Redbirds in St. Louis when the Mets found some 11 o’clock lightning for the first time, turning a 2-0 deficit with two outs in the ninth into a feel-good 5-2 win. 

The past few years the Cardinals have mostly served as a reminder for the Mets of all they were lacking in terms of professionalism and consistency. The series in St. Louis felt like a small sea change as a result. The Mets can back that up this week. 

“I think we’ve been grinding since the first day of spring,” Showalter said. “Other teams — if they haven’t, they will. If they don’t, I want some of that fairy dust. That’s part of the gig. People don’t care about your problems. They’re glad you’ve got them.” 

The Mets have kept their problems to a modest total so far, skiing mostly on fresh powder, and for the first time there are a few moguls in their way. Let’s see what happens this week. Truly good teams are defined by how they handle hardship far more than how much they pleasure in prosperity.