As Joely Rodriguez fielded the final comebacker of a 9-2 win over the Nationals last night, an eventful and dramatic Mets regular season concluded. There were no dog piles that marked the finality of a 162-game campaign; no long ovations from a standing, packed Citi Field. There was a lingering applause from some fans, but Citi Field was not packed, and it was not especially loud.

Instead, there was the quiet of a rainy, cool night and the resignation and realization that the road ahead will be harder than the Mets originally — and very much recently — envisioned.

The sheer length of a baseball season tends to expose all holes and allows a team to be seen from all angles. Identities are forged and judgments are wrought.

But are the second-place, first-wild-card Mets a disappointment? Are the 101-win Mets a good bounce-back story that enters the postseason as a significant threat? How do you reconcile the nearly six months of joy with the one weekend of despair?