New York Mets

As a 41-year-old lifelong fan of the New York Mets, I've had more than my fair share of heartbreak, to the point that the Mets slogan of “Ya gotta believe“ has often felt less like a rallying cry and more like the pleas of an abusive ex. Trust me baby, this time it will be different. Rarely do the Mets come through for us fans, but this year actually was different — a gimmick- and silliness-filled rollercoaster ride that saw the team rebound from an 0-5 start and an 11-games-under-.500 hole in May to improbably make the playoffs on the final day of the season and take the eventual World Series champion Dodgers to six games in the NLCS. Will there be more heartbreak in the future for Mets fans? Almost certainly, but we'll always have 2024.

I was at Truist Park when Francisco Lindor capped one of the greatest games in Mets history with a ninth-inning homer to finally get the best of the Braves and clinch a playoff spot on the final day of the regular season. At the time, I would have thought it impossible to pick anything other than that moment, but then Pete Alonso hit a ninth-inning, three-run, opposite=foe;d blast off Brewers All-Star closer Devin Williams in the winner-take-all Game 5 of the Wild Card Series. All season long, Mets fans have worried that the Polar Bear would be taking his talents elsewhere once he hit free agency, and a large portion of the fanbase was ready to drive him to La Guardia Airport after an ice-cold second half of the season. Whatever happens this winter, Mets fans will always remember that he came through when it mattered most to deliver one of the greatest moments in franchise history.

The Mets were the most fun team in sports this year because they were defined by joy. The fanbase adopted Grimace — yes, the giant purple McDonald's character — as its unofficial mascot after he threw out a ceremonial first pitch which somehow spurred the team on a season-long heater. Jose Iglesias, a minor league call-up, became a cult hero not only for his masterful glovework and clutch hits, but for his hit song OMG that he performed live on the field and which punctuated every Mets home run dugout celebration. It was impossible not to fall in love with this team as they swept the season series against the Yankees and blew the NL East champion Phillies out of the playoffs, and when Mets fans look back years from now at everything that happened this season, it will be with a smile on their face. To paraphrase Mets radio announcer Howie Rose, this team made us all feel 15 again.