“Grimace is our God,” jokes Amanda.
This giant aubergine-coloured mascot, whose species is unknown, has seemingly transformed the fortunes of the New York Mets and their fans are lapping it up.
The Mets were one of the worst teams in baseball when Grimace bumbled on to their pitch on 12 June for a special appearance.
The furry mascot did his best to throw the ball, his purple features fixed in an open-mouthed smile. It didn’t get very far, but he appeared to be happy anyway.
But then something magical seemed to happen, as it sometimes does in baseball. The Mets won the game, hitting three home runs to beat the Miami Marlins 10-4. They won the next day too, and the game after that. Everything changed.
Grimace was suddenly everywhere. In the stands, on t-shirts and banners – the Mets even painted one of the stadium seats purple. As the season went on, it was all hail Grimace when they won games, and when they lost one or two there were fears among fans that Grimace had died.
“Grimace has got us hot,” joked first baseman Pete Alonso after the team went on the seven-game winning streak. “If we can keep Grimace around and keep playing good ball then good things are gonna happen.” Fast forward three months, and the Mets team with a surging Alonso are on the precipice of greatness.
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“I thought it was hilarious,” says Amanda Indart, a diehard Mets fan who grew up in Queens, New York. “And then we just went on a winning streak.”
Amanda, 35, has taken to dressing up in her own Grimace costume at Mets games this season, to the delight of her fellow fans. After that first appearance the Mets kept on rolling, led by star player Francisco Lindor.
“It’s as unexpected a ride as any Mets playoff year that I can remember,” says Greg Prince, co-creator of the Mets blog Faith and Fear in Flushing. “It’s a good time to be a Mets fan – you’re not used to saying that.”
“I’m a little surprised at how excited I am,” he added.
“I don’t know about coincidences,” Mets outfielder Brandon Nimmo told local broadcaster SNY in June. “He (Grimace) definitely correlates with us going on this run. If that’s what you want to attribute it to, I’m all for it. Whatever it is, let’s keep it going.”
Of course, Grimace is only a mascot, he’s not the one scoring runs and hitting homers. A string of players on the team are in the midst of a prolific year, including Lindor who is a candidate to win the sport’s Most Valuable Player award, and pitcher Luis Severino.
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The last few weeks – and months – have been marked by comeback victory after comeback victory as the Mets seemed to always find a way to win.
“We’ve had to go through a lot of things just to get here,” pitcher Sean Manaea said. “At the same time, it’s the belief in each other, this team, this organisation – I don’t think anybody in that clubhouse doubted that for a second. That’s a special thing about this group – we just keep believing, and we’re here.”
“It just feels like a Cinderella story, you know, they started off rough and then everything just started to pick up,” Amanda says. “No one expected this.”
It certainly has been a wild ride, and with their team competing in the playoffs, fans are starting to dream.
The Mets have only won baseball’s biggest contest – the World Series – twice in their 62-year history, and not since 1986. They came close in 2015, losing in the finals to the Kansas City Royals in a contest that’s still too raw for some fans.
They dispatched arch-rivals the Philadelphia Phillies in what’s effectively baseball’s quarter-finals, whose fans were calling for Grimace’s blood.
“Bring me Grimace. Bring me Grimace. Bring me Grimace,” growled one Phillies fan before the two teams faced off in Game 1 of the series (the Mets went on to win in dramatic fashion).
They are now in the midst of a best-of-seven battle with the Los Angeles Dodgers in the semi-finals.
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Sports psychologist Dr Jamie Barker from Loughborough University says mascots can be a reflection of superstition when they accompany a win streak. “You probably end up building confidence as a vicarious aspect of that icon or mascot,” he explains.
Dr Barker adds that sports are a way for people to feel a sense of belonging, with mascots fostering a sense of identity. Having come so far already, Mets players and fans alike are hoping the touch of magic that has marked this season will carry them all the way to the ultimate prize.
