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The New York Mets and their fanbase love a good gimmick, and they might have gotten one just in time to save their season: Backyard Baseball‘s Pablo Sanchez.
After starting the season as one of the best teams in Major League Baseball — they were the first National League team to reach 40 wins — the New York Mets had a bit of a stumble in June and July which saw them play sub-.500 baseball.
Now with the All-Star break behind them, MLB is entering its dog days of summer ahead of September, the month when the playoff picture truly takes shape. And if Pablo Sanchez can deliver even a fraction of the good vibes that Grimace brought the last summer, the Mets could be on their way to a second-straight NLCS apperance, at the very least.
New York Mets are undefeated, regain control of the NL East since Pablo Sanchez visited Citi Field
Since Pablo Sanchez showed up at Citi Field on Sunday, July 20, the Mets have gone 4-0 and regained first place in the National League East, as they lead the Philadelphia Phillies by half-a-game as of Thursday, July 24.
The Mets have not lost a game since the legend himself Pablo Sanchez stepped into the building 👀 pic.twitter.com/8TSlLaHMoY
— SNY Mets (@SNY_Mets) July 24, 2025
4-0 pic.twitter.com/T26qpqWr64
— Lime and Mets (@LimeMets) July 23, 2025
Sanchez’s appearance at the Mets game over the weekend came as the publishers of Backyard Baseball promote the release of Backyard Baseball 2001 for Windows, iOS, and Android on July 8, 2025. Earlier this year, a remastered version of the first Backyard Baseball title for Nintendo Switch and PlayStation 5 was released on June 12, 2025.
Hmm. It’s as if a certain someone’s appearance has sparked a win streak 👀 https://t.co/KRjm3dTmWp
— Backyard Sports (@_BackyardSports) July 23, 2025
Following their sweep of the Los Angeles Angels, the Mets have an off-day on Thursday, July 24 before starting a West Coast road trip that’ll see them visit the San Francisco Giants and the San Diego Padres.