For the first two months of the season, the New York Mets were an abomination. Despite boasting the highest payroll in MLB, they were in the midst of another losing campaign and rapidly losing hope.

The Mets’ got off to such an abysmal start, their broadcasters were declaring the season over… on April 5!

By the end of May, the Mets found themselves in full laughingstock territory, which is where they’ve spent most of their inglorious 62-year history. They closed out the month losing three straight to the Los Angeles Dodgers, and cutting a pitcher, Jorge López, whose final act in a Mets uniform involved getting ejected from a game and tossing his glove into the stands.

Afterwards, López called himself the “worst teammate” in the league, though some believe the Puerto Rican native said he was on the “worst team” in MLB. The chaos capped off another wretched day in Flushing, where a dwindling number of fans showed up to boo their favorite team.

“Hellish Mets day fitting for a season already spiraling out of control,” blared the New York Post on May 29.

When the calendar flipped to June, it was obvious the Mets needed to make a change. And their marketing department acted accordingly.

To commemorate Pride Month, the Mets changed their logo to the Progress flag, and declared “baseball is for everyone.”

Since then, they’ve been… the hottest team in baseball! The “Gay Mets” are 9-3 since June 2, and just completed their first sweep of the San Diego Padres in 18 years.

Suffice to say, Mets fans are taking a lot of pride in their recent performance!

In addition to rainbows, the Mets leaned further into their newfound queerdom last week, when they invited Grimace to throw out the first pitch. The beloved McDonald’s mascot became a queer icon last Pride season, coinciding with his birthday and the introduction of a special purple shake.

With an androgynous identity, Grimace can’t be pigeonholed, and the same can be said for his shake. Nobody could quite figure out its flavor, leading to scores of hilarious memes.

But we can figure out this: the Mets are 5-0 since Grimace threw out the first pitch last Wednesday!

While the ball didn’t quite reach home plate, the effort was exemplary, if not downright inspiring. Grimace, purple milkshakes and all, isn’t exactly in the best physical shape.

Yet, there was on the pitcher’s mound, trying his hardest. Werk it, you beautiful purple blob!

By the way, the Grimace-pilled Mets are definitely a thing. Even ESPN acknowledges their Grimace-induced winning streak.

When Mets highlights played Sunday on SportsCenter, the anchors made sure to mention Grimace, and his far-reaching impact.

The Mets’ Pride Night last year was a huge success, with tracks from Madonna, Gaga and T-Swift blaring throughout Citi Field. But this year, the festivities on June 28 promise to be even gayer.

The NL East-leading Philadelphia Phillies are known as the gayest team in baseball, but the Mets are sneaking up right behind them.

Another first pitch from Grimace could put them over the top.

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