The New York Mets riding a wave behind late season acquisition Jesse Winker

The Mets never do anything the easy way. A few years ago, they spent so much money that MLB invented new rules to address it. They acquired perhaps the best bullpen that has ever been assembled in baseball history, and somehow still managed to miss the dunk.

But one thing that the Mets have is their fanbase. No matter what, they always seem to keep the faith. And when the Mets win, they show that passion like few other teams in the game.

Just last month, the Mets picked up Jesse Winker from the Nationals, a move that raised eyebrows. Winker is as emotional a player as the Mets fanbase are and over the years, the he has often rubbed the Mets up the wrong way.

“My first couple of full seasons maybe I was a little on the immature side. I had some fun. But obviously it’s a passionate fan base, said Winker. “I think we squashed our little thing a couple of years ago. It’ll be cool. I just want to play hard for them and do whatever I can to help the team win.”

Now that hatchet seems to be well and truly buried, with Winker igniting the Mets into a late-season resurgence. Just 7.5 games out of first in the NL East, they are chasing a Wild Card spot and have won five of their last seven games. Over that span, Winker has hit not one, but two walk-off home runs and an RBI double.

His pinch-hit walk-off blast against the Orioles on Wednesday saw an explosion of emotion by Winker as he threw his helmet to the ground and flexed to the crowd before rounding the bases. This drew criticism from some of the old guard, who find the excessive celebrations to be unprofessional at best, distasteful and classless at worst. Former Texas Ranger and Boston Red Sox second baseman Jeff Frye let rip on Twitter, saying, “Kids this is not how you act when you hit a walk off HR. This is a [clown emoji] show that unfortunately MLB players who should know better seem to be doing on a regular basis. I’m sorry your heroes have zero class.”

Criticism aside, the Mets fans seem to be all onboard with Winker and his effusive antics, just as long as they keep racking up the wins. If he can push them into a Wild Card spot, then you have to feel that all past transgressions will be forgiven.

The Mets are in the middle of a four-game road stand against the Padres, before moving on to Arizona and then the White Sox. September will be a bit more stiff for them as they have the Red Sox, Reds, and Phillies at home before travelling to Atlanta and Milwaukee. They will need to keep their momentum up if they want to be in with a chance, and right now, they are hoping to ride this wave as far as they can.