Saturday - In The Park - A Win Before The 4th of July

It has happened!  The Mets won a game on a Saturday, defeating the Washington Nationals by the final score of 5-1.  And why is this so significant?  Because it had been a loooooooooong time since the Mets last emerged victorious on a Saturday.

After taking the season's first Saturday game, a 7-3 victory over the Miami Marlins at Citi Field on April 6, the Mets improved their Saturday record to 2-0 one week later.  Matt Harvey added extra chill to the Twins' bats on that Saturday, taking a no-hitter into the seventh inning at a frigid Target Field in Minnesota.  Before Harvey earned full membership in the No-Decision of the Week club, he was winning all of his starts.  He did just that in the Twin Cities on April 13, defeating the Twins, 4-2.

And that's when Saturday became a black Sabbath for the Mets.

The Mets dropped nine consecutive Saturday games after Harvey's win on April 13.  And that doesn't even include the conclusion of a suspended game between the Mets and the Braves that began on Friday, May 24 and ended with a loss the following night - a Saturday.  Here is how the Mets have fared following their April victory on Saturday, the 13th:

• Saturday, April 20 - Mets lose to Nationals, 7-6.
• Saturday, April 27 - Mets lose to Phillies, 9-4.
• Saturday, May 4 - Mets don't lose!  (They were rained out...)
• Saturday, May 11 - Mets lose to Pirates, 11-2.
• Saturday, May 18 - Mets lose to Cubs, 8-2.
• Saturday, May 25 - Mets lose to Braves, 6-0.
• Saturday, June 1 - Mets lose to Marlins, 8-1.
• Saturday, June 8 - Mets lose to Marlins, 2-1.  (A 20-inning loss)
• Saturday, June 15 - Mets lose to Cubs, 5-2.
• Saturday, June 22 - Mets lose to Phillies, 8-7.

• Total - Zero wins, nine losses, one rainout.  Mets are outscored, 64-25.

That brings us to today, June 29, the Saturday before the Fourth of July.  Two and a half months after the Mets defeated the Twins on a winter-like day in Minnesota, they're finally off the Saturday schneid, defeating the Washington Nationals - the team that put them on their winless Saturday streak in the first place.

The Mets still lose too many games - today's win moves them back to 11 games under .500 - but at least they're no longer guaranteed to lose on one particular day of the week.  Until today, it had been 11 weeks since the Mets last won on a Saturday.  Now it's up to them to not begin a new streak once next weekend arrives.  Today was a good day to be in the park on a Saturday.