Bang! Zoom! The Mets Keep Hitting Balls To The Moon!

John Buck yuks it up after yakking it out for a grand slam in Minnesota. (Photo by Jim Mone)

In 2009, Citi Field opened its doors for the first time, but the Mets forgot to pack their power strokes when they made the move from Shea Stadium.  The Mets finished dead last in the National League with 95 home runs in 2009, a year after hitting 172 longballs in their final season at Shea.

The 2012 squad pounded out 139 homers - their highest total in four years - but that was still a far cry from the 182 homers they averaged per season from 2004 to 2008.  Because of their recent inability to hit balls out of the park, no one expected the Mets to provide much in the power department in 2013.  But oh, how things have changed.

During the team's first 51 seasons, no Mets squad had ever homered in each of their first nine games.  This year's team has now homered at least once in each of their first ten games, with John Buck going yard in his last four contests.

The Mets have hit 14 home runs in their first ten games.  By comparison, the 2009 squad didn't reach 14 home runs until May 1.  It's the first time the Mets have hit that many home runs over their first ten games since 1995.  And it's the first time the Mets have homered in ten consecutive games at any point of the season since 2008.

It's been a long time since the Mets have been a home run hitting team.  Since Citi Field opened in 2009, only three players have hit more than 15 homers in a single season (David Wright twice, Ike Davis twice and Scott Hairston once).  But this year looks to be different, and the Mets are wasting no time showing the league that they have more than just warning track power.

John Buck has six home runs in less than two weeks.  Three other players have gone deep at least twice.  And David Wright, who can hit 15 homers in his sleep, isn't one of them.  But once he joins his teammates with a crooked number in the home run column, you can bet he will contribute greatly to the team's increasing homer total.

According to the so-called experts, the Mets aren't supposed to compete for a postseason berth in 2013.  Those same experts also expected the Mets to be near the bottom of the league in home runs.  But through their first ten games, the Mets are hitting early-season home runs like they never have before, and they are currently leading the National League in runs scored.

Pitching wins championships, but home runs can lead to a few wins, too.  The Mets are in the process of putting together a young pitching staff.  The home runs are coming as well.  Baseballs aren't the only things flying to the moon.  The Mets might also be reaching new heights.  Bang, zoom indeed!