New York Mets See Their World Series Odds Shorten Suddenly Thanks to Tremendous Run

Posted on: August 11, 2019, 01:26h. 

Last updated on: August 11, 2019, 12:58h.

Steve Bittenbender Read More
Expertise: Legislation, Sports Betting, Horse Racing.

A half-century after their first amazing comeback, it looks like the New York Mets are in the middle of another.

Jeff McNeil and Michael Conforto of the New York Mets have had plenty to celebrate of late as their team has won 15 of their last 16 games. (Image: Seth Wenig/Associated Press)

The Mets rallied for two runs in the eighth inning to beat the Washington Nationals 4-3 on Saturday night. The win pulled them to within a half-game of the Nats and Milwaukee Brewers for a National League wild card berth.

On July 3, the Mets held a 39-47 record, the third-worst in the NL at the time. What they’ve done since then has been nothing short of remarkable. It’s made them one of the bigger stories in Major League Baseball.

After the win, they’re now 61-56, and they’ve won 15 of their last 16 games. That’s the Mets best stretch since 1990. It a stretch reminiscent of the Miracle Mets comeback in 1969, when they won 14 of 17 in August to overcome a 10-game deficit to the Chicago Cubs in the NL East and eventually capture the franchise’s first World Series.

Rookie Luis Guillorme’s keyed Saturday’s comeback with a pinch-hit, game-tying home run in the bottom of the eighth. It was his first big league homer in his 100th career at-bat.

We keep surprising ourselves,” said outfielder J.D. Davis, who added the game-winning sacrifice fly later in the eighth. “It’s been pretty amazing how with this team, during this run, there’s been a lot of guys who were the least expected to come through, just like Luis tonight. It was a huge at-bat.”

The Mets go for a three-game sweep of the Nats on Sunday with ace pitcher Jacob deGrom on the mound. A win puts them atop the wild card standings.

Mets Odds Quickly Shorten

Not surprisingly, oddsmakers have noticed the tear the Mets have been on of late.

Six days ago, the Mets odds were +10000 at the FanDuel sportsbook, meaning a $100 bet would net $10,000. On Sunday, those odds have shortened to just +3200.

From July 28, when the Mets acquired star pitcher Marcus Stroman in a trade, to Aug. 5, more than 80 bettors took FanDuel up on those odds, said Kevin Hennessy, FanDuel’s director of publicity.

The biggest bet during that time was a $2,000 wager.

The current odds, though, aren’t the shortest price FanDuel’s offered on the Mets.

In January, their odds were +2200 and by mid-April, shortly after they started the season at 9-4, their odds were +1800. However, they faltered after that strong start, and a seven-game losing streak in late June helped oddsmakers make them a longer shot on their boards.

Given that FanDuel has sportsbooks in New Jersey and New York, they pull a lot of action from the fans of the Big Apple’s sports teams. Last month, Hennessy told Casino.org that the Mets had the fourth-highest ticket count for World Series futures betting, thanks largely to strong preseason betting.

Secondary Market Heating Up, Too

Bettors aren’t just going to the bookmakers to put money on the Mets. Some are going to PropSwap, an online secondary market where people can put their futures wagers up for sale. It’s designed to give people a chance to sell their tickets on the open market to bettors interested in getting better odds than currently available through sportsbooks.

“We’re about to sell a bunch of Mets tickets,” co-founder Luke Pergande told Casino.org on Saturday.

Late Friday night, PropSwap brokered the sale of a Mets World Series bet for $265 that would collect $11,615.

Pergande said PropSwap is attracting betting slips for other baseball teams, namely the Cleveland Indians and Minnesota Twins. On Saturday, they posted a $300 bet at +1000 odds, which would collect $3,300 on the Indians winning the American League Central. The high bid on the ticket is $1,250, with the seller asking $1,600.

FanDuel currently lists the Indians at +105 to win the AL Central, where a $1,600 bet would collect $3,280.