NEW YORK -- It might take some time for the Mets to get over the sting that was felt when Conor Gillaspie backed Madison Bumgarner's four-hit shutout with a ninth-inning homer that sent them to a 3-0 loss to the Giants in the National League Wild Card Game on Wednesday night at Citi Field.
But there certainly wasn't any reason for the Mets to hang their heads after they walked away from a season filled with adversity and a decisive game in which they simply fell victim to the October dominance of Bumgarner, who is attempting to help the Giants win the World Series for the fourth time since 2010.
"The Giants are a great team," Mets outfielder Curtis Granderson said. "They did everything they needed to do to keep the game tight. Our fans were loud and electric all night. That makes it even more difficult to go out and do things the way you want to. I credit Bumgarner for staying in the whole game."
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While Bumgarner was dominant throughout, Noah Syndergaard provided the Mets hope as he carried a no-hit bid into the sixth inning and ended up allowing just two hits, while notching 10 strikeouts over seven scoreless innings.
Syndergaard, Granderson and Yoenis Céspedes were the only three players in Wednesday's starting lineup who were with the Mets when they advanced to the World Series last year. David Wright, Neil Walker, Jacob deGrom, Matt Harvey, Steven Matz, Wilmer Flores and Lucas Duda were among the players who suffered significant injuries at some point this year and were not available for this win-or-go-home playoff game.
"You can always take a positive out of anything," Syndergaard said. "For us, we handled a lot of adversity with all of the injuries. I couldn't be more proud of this group of guys to be able to go through the thick and thin and be able to compete in a market like [New York]."
Though he initially struggled after being acquired from the Reds at the non-waiver Trade Deadline, veteran outfielder Jay Bruce contributed down the stretch, and he gained an appreciation for all the Mets overcame after they fell two games below .500 (60-62) with a loss in San Francisco on Aug. 19.
"I think everybody in here should be proud," Bruce said. "We overcame a lot of obstacles, injuries and adversity to get to where we are, to have a chance to play in the postseason. I think you could have asked a lot of people in August if we would have been in the postseason, and I think they would have said no. I know I'm proud of this team."
Unfortunately, the resilient Mets' bid to reach a second World Series in as many years was denied by Bumgarner, who has established himself as a man who is more than capable of smashing October dreams.
"You know, we went up there swinging and we didn't get anything really good to hit, because he's that good," Mets manager Terry Collins said. "Tonight he was outstanding and it was one of those games."