Mets 42-23 after 65 played

It’s the middle of June, and the livin’s easy for the first-place New York Metropolitians, owners of a hefty 9 1/2-game lead in the NL East — 10 games in the loss column, even — following their 5-4 win over the Phillies on Thursday that sealed a three-game sweep and a 9-1 road trip. With Albert Pujols out, is there really any other choice for NL MVP at this point than David Wright? Is there any better sparkplug than Jose Reyes? What kind of damage can he do if he raised his OBP to that of an above-average leadoff hitter? The mind winders when it’s June 15, the Mets are riding an eight-game winning streak and the magic number is a mere …

88.

That’s also the year the Mets last won the NL East. Coincidence? I think so.

With 42 wins after 65 played, the Mets are on a pace to win  104.6 games, which on a beautiful Thursday afternoon we’ll round up to 105.