McDonald’s Grimace and ‘OMG’ anthem helped spark Mets’ improbable run to a NLDS matchup with Phillies

The Phillies spent the 2024 season wrapping up the team’s first National League East title since 2011. Up in Queens, Mets fans are idolizing a McDonald’s mascot.

The Mets and the Phillies are gearing up for their first-ever matchup in the postseason, but this outcome didn’t always look possible. Mets broadcaster Gary Cohen said the team hit rock bottom five games into the year, and when the teams met in their London Series, they couldn’t have been on more opposite trajectories. The Phillies had the best record in baseball while the Mets were floundering at the bottom of the standings.

» READ MORE: Phillies vs. Mets for the first time in the playoffs: Our predictions for the NLDS

So, what’s behind the turnaround? If you caught one of the broadcasts from the Mets-Brewers NL wild-card series, you likely heard a few references to Grimace or to “OMG.” Here’s what happened:

On June 12, McDonald’s mascot Grimace threw out the first pitch at the Mets’ game against the Marlins.

The seemingly standard ceremonial first pitch became perhaps the best advertising move of the MLB season and helped fix the Mets. New York won seven consecutive games after Grimace threw the first pitch, their longest streak of the season to that point, and became one of the hottest teams in baseball for the rest of the season, smashing the Yankees in the Subway Series — while a fan dressed as Grimace rallied the crowd during the rain delay. Since Grimace threw out the first pitch, the Mets have a 61-36 mark, the best record in baseball over that span.

You might find someone dressed as Grimace at Citizens Bank Park for Game 1. You’re definitely going to find someone dressed as Grimace at Citi Field for Game 3, with the real Grimace likely making an appearance. Grimace returned to Citi Field at the end of June on Pride Night (more on that in a bit) and for the Mets’ final homestand, after the team dedicated a seat at Citi Field in his honor. The Mets also posted a video of Grimace celebrating the Mets making the playoffs, and frequently use Grimace images on the video board.

Grimace captured the imagination of the fans, but the Mets players attribute their luck to someone else — Latin pop star Candelita, also known as Mets second baseman Jose Iglesias.

The journeyman was called up in June after spending all of 2023 in the minors, and quickly began to endear himself to the roster and the fan base. Designated hitter J.D. Martinez was an especially big fan of Iglesias’ unreleased new single, “OMG.” Iglesias made it his walk-up song, and it also became the home-run song at Citi Field.

» READ MORE: Who are these Mets that are invading Red October? Here are some things to know.

On Pride Night, with Grimace in the building, “OMG” was officially released to the public, and it became a No. 1 hit on the Latin Pop iTunes charts. After the Mets beat the Astros on June 28, Iglesias took the field for a postgame concert, performing the song live with his teammates.

Mets co-owner Alex Cohen posted the OMG design onto her Instagram story, and one fan, Jerome McCroy, who makes custom woodwork, was inspired to make a sign and brought it to the ballpark. He ran into Cohen at the ballpark before the game, and she took the sign down to the dugout, where it soon became a staple of the Mets’ home run celebrations, especially for pitcher Luis Severino, who is now on “OMG sign duty” during the games. The Mets pitchers loved it so much, McCroy made them their own sign for post-start celebrations.

The song became such a phenomenon that on Oct. 11, the day of Game 5 (if the series gets to five games), Iglesias will release a remix of “OMG” featuring Pitbull and Silvestre Dangond.

Grimace and “OMG” are just scratching the surface for the Mets gimmicks. There’s Glizzy Iggy (a hotdog-eating dog), veteran of the game Seymour Weiner, the Rally Pimp, and, most recently, Pete Alonso’s playoff pumpkin. But gimmicks can only get you so far. The Phillies are looking to end the Mets’ year of humor, whimsy, and joy.