Purple Row After Dark: Stars vs. Spark

DENVER, CO - APRIL 18: Fans of the Colorado Rockies participate in the wave during the game between the Los Angeles Dodgers and the Colorado Rockies at Coors Field on Saturday, April 18, 2026 in Denver, Colorado. (Photo by Dustin Bradford/MLB Photos via Getty Images) | MLB Photos via Getty Images Th

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What is the story about?

The Rockies and Mets came into this series with nearly identical records: 10-16 for Colorado, 9-16 for New York.

Which… felt misleading. Like two teams arriving at the same place for completely different reasons.

Then the Rockies swept the series, and the gap in records is growing: 13-16 for Colorado, 9-19 for New York.

Same neighborhood, different direction.

Before the season, PECOTA had the Mets at 88 wins and real playoff odds. The Rockies were pegged for around 60 wins and, essentially, a long summer.

So what changed?

For the Mets, it’s not just losing — it’s the weight of it. This is a ‘World Series or bust’ roster, built with Steve Cohen money, and it hasn’t clicked. Roles feel unsettled. The fit feels off. Even snapping the 12-game losing streak didn’t stop the bigger question from hanging over everything: why isn’t this working?

When expectations are that high, losses don’t just count — they linger.

Now the Rockies feel… different. Still imperfect, still under .500, but more coherent. More competitive. There’s actual energy — call it the Goodman/Moniak/Johnston effect — where players are giving you a reason to watch beyond the standings.

The Mets have stars. The Rockies have spark.

And to be fair — Mets fans have lived through October magic, titles, and franchise icons, from the Miracle Mets of 1969 to the dominant 1986 team. They were in the NLCS as recently as 2024. The Mets history runs deeper than Colorado’s, but Rockies fans have built their own decades of memories since 1993.

Both fanbases have stuck through plenty of losing to get those moments. Nobody’s switching sides.

So here’s the question:

For the rest of this season… who would you rather be: