Edwin Diaz Has Given up So Many 9th-Inning Home Runs it's Actually Not Even Funny

Edwin Diaz' struggles in 2019 have been perhaps the most obvious aspect of the New York Mets' absurdly disappointing season. He was brought in via trade in the offseason to be the team's closer and help lock down the ninth inning.

But the ninth has turned into a horror show for Diaz. The 2018 AL Reliever of the Year has been snakebitten by the long ball this year. After coughing up a home run to the Marlins on Thursday, he's allowed 15 home runs in the ninth inning this year, far and away the most by any reliever in Mets franchise history.

In fact, it's as many as the second- and third-worst seasons combined. It's been nothing short of catastrophic.

For some perspective in terms of his own quality of play, those 15 home runs are the most Diaz has ever allowed in a single season, and he managed it in just 57 innings. In his three years prior, he had allowed 20 home runs in 191 innings.

However, in fairness to him, 2019 has been an extremely homer-happy year. The long ball has been hit at historically high rates, but that still doesn't make this any less eye-popping. He went from being arguably the best closer in baseball to being one of the worst.

It's been a struggle for him and the Mets all year long, and the numbers prove it.