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<p>New York Mets' Yoenis Cespedes (52) celebrates with teammate Wilmer Flores after scoring a run on a Michael Cuddyer double in the first inning of a baseball game against the Philadelphia Phillies, Wednesday, Aug. 26, 2015, in Philadelphia. (AP Photo/Michael Perez)</p>

New York Mets' Yoenis Cespedes (52) celebrates with teammate Wilmer Flores after scoring a run on a Michael Cuddyer double in the first inning of a baseball game against the Philadelphia Phillies, Wednesday, Aug. 26, 2015, in Philadelphia. (AP Photo/Michael Perez)

The New York Mets are the most exciting team in Major League Baseball.

Yes, you read that correctly. The team from Queens that has been riddled with financial issues, injuries and general lack of hope since its last postseason appearance in 2006, its only one since 2000, is back on top.

It’s almost September and the Mets have a season-high 6.5 game lead in the National League East over the Washington Nationals. New York is on track to win the division and be a force to reckon with come October.

You no longer need to wait until the postseason to watch exciting baseball — the Mets are providing that right now.

In their recent four-game stretch from Aug. 21-24, the team scored 49 runs on 65 hits. On Monday against the Phillies, New York set franchise records for number of home runs hit in one game (8) and extra-base hits in one game (15). That was also the first game back for captain and third baseman David Wright, who had been stuck on the disabled list since April with a back injury. Wright homered to deep left field in his first at-bat.

New York City baseball is once again a two-headed monster. The Yankees are also in the midst of a pennant race, and the Mets are no longer the punch line of the Subway Series. It’s hard to imagine just how electric the crowds at Citi Field will be from Sept. 18-20 when the Mets host the Yankees.

The Mets are becoming the Manchester City of the MLB. For a long time, they have been perceived as the littler brother to the Yankees just as Manchester City was to the mighty Manchester United. But then Manchester City won two Premier League titles in three years.

The Mets are on that kind of rise. No, they haven’t won anything yet, but they will. There is too much talent on their team for them to continue to fall short of expectations.

Coming into the season, most people knew about the strong pitching rotation the Mets have: Matt Harvey, Jacob deGrom, Noah Syndergaard, along with Jon Niese and Bartolo Colon. But what has been impressive has been the powerful Mets’ offense, particularly since the July 31 trade deadline.

New York brought in Yoenis Cespedes, Juan Uribe, Kelly Johnson and pitcher Tyler Clippard before this year’s trade deadline.

On July 31, the Mets were two games back in the NL East. Since then, the team has gone 17-6 in August and the Nationals have gone 9-15. In a month, New York has gone from being the lowest scoring team in the National League to the highest scoring team. While the Nationals continue to slide, the Mets are starting to see the playoff possibility on the horizon, hoping it isn’t the mirage they’ve seen in years past.

The Mets are flying high. They’re winning ballgames, their pitching, offense and defense are all running at full strength, and they are on track to win the division and finally get back to the playoffs. And the expectations are quickly growing. ESPN’s Jayson Stark said Tuesday on "Mike & Mike" he believes there’s a real chance the Mets can make it to the NLCS, if not the World Series.

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If they can sustain this level of performance throughout September, Stark is right. Only the St. Louis Cardinals’ pitching staff can match up to New York’s in the National League, but it’s still hard to imagine a scenario where Harvey, deGrom, Syndergaard and possibly rookie Steven Matz, who is currently on the DL, get out-pitched in any series.

This will not be a team that others want to face in the playoffs. The Mets’ pitching staff is as good as any in the league, and now, with their offense playing the way it is, the Amazin’ Mets are one scary bunch.

Watch a game if you get the chance, it’s worth it.

You’ll hear the "Let’s Go Mets" chant no matter where the game is being played, and you’ll get a small glimpse of what has been a truly amazing season for this talented, tight-knit team.

It’s a fun group to watch.

Follow Alex Maminakis on Twitter @alexmaminakis

New York Mets' Yoenis Cespedes (52) celebrates with teammate Wilmer Flores after scoring a run on a Michael Cuddyer double in the first inning of a baseball game against the Philadelphia Phillies, Wednesday, Aug. 26, 2015, in Philadelphia. (AP Photo/Michael Perez)

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