NEW YORK— The mass exodus at Citi Field began Thursday evening immediately after Tommy Edman extended the Dodgers’ lead in the top of the eighth inning of their eventual 10-2 victory over the Mets. The game had been going on for over three hours at that point – and honestly, it felt like longer than that.

“We’ll get them tomorrow!” shouted one optimistic fan as he left the scene of what was another ugly loss for the Mets at home this week.

Well, the Mets absolutely need to get the Dodgers tomorrow if they want their season to continue, and they’re not ready for the magic to end just yet.

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“If you don’t believe in it, you shouldn’t be here,” short stop Francisco Lindor said after the loss. “You have to believe, you have to fight for what you want, you have to fight for it.”

The Mets may have proven to be the most resilient team in baseball in recent weeks, but they have simply been outmatched in three of the first four games of this series against Los Angeles. In that time, the Mets have left 33 runners on base and are 4 for 27 with runners in scoring position. On Thursday, it looked like the Mets could feel the talent disparity.

An argument can be made that the core of the Mets’ deep postseason run has been the team’s infectious energy. In Thursday’s loss, marked by poor pitching and poor situational hitting, there was a distinct lack of that atmosphere. That won’t do the Mets any favors heading into a must-win Game 5 if they want to keep the magical “OMG” season alive. Now the Mets have their backs against the wall for what could be the final game for this group of players that has captured the hearts of fans.

“We have been through a lot this year and it has made us who we are today,” said David Peterson, who will start on Friday.

Of course, it was easy for fans to get behind this team’s story: from 0-5 to the NLCS. But the group of players themselves – and their many gimmicks – have also become the most endearing part of this special season. If the Mets can’t pull out a win after two ugly losses in a row, all the fun is over: grimace, “OMG,” the playoff pumpkin, etc. The Mets aren’t ready to close the final chapter of what has been a storybook season been for this group.

“This group has responded so well to adversity all year,” said first baseman Pete Alonso. “The character of this team, the only word I can think of for the 2024 Mets other than Grimace, is resilience. That’s just who we are.”