"Grimace is our God," jokes Amanda. This giant aubergine-coloured mascot, whose species is unknown, has seemingly transformed the fortunes of the New York Mets and their fans are lapping it up. The Mets were one of the worst teams in baseball when Grimace bumbled on to their pitch on 12 June for a special appearance.
The furry mascot did his best to throw the ball, his purple features fixed in an open-mouthed smile. It didn't get very far, but he appeared to be happy anyway. But then something magical seemed to happen, as it sometimes does in baseball.
The Mets won the game, hitting three home runs to beat the Miami Marlins 10-4. They won the next day too, and the game after that. Everything changed.
Grimace was suddenly everywhere. In the stands, on t-shirts and banners - the Mets even painted one of the stadium seats purple. As the season went on, it was all hail Grimace when they won games, and when they lost one or two there were fears among fans that Grimace had died.
"Grimace has got us hot," joked first baseman Pete Alonso after the team went on the seven-game winning streak. "If we can keep Grimace around and keep playing good ball then good things are gonna happen." Fast forward three months, and the Mets team with a surging Alonso are on the precipice of greatness.
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