How Citi Field went from Mets fortress to season graveyard

Citi Field was where the Mets hoped to reclaim their season over the past nine games.

Instead, they’ve firmly established themselves as the worst home team in the majors, falling to 6-12 in Queens with Thursday’s 5-4 loss to the Nationals that mercifully closed out the homestand.

Who could have guessed, whether after their improbable run to the doorstep of the World Series in 2024 or their fast start to last season, that Citi Field would be the Mets’ graveyard before the end of April this season?

Instead of taking advantage of three series against unimpressive opponents, the Mets dropped six of nine to fall further from relevance before they head west for a nine-game trip beginning Friday in Anaheim.