Good morning, Mets fans! It’s a beautiful day to start a three-game winning streak.
Wild Card Update
The Mets dropped their third in a row, 6-0, as six Brewers pitchers combined on a two-hit shutout. In Atlanta, Travis d’Arnaud hit a walk-off solo home run to lift the Braves to a 2-1 win over the Royals. In Arizona, the Mets got help. Kyle Higashioka hit a two-run home run to break a scoreless tie in the ninth inning and the Padres beat the Diamondbacks, 5-0.
So, entering the final Sunday of the season, the Braves (88-71) are in the second Wild Card spot, one game ahead of the Mets and Diamondbacks. The Mets (87-72) and Diamondbacks (88-73) are in a virtual tie, with the Mets holding the playoff tiebreaker.
The Mets can clinch a playoff spot on Sunday with a win and an Arizona loss. New York cannot be eliminated on Sunday. In a worst-case scenario (Mets lose, Atlanta and Arizona win), the Mets would be forced to sweep the doubleheader with Atlanta on Monday to qualify for the playoffs.
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Latest Mets News
Following the loss to the Brewers, Carlos Mendoza said that David Peterson (9-3, 3.08 ERA) will start Sunday. The Brewers’ starter is TBD. First pitch is at 3:10 p.m. ET and it will be broadcast on SNY.
Jose Quintana‘s career-high 27 1/3-inning scoreless streak ended when Joey Ortiz singled in two with the bases loaded in the fourth inning. In happier streak news, Jose Iglesias extended his hitting streak to 19 games, the longest active streak in the majors.
Justin Verlander tossed six innings of three-run ball, finishing his year with a 5.48 ERA in 90.1 innings. This makes it official that the Mets will not have to pay him the $17.5 million they would have owed him if he threw 140 innings, per Michael Mayer of MMO.
Hayden Senger was in Milwaukee as an emergency catching option a day after Francisco Alvarez left with back spasms. Alvarez was not in the starting lineup, but pinch-hit in the eighth inning and stayed in the game at catcher.
Latest MLB News
Triple Crown watch?! Shohei Ohtani will lead the National League in home runs and RBIs and trails Luis Arráez by four points in batting average (.314-.310) entering the final day of the season. That’s a lot to make up in one day, but Ohtani is known for performing ridiculous feats.
Marlins manager Skip Schumaker told his team that he will not return in 2025, according to ESPN’s Jeff Passan.
Anthony Rizzo fractured two fingers on his right hand when he was hit by a pitch Saturday. Manager Aaron Boone said the injury was a “pain tolerance thing” and Rizzo may be good to go for the playoffs.
Brewers OF Sal Frelick, who was hurt leaping into the wall in foul territory against the Mets on Friday, suffered a contusion on the muscle that protects his pelvis. He was walking with the help of a crutch Saturday and it is unlikely that he will be ready for the start of the playoffs.
The Padres are shutting down shortstop Ha-Seong Kim, who has been out with a shoulder injury since August, per AJ Cassavell of MLB.com.
Latest on MMO
Chris Bello writes that he wants Francisco Lindor in the lineup, but not in the field. Carlos Mendoza must have heard him.
Rich Sparago shares some funny 1962 Mets anecdotes in light of the White Sox breaking their record for losses in a season.
On This Date in Mets History
2018: David Wright gets his Citi Field send-off. The captain caught the first pitch from his 2-year-old daughter, drew a standing ovation and was honored with a video tribute. He went 0-for-1 with a walk and made an emotional exit ahead of the fifth inning, replaced by Amed Rosario. Wright appeared as a pinch-hitter in the previous game, which marked his first action since 2016.
1975: Casey Stengel, who managed the Mets to a 175-404 record from 1962-66, dies at 85. Stengel’s No. 37 was the first uniform number retired in Mets history. He was a Hall of Fame manager who won 10 pennants and seven championships with the Yankees.
Born On This Date: Jake Reed (1992), Heath Bell (1977).
