Around 6:00 P.M. on September 18, 2019, it seemed like it was time to call it. The Mets team was about to lose two out of three to the Colorado Rockies to drop 4.5 games out of the Wild Card with 10 games remaining in the season. While this Mets team has come back a number of times after being left for dead, potentially being down five games with 10 games remaining in the season was far too tall a hurdle.

Then, the players Mickey Callaway inexplicably held back in the sixth, Wilson Ramos and J.D. Davis, started a ninth inning rally. Brandon Nimmo would tie the game with an RBI single, and the Mets would take the lead after Jeff McNeil and Pete Alonso each drew walks to force home the go-ahead run in what a four run rally to give the Mets a 7-4 win.

This was the first of two late inning rallies which helped keep the Mets hopes alive.

In Chicago, the Cincinnati Reds had seemed a bit snakebitten. Heading into the ninth inning, Reds pitching had allowed just three hits, but the game was still tied 2-2. It was the result of the Cubs scoring a run in the fourth without recording a hit, and a seventh inning homer from Willson Contreras.

In the 10th, the Reds put together a two out rally with Jose Iglesias hitting an RBI double to give the Reds a 3-2 lead. In the bottom of the inning, Victor Caratini hit a one out double, but the Cubs were not able to drive him home. As a result, the Cubs would lose their second straight game right before they welcome the St. Louis Cardinals to Wrigley for a pivotal series.

The Cubs would not lose their spot as the second Wild Card because the San Diego Padres hung on for dear life in their 2-1 victory against the Milwaukee Brewers.

Eric Thames would draw a leadoff walk against Kirby Yates, who has walked just 2.0 batters per nine this year. The game should have been over as the pinch runner Tyrone Taylor was too far away from the bag when Cory Spangenberg popped out to short. Instead, Seth Mejias-Brean threw it away to allow Taylor to get to second.

Ryan Braun, who had delivered a game winning grand slam against the Cardinals just three days prior, entered the game as a pinch hitter. Rather than walk him with the base open, Yates pitched to him, and he would strike out Braun on four pitches.

With those three unexpected wins, the Mets are now three games back with 10 to play improving their postseason odds to 5.8 percent. That’s double than what they were after they lost the series opener to the Rockies on Monday. No, those aren’t great odds, but then again, the odds of the Mets, Reds, and Padres all winning yesterday weren’t great, and that still happened.