MILWAUKEE – Next stop: Atlanta; Final destination: to be determined.
The New York Mets handled their own business with a 5-0 victory over the Brewers Sunday afternoon in Milwaukee but have yet to clinch a postseason berth thanks to a loss by the Braves and victory by the Diamondbacks.
New York Mets Head To Atlanta, Hoping To Return To Milwaukee
That means the Mets spent their Sunday night traveling to Atlanta for a doubleheader Monday in order to make up for the two games wiped out earlier this week by Hurricane Helene and depending on how those two contests play out, will either hop on a return flight to Milwaukee, head west to San Diego or in the worst-case scenario, endure a long, frustrating flight back to New York.
The Braves and Mets head into the doubleheader with identical 88-72 records, putting them .001 ahead of Arizona, which finished the regular season 89-73 after a victory over the Padres Sunday in Phoenix. Whichever team wins game one of the doubleheader will clinch one of the two remaining berths while a split would put both the Braves and Mets in the postseason and eliminate the Diamondbacks.
In that scenario, the Braves would earn the No. 2 Wild Card and fifth seed in the field and open the Wild Card series Tuesday in San Diego, while the Mets would earn the third and final Wild Card berth, making them the sixth seed and head back to Milwaukee for a rematch with the Brewers.
“We have a chance,” Mets manager Carlos Mendoza said. “We’ve got to play and we need one more. We feel good.”
MLB’s Handling Of The Situation
In a way, the organized chaos that made the Monday doubleheader necessary and meaningful made things easy for MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred. He had the option to cancel the doubleheader if seeding were the only matter remaining to be decided.
The situation has been controversial since last weekend. Weather forecasts began to suggest the potential for rainouts before the Mets headed south to Atlanta.
Feathers will still be ruffled thanks to the added travel and lack of rest before starting the postseason.
“I wish MLB would push the playoffs back a little bit,” outfielder J.D. Martinez said. “I think it’s an unfair advantage to the team we’re going to play. We know what’s on the line. You’re going to scratch to win those games and then turn around and get on a flight after you’ve already blown out the day be.
“It’s going to be a tough task. We’ve just got to suck it up and find a way to get through it.”
Main Photo Credits: Michael McLoone-Imagn Images
