The New York Mets lost 4-0 to the Miami Marlins in their season finale Sunday, completing a collapse from first place before the All-Star break to out of the playoffs.
The loss by the Mets secured a playoff berth for the Cincinnati Reds, who will go into the postseason as the NL’s final wild-card team.
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New York and Cincinnati went into Sunday’s regular-season finale tied in the standings. The Reds held the tiebreaker thanks to winning four out of six games against the Mets.
A 4-2 loss by the Reds to the Brewers opened the door for New York. But the Mets didn’t plate a run with their season on the line as the rival Marlins relished their spoiler role. Per MLB Network, Miami’s home scoreboard didn’t post the Reds-Brewers score in a cheeky bit of subterfuge against their NL East rivals.
Mets heartbreak on Alonso line drive in fourth inning
The Mets had their best chance in the fourth inning with the bases loaded and All-Star slugger Pete Alonso at the plate. Alonso hit a line-drive laser to left field that looked good for extra bases had it landed. But left fielder Javier Sanoja made a leaping grab to spoil the rally attempt and end the Mets’ half-inning without a run.
With their season on the line, the Mets brought in All-Star closer Edwin Díaz in the fifth inning while facing a 4-0 deficit. He got his job done, but it didn’t matter in the face of New York’s quiet bats and a committee of five Mets pitchers who surrendered fours runs before him.
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The Mets had another chance with two men on and two outs in the eighth inning. But Calvin Faucher struck out Francisco Alvarez with a diving third-strike cutter to end the inning.
The Mets didn’t get anything going in the ninth, and their season ended on a Francisco Lindor double-play ground ball.
“I take responsibility,” Mets manager Carlos Mendoza said of the collapse after Sunday’s loss. “I’m the manager. It starts with me. I’ve got to take a long look here, how I need to get better.”
Alonso announces he’s opting out
Alonso, meanwhile, told reporters after the loss that he intends to opt out of the remaining one year and $24 million on his contract to test free agency in the offseason.
From best MLB record to out of the playoffs
The Mets were in first place and had the best record in baseball on June 12 at 45-24. From there, they lost seven straight and 10 of their next 11 games.
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They went on to post seven- and eight-game losing streaks in the second half of the season and limped down the stretch to a 38-55 finish, ceding control of the NL East to the Phillies and allowing the Reds to challenge and ultimately overtake them for the final NL wild-card berth. The Cubs and Padres had long comfortably passed the Mets to secure the other two NL wild-card spots before Sunday’s games.
As the No. 6 seed, the Reds will face the No. 3 seed Dodgers in the wild-card round. The No. 4 seed Cubs will play the No. 5 seed Padres. The top-seeded Brewers and No. 2 seed Phillies have a bye into the divisional round.
The Mets will watch from home.
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