Mets playoff watch: Where they stand in postseason race
New York Mets starting pitcher Robert Gsellman reacts against the Philadelphia Phillies during an MLB baseball game at Citi Field on Sunday, Sept. 25, 2016. Credit: Kathleen Malone-Van Dyke
The champagne will be on ice in Mets’ clubhouse tonight.
With three games left on their schedule, the Mets (85-74) hold the first position in the NL wild card standings and have a chance to clinch a postseason berth tonight. The San Francisco Giants sit one game out in the second wild-card spot following their 7-2 win over the Rockies. The St. Louis Cardinals sit one game behind the Giants after a 4-3 win over the Reds.
If the Mets win the opener of their three-game series with the Phillies and the Cardinals lose their series opener against the Pirates, the Mets will clinch one of two NL wild-card berths.
The Mets and Giants are currently in position to make the postseason, but it remains tight. In the event of a tie between the Mets and Giants at season’s end, the Mets would hold the tiebreaker and host the wild-card game.
A three-way tie for the two wild-card slots would result in a one-game playoff between the top two teams for the first slot, followed by a matchup of the first game’s loser and the third team to determine the second slot. Based on current tiebreakers, the Cardinals would host the Mets in the first extra game, with the loser facing the Giants to determine the second wild card in the event of a three-way tie. The first winner would then host the second winner in the wild-card game.
