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 Mets’ loss secured a playoff berth for the Cincinnati Reds, who will go into the postseason as the NL’s final wild-card team and No. 6 seed. They’ll face the Los Angeles Dodgers on Tuesday.
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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 this season.
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.
Pete Alonso, Francisco Lindor and the Mets will watch the postseason from home after a late-season collapse.
(ASSOCIATED PRESS)Mets heartbreak on Alonso line drive in fourth inning
The Mets had their best scoring 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.
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But left fielder Javier Sanoja made a leaping grab to spoil the rally attempt and end the Mets’ half of the 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 Díaz came in.
The Mets had another chance in the eighth inning, with two men on and two outs. But Calvin Faucher struck out Francisco Alvarez with a diving, third-strike cutter to end the threat.
The Mets didn’t get anything going in the ninth, and their season ended on a Francisco Lindor double-play ground ball.
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“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.”
[Get more New York news: Mets team feed]
Alonso announces he’s opting out
Alonso told reporters after the Mets’ loss that he intends to opt out of the remaining one year and $24 million on his contract to re-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, with a 38-55 finish, ceding control of the NL East to the Phillies and allowing the Reds to catch and ultimately overtake them for the final NL wild-card berth. The Cubs and Padres had long since passed the Mets to secure the other two NL wild-card spots before Sunday’s games.
As the No. 6 seed in the NL playoffs, the Reds will be on the road against the No. 3 seed Dodgers in Los Angeles in the wild-card round. The No. 4 seed Cubs will host the No. 5 Padres. The top-seeded Brewers and No. 2 seed Phillies have a bye into the divisional round.
The Mets will watch from home.