Meet the Mets
In the penultimate game of a season to forget, the Mets had themselves a satisfying 7-1 victory over the Nationals. Jonah Tong pitched five innings of one-run ball while striking out nine, and the Amazins slugged three homers—including two from Ronny Mauricio, one from both sides of the plate.
Choose your recap: Amazin’ Avenue, NY Post, Daily News, Faith and Fear in Flushing
The first pitch of today’s game has been moved up to 1:05 pm due to the weather forecast.
Yesterday’s Mets lineup had an unusual
name at shortstop, as Brett Baty received his first career start at the position.
The Mets optioned Jefry Yan yesterday and called up Chayce McDermott.
Tong’s development has continued through the ups and downs of this year, and he will have to battle for a spot on next year’s team.
Kodai Senga heads into the offseason with some uncertainty about his future role with the Mets.
X-rays on Juan Soto’s hand thankfully came back negative after he was hit by a pitch and removed from yesterday’s game.
Francisco Lindor knows his 2026 season can’t become his new normal.
“He’s been great, probably my favorite manager to play for,” said Bo Bichette about Andy Green. The installment of Green as the permanent manager may play a role in Bichette’s decision whether to opt out, writes Max Goodman of NJ.com.
Carson Benge’s rookie 20-20 season and his bright future represent the Mets’ biggest win in an otherwise lost season, writes Will Sammon of The Athletic.
Around the National League East
The Braves enjoyed a comfortable 8-3 win over the Marlins as they prepare for their playoff series this week.
The Phillies, hanging onto their playoff lives, got pummeled by the Rays 12-1 at Citizens Bank Park. However, the Diamondbacks remained one game behind Philadelphia by losing to the Padres 10-7 in a wild back-and-forth affair in San Diego. By winning, the Padres secured the No. 4 seed in the NL and will host the Cubs in the Wild Card Series. Meanwhile, the Phillies’ postseason hopes come down to the season’s final day. If either the Phillies win or the Diamondbacks lose, the Phillies will hold onto the final Wild Card spot in the NL. If the Diamondbacks win and the Phillies lose today, the Diamondbacks will snatch the last playoff berth from the Phillies.
Around Major League Baseball
There wasn’t a dry eye in the house for Justin Verlander’s final start, which featured his daughter come out to the mound as he came out of the game and descended the steps of the dugout with his family.
Meanwhile another legend Max Scherzer hasn’t made a decision about his own retirement yet.
The Yankees and Orioles have also moved the first pitch of their game today to 1:05 pm to accommodate the weather.
The Texas Rangers placed third baseman Josh Jung on the 10-day injured list with a broken right hand yesterday with two games remaining in the regular season. He was hit in the hand by Twins starter Joe Ryan in yesterday’s game.
With an 11-5 victory over the Royals yesterday, the Guardians clinched the AL Central—their third straight division title.
In a historic moment, Christian Yelich was named captain of the Brewers.
This Date in Mets History
The eventual pennant-winning 2000 Mets clinched their wild card spot on this date twenty-six years ago.
