Reds Clinch Final MLB Playoff Spot As Mets Bats Go Quiet In Season-Ending Loss To Marlins

It’s been decided. The New York Mets will be watching October baseball from home, while the Cincinnati Reds will be fighting for a title.

Heading into Sunday, the final day of the regular season, both teams had an 82-79 record. For the Mets to get in, they needed a win over the Marlins and a Reds loss in Milwaukee. Cincinnati needed either a win or a Mets loss.

Thanks to the New York bats going silent when the Mets needed them the most, the Reds punched their ticket.

To be fair, the Reds left their fate out of their hands. Despite holding a 2-0 lead, the Brewers fought back and won 4-2. The Mets, with a lineup featuring Francisco Lindor, Pete Alonso, and $765 million dollar man Juan Soto, just had to generate enough offense to overcome Miami’s four runs.

Instead, they got zero.

It should have been a lot more. In the fifth inning, Alonso hit the hardest ball any Mets player had this season, only for it to go for an inning-ending lineout (with the bases loaded).

What a cruel outcome.

The Mets would never seriously threaten after that, as they only recorded five hits the entire game.

This means the Reds reached the playoffs for the first time after a full season since 2013 (they made the postseason in the COVID-shortened 2020 campaign). Their reward? Playing the Los Angeles Dodgers, but I doubt there’s anyone in Cincinnati who fears them at the moment.

With the final spot clinched, here’s what the MLB playoffs look like on both sides of the bracket.

Sadly for Mets fans, they’ll have to wait a year for another chance to make the field.