The New York Mets are in the MLB playoffs. They punched their ticket with a wild 8-7 win over the Atlanta Braves in Game 1 of Monday’s doubleheader, and will play when the wild-card round begins on Tuesday.
The two games were postponed last week because of Hurricane Helene, adding some chaos to the MLB playoff picture ahead of the start of the wild-card series on Tuesday.
With the Mets winning Game 1 and securing their spot in the postseason, the Braves must win Game 2 to get in as well. If they split the doubleheader, they’re both in and the Diamondbacks are out. To break it down a bit further…
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Atlanta is in with a win. The Braves can be only the No. 5 seed.
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New York gets in with a win. If the Mets win one Monday, they are the No. 6 seed. If they win both, they are the No. 5 seed.
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Arizona gets in if either Atlanta or New York sweeps the doubleheader. The D-backs can be only the No. 6 seed.
How to watch Mets-Braves
Date: Monday, Sept. 30
Time: 1:10 p.m. ET (Game 2 begins approximately 40 minutes after Game 1 ends)
Channel: ESPN2
Location: Truist Park | Atlanta
Follow along with Yahoo Sports for live updates throughout the day in Atlanta.
Live39 updates
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1st inning: Mets 0, Braves 0
Matt Olson strikes out looking with Marcell Ozuna on first base.
Joey Lucchesi pitches a scoreless, hitless 1st inning for the Mets.
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Marcell Ozuna walks on 7 pitches
The Braves may have something cooking in the 1st with Marcell Ozuna drawing a walk and bringing Matt Olson to the plate with two outs.
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1st inning goes 1-2-3 for Atlanta
Good start for Grant Holmes, retiring the first three Mets batters. He struck out Luisangel Acuna and Brandon Nimmo.
Michael Harris II, Ozzie Albies and Marcell Ozuna coming up for the Braves to face Joey Lucchesi.
Albies went 2-for-3 with a home run and 5 RBI in Game 1.
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How we got here
If you’re joining us for Game 2 of this doubleheader between the Mets and Braves, New York won a thrilling Game 1, 8–7.
Atlanta took a 7–6 into the 9th inning, but Francisco Lindor’s 2-run homer put the Mets back on top to stay.
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Diamondbacks and their fans are Mets fans this evening
A Mets win in Game 2 will eliminate the Braves and put the Diamondbacks in as the NL’s No. 6 seed in the postseason.
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Grant Holmes starts for Braves in Game 2, replacing Chris Sale
Rookie Grant Holmes gets the starting nod in a must-win Game 2 for the Braves. Going into Monday, he notched a 3.78 ERA in 25 appearances (six starts) with 63 strikeouts in 64 1/3 innings.
The Braves have scratched Chris Sale with back spasms.
Grant Holmes will start with their season on the line.
— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) September 30, 2024
Holmes pitched 1 2/3 innings on Sunday, throwing 21 pitches, so he’s likely just an opener for Atlanta in what will be a bullpen game.
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Chris Sale wins National League pitching Triple Crown after being scratched from Game 2
With the Braves’ season on the line, Chris Sale was been scratched for Game 2.
On the bright side, Sale will win the National League pitching Triple Crown with a 2.38 ERA, 18 wins and 225 strikeouts for the season. He’s the first NL pitcher to do so since 2011, when Clayton Kershaw led the league in the three major categories.
Chris Sale has been scratched from this start with back spasms.
— Grant McAuley (@grantmcauley) September 30, 2024
With Tigers pitcher Tarik Skubal winning the AL Triple Crown, it’s also the first time since 2011 that pitchers in both leagues have won the Triple Crown in the same season.
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It’s over! Mets win 8-7 and are headed to the postseason!
It was an improbable, back-and-forth game, but the Mets managed to come out on top after being down 3-0 to start the 8th inning.
This game involved two separate comebacks and two separate vital home runs. Brandon Nimmo clubbed a two-run homer in the 8th, and Francisco Lindor hit a two-run homer in the 9th to recapture the lead for the Mets.
Read the full story here.
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Diaz trying to seal postseason berth for Mets
The Mets are three outs away from clinching just the 11th postseason berth in Mets history.
Despite his troubles in the 8th, Diaz is out for the 9th. And after one pitch, he has one out as Matt Olson pops up.
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You cannot keep the Mets down! Lindo smashes 2-run homer!
Francisco Lindor may have singlehandedly saved the Mets from trying in Game 2. He smashes a towering two-run homer (his 33rd of the year) to put the Mets ahead 8-7. Is this game for real?
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Braves take the lead!
Diaz almost walked the second straight batter on four pitches, but on 3-0, Ozzie Albies doubled and cleared the loaded bases. The Braves retake the lead 7-6!
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Now Diaz loads the bases…
Diaz may be melting down. After failing to cover first base, he walks the next batter on four pitches.
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Edwin Diaz allows a run after not covering first base
Diaz makes an untimely and possibly tragic mistake, not covering first base on a speedy grounder that could have been an out. A run scores, but the Mets still lead 6-4. The difference? Nimmo’s two-run jack. Without that, the Mets are in even more trouble than they are now.
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Will the Braves get any runs back?
Oh boy. After Mets reliever Phil Maton allowed two of the first three hitters to reach, the Mets are calling on their closer, Edwin Diaz, to get five outs on his second straight day of work. Oh, and he threw 30 pitches on Sunday in a 5-0 win.
Let’s see how this works out.
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Brandon Nimmo clubs two-run homer, crushes Braves spirits
The Mets were 0-47 when trailing by three-plus runs in the 8th inning. Until today. Until Brandon Nimmo jacked this two-run homer against the Braves.
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Mets tie it 3-3 on Jose Iglesias single!
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Mets making comeback, now 3-2 in the 8th
The Mets are one run away from tying up the game in the eighth inning. Starling Marte singled, and then Francisco Lindor followed that with a single to score Francisco Alvarez. Braves still lead 3-2, but there are no outs in the eighth inning.
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The Mets are aliiiiiiive!
The Mets have a heartbeat in the 8th! Jimenez allowed a double up the third base line on his first pitch, scoring Taylor to make it 3-1.
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Mets get lead-off double from Tyrone Taylor
The decision to keep Schwellenbach in to start the 8th inning backfired on manager Brian Snitker immediately. Schwellenbach battled Tyrone Taylor in an 11-pitch at-bat that resulted in the Mets’ first extra-base hit of the day.
Despite the XBH to Taylor, Schwellenbach was outstanding. He’s been replaced by righty reliever Joe Jimenez.
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Schwellenbach pitches into 8th, will it come back to bite them?
The Braves must be feeling confident because they’re letting Schwellenbach pitch into the 8th inning for the first time. That’s quite a risk to take at an important time, but you don’t win games by being careful. Will it pay off
