Mets lead Braves 8-7 in first doubleheader to clinch NL playoff spot; Braves against the wall

ATLANTA – There have been stranger victory scenarios in the stadium, but not many. In a chaotic, exciting and heartbreaking first game of a rain-delayed playoff qualifying doubleheader, the Mets rode a six-run eighth inning and a ninth comeback to top the Braves 8-7 and clinch a spot in the 2024 National League to secure playoffs. Atlanta, which took a 3-0 lead in the eighth and a 7-6 lead in the ninth, had just a few minutes to regroup and prepare for the second half of the doubleheader, which is now a It’s an all-or-nothing game for the Braves.

The task for both teams heading into Monday’s doubleheader was straightforward, if not easy: win one of the two games and advance to the wild-card round of the National League playoffs. Win both and enjoy the added bonus of knocking your rival out of the postseason – and helping the Arizona Diamondbacks secure the final spot.

Meanwhile, the D-Backs could only watch, wait and hope for victory.

So Game 1 was not an elimination game. No matter what happened in Game 1, there would be a Game 2 that started 30 minutes after the Game 1 finale. That meant that while there was urgency, there was no urgency about winning or going home. Both teams started slowly, as if they were working their way up to playoff intensity.

Atlanta sent rookie Spencer Wechselbach to the mound, and he responded by pitching the first six Mets in order.

In the top third, New York’s Tyrone Taylor hit a bizarre side-spin slow roller that went from a 20-foot foul back into fair territory:

Taylor grabbed second place and moved up to third with a sacrifice, but fell by the wayside there.

In the bottom half of the third, Atlanta’s Michael Harris II hit a single up the middle and Ozzie Albies followed up with a 392-foot home run off Mets starter Tylor Megill to break the scoreless tie and give the Braves a 2-0 lead to take the lead.

The Mets’ first serious threat came in the top of the fifth on back-to-back singles by Pete Alonso and JD Martinez. But Schlafenbach managed to end the challenge and retire the next three Mets in turn.

Ramon Laureano opened the bottom of the sixth with a home run that narrowly cleared the left-center field wall, extending Atlanta’s lead to 3-0. A two-out single from Gio Urshela spelled the end of the afternoon for Megill. Reliever Huascar Brazobán coaxed a lineout from Harris, negating the Braves’ threat, leaving two men on base.

And then the Mets finally woke up. Taylor ended Schlafenbach’s day in the top of the eighth, doubling to start the inning. That brought Atlanta manager Brian Snitker to the mound, and thresholdsbach left to a standing ovation from the Atlanta fans. On his second throw, substitute Joe Jiménez gave up a double to Francisco Alvarez, who scored Taylor. Starling Marte followed with a single to put runners on the corners – and the winning run at first – with no one out. Francisco Lindor followed with a single that scored Alvarez, cut Atlanta’s lead to 3-2 and chased Jiménez without recording an out.

Raisel Iglesias, Atlanta’s new pitcher, fared no better, allowing a game-ending single to Jose Iglesias. Mark Vientos flew up the middle and scored for Lindor, giving New York its first lead of the day at 4-3. Brandon Nimmo then thundered a 405-foot home run to right to double the Braves’ lead, 6-3, and effectively silence most of the Truist Park crowd.

The Braves staged a huge comeback in the bottom of the eighth, putting runners on the corners with one out. Pinch-hitter Jarred Kelenic then hit a deep strike to first base, cutting the Mets’ lead to 6-4. Mets reliever Edwin Díaz loaded the bases, and Albies – who had hit a two-run home run in the third – doubled off the top of the left field wall to clear the bases and give Atlanta the lead again.

But the delirium of Braves fans was short-lived. Atlanta sent Pierce Johnson to the mound to shut out the Mets in the ninth. Marte hit a two-strike single to left, and then Lindor blasted a 413-foot home run to right-center to retake the lead, 8-7. Atlanta couldn’t respond in the bottom of the ninth.

The victory takes the pressure off the Mets, who have now secured a playoff spot, and puts a zero burden on the shoulders of the Braves – and the Diamondbacks, too, who are sweating in Arizona and praying for a game in New York. Margin Burden 2 victory that would give Arizona the sixth and final playoff spot.

Although the Mets are in the playoffs, New York’s exact fate at the end of Game 1 remains uncertain. A win in Game 2 and they would secure the No. 5 seed and face San Diego; one loss and they would be No. 6 and face Milwaukee. Atlanta, meanwhile, faces Game 2 in the elimination game and wonders what could have happened.

Now it comes down to the final playoff spot of the 2024 season in the final game. As it should.