It comes down to three more games in Miami.
After the Mets' 8-5 win over Chicago on Thursday night, New York won its three-game series with the playoff-bound Cubs and the team is feeling good. They hit well, pitched well and played some really good defense to stay one game ahead of the Cincinnati Reds for the final wild-card spot.
"Got three more, you feel good," Mets manager Carlos Mendoza said after the game. "It’s a good series win against a really good team that is already in the playoffs. We faced some really good arms and that is a good lineup."
Although winning two of three from the Cubs was impressive, Mendoza knows they can't overlook the Marlins. Miami, who took three of four from the Mets in Citi Field at the end of August, will look to play spoilers after being eliminated from postseason contention earlier Thursday evening.
"You walk away from this series feeling good but you still have to go out there and take care of business in Miami," Mendoza added. "We’re in this position, but we’re still in control."
"We feel good. We feel like we have to go down there and handle business," Brett Baty said of the upcoming weekend series. "We can’t think about winning three games because we got to win tomorrow night. We’re going to focus on tomorrow night and try and get a W and see where things are at. And keep fighting until the end of the season."
The Reds defeated the Pirates hours before first pitch for Mets-Cubs, so New York had some extra pressure heading into their game. If they lost, they would have lost control of their own destiny. Cincinnati holds the tiebreaker with the Mets, so even if both teams finish the 2025 regular season with the same record, the Mets will be the odd team out.
But the Mets played really well. Starter Nolan McLean struck out 11 batters and gave the Mets 5.1 solid innings while the offense put up eight runs, three of which came off the bat of Baty's home run that gave the Mets a cushion they would not relinquish. And then the bullpen tossed 3.2 shutout innings in relief of McLean to leave Chicago with two wins.
New York will enter Friday's series opener with not just a one-game lead over the Reds, but also a 78.1 percent chance at making the postseason, according to FanGraphs. But the Mets aren't looking at odds or scoreboard watching. They know they just have to win their games and they are in.
"We control our own destiny, so we have to go out there and take care of business," Francisco Lindor said. "At the end of the day, the teams that are fighting for playoffs are really good teams. And we have to get it done. No one cares what we’re going through; we have to get it done. This series in Miami is a must for us."
While the Mets are in Miami for three, the Reds travel to Milwaukee to take on the Brewers for a three-game set to end the regular season.
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