As the leaves begin to turn orange and calendars flip to October, families across the country turn their television screens on to watch America’s pastime in its glorified form.
The Major League Baseball Playoffs began on Tuesday, Oct. 1, with the Tigers taking on the Astros. But before the postseason’s first pitch, the National League Wildcard needed conflict management with three teams: the Atlanta Braves, the Arizona Diamondbacks and the New York Mets vying for two playoff spots. Due to recent rain around the Atlanta area, the Braves and Mets had to postpone their series until after the season concluded, leading to a crucial doubleheader on Monday.
Before getting into the two games themselves, let’s start with the scenarios needed for each team to make the playoffs. For Arizona, they needed either the Braves or Mets to win both games of the doubleheader. For Atlanta and New York, a split of the doubleheader would result in both teams making the playoffs, thus eliminating the Arizona Diamondbacks.
The first game’s scoring began in the bottom of the third inning when the Braves’ Ozzie Albies hit a two-run shot over the left field wall to put Atlanta up 2-0. Atlanta would add another run this time in the bottom of the sixth when Ramon Laureano hit a solo homer to center field.
The Braves entered the eighth inning just six outs away from clinching a playoff berth, but then the Mets exploded, scoring six runs in the inning to take a shocking three-run lead.
However, the Braves responded in a big way, cashing in four runs, with the big hit being a three-run double off the bat of Albies, to take a 7-6 lead heading into the ninth inning. The Mets, now facing their final three outs, looked for their team MVP Francisco Lindor with the game on the line. Lindor smashed the first pitch he saw from Raisell Iglesias for a home run to give the Mets a deciding 8-7 lead. The Mets would go on to win by that score and clinch a playoff berth.
Game two saw the home team Braves in desperate need of a win to save their season. The Braves would throw out right-handed pitcher Grant Holmes. He, along with five other Atlanta pitchers, would combine for nine shutout innings. In terms of offense, journeyman Gio Urshela would knock home Jorge Soler with an RBI single in the second, and Marcell Ozuna would drive home a pair in the seventh inning. The Braves would go on to win and clinch the final playoff berth, breaking the hearts of the Diamondbacks and their fans, but warming those of the Mets, Braves and their supporters.
