New York Mets Receive Perfect Gift on Off-Day

The New York Mets gained significant ground in the NL Wild Card standings despite not playing a game on Thursday.

Sep 4, 2024; New York City, New York, USA; New York Mets designated hitter Jesse Winker (3) celebrates his grand slam home run against the Boston Red Sox with right fielder Tyrone Taylor (15) and shortstop Francisco Lindor (12) and third baseman Mark Vientos (27) and left fielder Brandon Nimmo (9) during the first inning at Citi Field. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-Imagn Images / Brad Penner-Imagn Images

On Thursday, the New York Mets arguably had an even better day off than Ferris Bueller did in the 1986 comedy film.

They started the day on the outside looking in, trailing the San Diego Padres, Arizona Diamondbacks, and Atlanta Braves in the NL Wild Card race. But without even playing a game, the Mets gained ground on all three by night’s end. 

In the rubber match of a three-game home series against the Colorado Rockies, the Braves could not hold onto an early lead despite a strong outing from Reynaldo López, who struck out 11 and allowed two runs over six innings. Atlanta managed just one run on five hits against Austin Gomber and fell 3-1 to the now 52-89 Rockies. The Braves are now tied with the Mets, putting them in a virtual deadlock for the final NL Wild Card spot. The two teams will meet three more times in the second-to-last series of the regular season with the winner claiming the tiebreaker, as they split their first 10 head-to-head matchups. 

The Mets could be aiming higher than the third Wild Card spot, though. In addition to gaining a half-game on the Braves, they closed the gap on the top two Wild Card teams as well, thanks to some late-game heroics from the Detroit Tigers and San Francisco Giants.

Down 3-0 in the ninth, the Tigers loaded the bases against Padres closer Robert Suárez, who was pitching for the fourth time in five days. With two outs and a full-count, Tigers outfielder Parker Meadows drove a 100.7 mph fastball 361 feet the opposite way for a go-ahead grand slam. Tyler Holton allowed one baserunner in the bottom of the inning but shut the door to secure Detroit’s win. 

Meanwhile, the Diamondbacks also got off to an early lead, forcing reigning NL Cy Young winner Blake Snell out of the game after a 42-pitch first inning. But the Giants rallied to tie it at 2-2 in the fourth, and it stayed that way until catcher Patrick Bailey hit a walk-off ground-rule double. 

Now, the Mets find themselves just three games behind San Diego and 2.5 back of Arizona for the first and second Wild Card spots with 22 games left to play. New York holds key tiebreaker advantages over the Padres, Diamondbacks, and Cubs, who are barely hanging on at this point. 

The Mets (76-64) will open a three-game home series against the Reds (68-73) on Friday, riding a seven-game winning streak after recently sweeping the Red Sox at Citi Field. The Braves will host the Blue Jays, who are also the Mets’ next opponent following Cincinnati.