Live stream will be available after this brief ad from our sponsors
Local SportsContestsEvents

Mets Locked Into Wild Card Round, MLB Playoffs Now Set

Despite sweeping a double-header from the Washington Nationals, the New York Mets are locked into the wild card round thanks to the Atlanta Braves winning the National League East. Atlanta…

Alvarez and MeGill

NEW YORK, NEW YORK – OCTOBER 04: Francisco Alvarez #50 and Tylor Megill #38 of the New York Mets celebrate the win over the Washington Nationals during game two of a double header at Citi Field on October 04, 2022 in the Flushing neighborhood of the Queens borough of New York City. The New York Mets defeated the Washington Nationals 8-0. (Photo by Elsa/Getty Images)

Despite sweeping a double-header from the Washington Nationals, the New York Mets are locked into the wild card round thanks to the Atlanta Braves winning the National League East.

Atlanta clinched the division with a 2-1 win over the Miami Marlins on Tuesday night. The Mets swept a double-header from the Washington Nationals 4-2 and 8-0 on Tuesday. But New York, despite winning 100 games this season -- the fourth time ever in franchise history the Mets won 100 games in a single season -- New York will have to settle for the wild card.

The Mets will now open the postseason on Friday night at Citi Field against the San Diego Padres who locked in the fifth seed with a 6-2 win over the San Francisco Giants. The Philadelphia Phillies are the sixth seed after a 10-0 loss to the Houston Astros.

The Padres went 5-2 against the Mets during the regular season.

New York will mostly likely try to align Jacob deGrom to start Game 1 on Friday night against Yu Darvish. The Mets could go with Chris Bassitt on full rest for Game 2 on Saturday and have Max Scherzer ready for a potential deciding Game 3 on Sunday. If the Mets sweep, they'll have Scherzer ready for Game 1 of the Division series in Los Angeles.

Here is what the Playoff bracket now looks like...

In the American League, the Yankees stand as the number 2 seed with 99 wins. They will try to be the fifth Major League to 100 wins with a win in the regular season finale on Wednesday. The Yanks will await the winner of the Cleveland-Tampa Bay series. If Cleveland should beat Tampa, than the Guardians will head to Yankees Stadium for the division series next week. If Tampa wins, than the Rays will head to Houston (the number 1 seed) and the winner of the Seattle-Toronto series will face the Yankees in the division series.

Regardless, the Yankees will be well rested with at least four days off to rest its pitching staff.

Gerritt Cole, who set the Yankees single season strikeout record on Tuesday night will get the ball for Game 1 of the Division Series, with Nestor Cortes the likely Game 2 starter. It will be fascinating to see how Aaron Boone manages the rest of the rotation between Frankie Montas, Jameson Tallion and Luis Severino. At least one of said pitchers will have to come out of the bullpen during that series.

Michael Cohen is the News and Sports Director at Fox Sports Radio New Jersey and Magic 98.3 FM, as well as a radio production assistant with Fox and Magic in New Jersey. He started his career in Somerset in 2018 initially as a news fill-in at WCTC 1450 AM, and soon moved up to higher responsibilities in the ensuing years, assuming News & Sports Director title in 2021Prior to his time with Fox Sports New Jersey, Michael was play-by-play voice for New Jersey Jackals baseball, and as well as play-by-play and color for the College of Staten Island basketball (men and women), softball and baseball. Michael began his career as a news and sportswriter with the Jersey Journal of Hudson County.