The New York Mets and Atlanta Braves played out one of the all-time classic MLB doubleheaders on Monday.
The Mets somehow won the first game despite trailing going into the ninth, while the Braves regrouped to win the second, with both teams dramatically sealing their spots in the postseason.
When Francisco Lindor stepped up to the plate in the top of the ninth inning in Game 1, the Mets were trailing the Braves 7-6 and an NL Wild Card berth was slipping away from them.
Squaring up to pitcher Pierce Johnson, Lindor swung and hit a two-run homer to put his team back ahead, prompting wild celebrations in the stands. The Mets clung on in the bottom of ninth to clinch an 8-7 victory and their spot in the postseason.
They had trailed for much of the game as the Braves got a clutch performance from rookie pitcher Spencer Schwellenbach, who allowed just one run over more than seven innings.
Meanwhile, a two-run homer from Ozzie Albies saw Atlanta take a 3-0 lead going into the top of the eighth. But the Braves bullpen combo of Joe Jiménez and Raisel Iglesias allowed five earned runs in just 1/3 of an inning, capped by a two-run homer from Brandon Nimmo, to give the Mets a 6-3 lead.
In a rollercoaster eighth, the Braves bounced back with four runs to retake the lead at 7-6 after a bases-loaded, three-run double from Albies, seemingly ending the Mets’ challenge for the postseason until Lindor’s homer.
“I’ve said it from day one, I believe we have the team to do special things,” Lindor said afterward, per MLB.com. “It was on us. Before the game, destiny was on us. We controlled our own destiny. We had an opportunity today to come out and do something special, and we did.”
That victory left the Braves needing to win the second game of the night in order to secure their own spot in the postseason. Following a tough defeat and then losing ace Chris Sale, who was a late scratch with back spasms, things seemed gloomy for Atlanta.
However, journeyman pitcher Grant Holmes pitched four shutout innings, allowing only a hit, while the Braves bullpen stood tall to complete a 3-0 shutout victory to clinch a playoff berth.
Gio Urshela drove in a run on a single in the sixth inning, while Marcell Ozuna added two insurance runs with a single in the bottom of the seventh inning in the Braves’ victory.
“This (regular season) took us to the edge more than any other,” Braves chairman Terry McGuirk said afterward, according to MLB.com. “If you had any nerves left after today, you were a superman.”
