The Mets have now officially been eliminated from postseason contention.
Even as the Mets got off to a strong start on Wednesday night against the Marlins, the Brewers rode a Ryan Braun grand slam to a six-run first inning against the Reds in Cincinnati. The Brewers went on to win 9-2, officially clinching the second Wild Card spot in the National League.
The Mets had been battling for a Wild Card spot since the end of July, when a stretch of 15 wins in 16 games brought them back into the playoff conversation after an average first half of the season. Despite being one of the better performing teams in the second half of play, the early struggles of the first half and the shaky play down the stretch in September ultimately put the Mets playoff hopes to bed.
"I had a meeting with the guys just now, and I felt like we still had a chance until I saw that 'F' up on the board for final," Mickey Callaway said after the game. "That's how I felt all year, and I thanked them for making that so, because that's what you want. You want everybody in the room pulling in the same direction, and that's what we had all year.
"Did we get to our ultimate goal and get in the playoffs? No, and that stinks. But we fought hard as any team I've ever seen."
The Nationals clinched their spot in the Wild Card game on Tuesday with a win over the Phillies.
The Mets now have just four games remaining on their schedule. If there is a silver lining, the team has clinched their first winning season since 2016, when they won 87 games.
And for players like Pete Alonso, there was plenty to like about this season.
"There are so many positives that came from this year," said Alonso. "We learned a lot about ourselves, and I think what we learned is that we're gritty, we're tough, we can compete. We have some awesome pieces, and the mentality we have, I think there's something extremely special to come.
"When we finally put it together for 162, it's going to be scary."