Mets clinch top wild-card spot, Cardinals close in on Giants
There are only two days left in the 2016 regular season, but there are still lots of postseason spots and seedings up for grabs. Although all six division winners have been crowned, the wild cards remain a tight race in the American and National League, and home field advantage in two of the Division Series has yet to be determined.
Keep up with all of the Saturday action right here, as we’ll run down each game that has an impact on the playoff race and let you know how each win or loss affects October.
Mets 5, Phillies 3: Mets clinch NL wild-card berth
It’s official: The NL wild-card game will be in New York. With Saturday’s win over the Phillies, the Mets have locked up a postseason spot by clinching the No. 1 wild card. A two-run homer from James Loney was the difference, breaking a 2–2 tie in the sixth. Now, as New York celebrates its second straight postseason berth, the team will wait to see which of St. Louis or San Francisco will be making the trip to Queens on Oct. 5 to determine who will face the Cubs in the NLDS.
Cardinals 4, Pirates 3: St. Louis stays alive
The Cardinals will take their season down to the wire thanks after a come-from-behind win over Pittsburgh keeps them mathematically alive in the wild-card hunt. Facing elimination with a loss, St. Louis rallied from a 3–0 deficit in the sixth, plating three runs in that frame, then jumped ahead for good on a Jedd Gyorko home run in the eighth. With the 4–3 win, the Cardinals now have 86 victories on the season; a Giants loss to the Dodgers will drop St. Louis and San Francisco into a tie for the second wild-card spot. If the Giants win, however, the Cardinals will remain one game back with just one game left and will need a win on Sunday and a San Francisco loss to secure a postseason spot.
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