Three clubs have recently challenged the New York Mets for the last NL Wild Card position. The Arizona Diamondbacks would have had a fantastic revenge tale for the Mets’ tie-breaking victory against them in the season series last year. The San Francisco Giants would have questioned New York’s decision to sell to the Mets. Lately, the Cincinnati Reds have been making the last push.
It’s hardly the most disappointing narrative because they were the only one of the three teams to buy at the trade deadline. However, with a tie-breaker over the Mets after winning four of six regular-season games, they are the last club we want to see go forward. That is not to overlook the fact that the Diamondbacks are one game behind the Giants, who also have a few breaths left.
If it comes down to a tie-breaker, we can blame one pitching decision.
The first relief pitcher decision in the second half of 2025 might cost them a playoff spot
It was July 18, and the Mets relievers were well rested for the second half. The Mets and Reds met for the first time in 2025. After 69 pitches, Carlos Mendoza removed Sean Manaea, who led 2-1. It was understandable given that it was his first start back from the IL, after making one relief appearance immediately before the All-Star Break. The error was to make Alex Carrillo the first man out of the bullpen.
The Reds took the lead after hitting a two-run home run with two outs. For whatever reason, the Mets persisted with Carrillo for an extra inning. After a leadoff home run, it was time to pull the plug. Did they? Nope. He stayed in the game and hit another two-run homer before being pulled.
A fully rested Mets bullpen was totally underused, with Brandon Waddell replacing Carrillo and ending the game. The choice was poor, considering Carrillo had given up runs in each of his first two major league appearances before to this one. And because the Mets lost this game 8-4, they set themselves up for a disappointing regular season series against the Reds.
It counts a lot in the closing days of the season since the Reds and Mets have identical 80-76 records. The first tiebreaker is head-to-head. Nothing will alter between the Reds and the Mets. They played their last game against each other, with Cincinnati taking the lead, beginning with the decision to call Carrillo from the bullpen and stick with him for too long.
Mets fans understand how significant tiebreakers are. The Mets won the season series against the Arizona Diamondbacks last year, and as a consequence, they qualified for playoffs. Losing a tie-breaker would be the rotten cherry on top of an otherwise disastrous season for the Mets.
