Tag: Atlanta Braves

MLB fans loved seeing the classy moment that the Braves’ Michael Harris II shared with the Padres crowd

So much respect.

The Atlanta Braves saw their season come to an end on Wednesday after a two-game sweep in the wild-card series with the Padres. But Michael Harris II likely left San Diego with plenty of respect among Padres fans.

While much of the Braves lineup struggled to produce runs in the two games, Harris had himself an incredible series. He went 5 for 8 with a home run in the two games along with some stellar defense. And after he brought the Braves within a run of the Padres in Game 2, the ESPN cameras caught an awesome exchange between Harris II and Padres fans.

Harris went out of his way to give one Padres fan a baseball and then dapped up another fan.

We’re so used to seeing home fans torment visiting outfielders, particularly in the playoffs. But this series was clearly different.

Fans loved seeing that moment of respect play out in the postseason.

This was how Twitter/X reacted

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Fernando Tatis Jr. blasted Max Fried in the butt with a line drive

Ouch! That’s got to hurt.

The Atlanta Braves were fighting for their 2024 season on Wednesday night in San Diego against the Padres.

Pitcher Max Fried quite literally took one for the team during the MLB playoff elimination game, as Padres superstar Fernando Tatis Jr. accidentally hit a line drive right into Fried’s backside. 

It’s hard to tell exactly where Tatis accidentally hit Fried’s posterior region, whether it was right on the butt or on his hip. However, it sure didn’t look pleasant.

It was a solid hit by Tatis, but equal kudos to Fried for hanging in there after getting accidentally blasted in the buttocks region.

That’s playoff baseball for you!

Feature image courtesy of ESPN. 

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The Mets did the Braves a huge favor on Brandon Nimmo’s 9th-inning double play in Game 2

D-backs fans should be fuming.

After the Mets’ thrilling Game 1 doubleheader win against the Braves on Monday, New York locked up a playoff spot and went into Game 2 with no incentive to compete. That became awfully clear in the ninth inning.

Despite hanging around for much of the game, the Mets ultimately lost Game 2, 3-0, giving their NL East rivals a trip to the postseason. And the Mets should probably expect a thank you card from Brian Snitker for one play in particular.

With no outs and a runner on first in the ninth, Brandon Nimmo hit a grounder between first and second that required Ozzie Albies to make a spinning attempt at the lead runner. But Nimmo — usually a full-effort player — ran about half speed to first as the Braves turned the double play. Yet, replays would show that Nimmo clearly beat the throw to first even with his low-intensity pace.

The Mets could have (and should have) challenged the call, and Nimmo would have been ruled safe. Mets manager Carlos Mendoza, though, didn’t make the signal to the umpiring crew and allowed play to continue. Pete Alonso grounded out to end the game a pitch later.

So, yeah, that was a massive favor from the Mets. It’s easy to understand why Nimmo wouldn’t want to risk injury with Champagne waiting on ice for him in the clubhouse. But it showed just how unwilling the Mets were to compete once they locked up that playoff spot. They had a celebration to get to and a flight to Milwaukee to catch.

Still, that sequence won’t make Diamondbacks fans happy as they head into a long offseason. It was as big of a gift as you’ll see from a division rival.

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MLB fans absolutely loved the Diamondbacks’ shameless tweet before Mets-Braves Game 2 doubleheader

Well played, D-backs.

When the New York Mets locked up a wild-card spot with their thrilling Game 1 doubleheader win over the Braves on Monday, it answered the first part of the Diamondbacks’ playoff question. And, man, did the D-backs ever jump onboard the Mets bandwagon.

Basically, the three-game tie for two wild-card spots meant that the Braves and Mets would clinch playoff spots with a win in either leg of their doubleheader. But if the Game 1 winner (the Mets) — with nothing to play for — was able to sweep the Braves, it would send the Diamondbacks to the postseason as the National League’s final wild-card team.

So, once that Game 1 went final, the D-backs took to Twitter with a shameless (and excellent) tweet. For one game, they are Mets fans.

Well played, D-backs.

MLB fans also loved how the Diamondbacks embraced this wild final-day scenario.

This was how Twitter/X reacted

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Mets announcer Gary Cohen delivered perfect call after New York stunningly made the playoffs

It was one of the remarkable games in franchise history for the Mets. 

It was one of the remarkable games in franchise history for the Mets.

For a game filled with as much joy and anxiety as the first game of the double-header between the Braves and the Mets, it was only fitting that the final call would match that energy.

Fortunately for fans in New York, the moment that clinched a postseason berth for the franchise was met with commentary that was fitting for all of the excitement.

As the Mets earned the final out of of the game in the bottom of the ninth inning, SNY’s play-by-play announcer Gary Cohen delivered a perfect call.

METS: The unlikely origin story of New York’s OMG sign, explained

He said that “from 0-5 to OMG, the Mets are going to the postseason” in a beautiful, memorable summary of the events.

It is remarkable how far this New York team has come from how the season started to where it is now, clinching an appearance in the playoffs.

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Why Chris Sale isn’t starting Game 2 of Braves-Mets doubleheader

Bad news for the Braves.

Chris Sale is probably winning the National League Cy Young award after the year he’s had for the Atlanta Braves. It made perfect sense that in a must-win Game 2 of Monday’s doubleheader — which is basically a pre-playoffs playoff game, win or go home.

But then news dropped that Sale was scratched from the start. Why? Because of back spasms.

It also would have made sense that the news wouldn’t have come out until after Game 1 so that the Braves knew the result — a win and they could have saved Sale for the playoffs.

Now, they’ll be without him either way.

 

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Mets’ Tyrone Taylor hit the cover off a baseball that bizarrely went from foul to fair

This was super strange.

The New York Mets and Atlanta Braves are playing an intense double-header to determine which teams will make the postseason.

Fans knew the vibes were going to be weird when many realized the smart strategy was for both teams to independently forfeit one of the two games as one way to ensure both teams made the playoffs.

The game got really wonky early in the third inning when Mets outfielder Tyrone Taylor somehow hit the actual cover off the baseball on an infield hit.

Due to the weird bounce caused by the cover coming off, the ball went from likely going foul to barely staying within the lines.

This bizarre trajectory allowed Taylor to beat the throw to first base as he reached safely on an infield single.

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The playoff scenarios for the Braves, Mets and D-backs ahead of Monday’s crucial doubleheader

We’re in for a wild Monday.

Going into Sunday’s potentially final day of the MLB regular season, there were several scenarios that could have led to the cancelation of a Monday doubleheader between the Mets and Braves. Instead, we got the absolute chaos scenario.

With the Braves holding a one-game lead over the Mets and Diamondbacks (along with tiebreakers over both teams), Atlanta just needed a win to clinch a playoff spot. The Braves, though, would lose to Kansas City as the Diamondbacks and Mets both cruised to easy wins.

That left us here: a three-way tie for two spots.

With that tie, the Monday doubleheader will happen in Atlanta, and the Diamondbacks are going to need plenty of help. These are the scenarios at play here.

Braves and Mets split the doubleheader

If the Braves and Mets each win a game on Monday, they both will be in as the final two National League wild-card teams. The Braves — holding the tiebreaker over the Mets — will head to San Diego, and the Mets will be off to Milwaukee. Arizona would be eliminated.

Braves sweep the Mets

The Braves would clinch a playoff berth with the win in Game 1. But if they wanted to play spoiler for their NL East rivals, a two-game sweep would eliminate New York and send the Diamondbacks to Milwaukee for Tuesday’s wild-card series.

Mets sweep the Braves

The Mets would clinch a playoff berth with the win in Game 1. And just like above, an additional win in Game 2 would eliminate the Braves. The Mets also hold the tiebreaker over Arizona, so the Mets would head to San Diego in this scenario. Arizona would play the Brewers.

A mutual forfeit??

This almost certainly won’t happen, but the Braves and Mets would be better suited if each agreed to forfeit one game of the Monday doubleheader. This would eliminate the Diamondbacks while both the Braves and Mets would make the postseason as the No. 5 and No. 6 seeds respectively. This would save both clubs from using pitching and traveling a long distance with minimal rest for a playoff series. I wouldn’t count on this happening. But could you imagine?

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The Mets and Braves should just secretly agree to split their doubleheader and everyone wins

Collusion, schmollusion.

Collusion, schmollusion.

Yes, this is completely biased from a New York Mets fan, but perhaps you can understand why. I’ve lived through enough heartache and late-season collapses to last a lifetime. The LOLMets thing is tough to live with every year.

But this is something that’ll benefit BOTH the Mets and the Atlanta Braves, who come into Monday’s doubleheader that shouldn’t have been with this scenario: if they split the doubleheader, they both make the playoffs as Wild Card teams. The Arizona Diamondbacks would be eliminated.

Sorry, D-Backs fans, but your team went to the World Series last year and last won in 2001. Mets fans NEED this, just to get to the playoffs after a year like this one. After that? Whatever. The postseason is a crap shoot.

This team has been just so darn fun this year. We had the Grimace memes and costumes. There’s the OMG signs. A Mets team that had no business contending for a playoff spot is here. Please, let us have this one thing.

 

So here’s what to do: get Luisangel Acuña to talk to his brother, Ronald. Have some signals from their dugouts exchanged in late innings of Game 2. Scratch of the nose means fastball over the middle coming. A stretch and a yawn means slider away. No one else has to know.

And everyone goes to the postseason happy. I don’t even care that the Braves and Mets have been rivals for 30 years. I’m willing to let them into the playoffs too, just to help our fanbase not collapse under the weight of yet another embarrassing moment in which it felt like the baseball gods wanted another laugh at the Mets’ expense.

Please? Thank you.

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4 scenarios for how the Mets-Braves doubleheader could lead both to the MLB postseason

Monday’s doubleheader between the Mets and Braves will likely determine who gets a wild-card spot, but there are several ways both teams could still get in.

The 2024 MLB wild-card race has certainly been a roller coaster, and while the postseason field is now totally set in the American League, there are still two spots to be claimed in the National League.

As things currently stand, those final spots are occupied by the Atlanta Braves and New York Mets, which both sit at 87-71 and have a tiebreaker over the fourth-place Arizona Diamondbacks (88-72).

There’s only one hangup: The Mets and Braves conclude the regular season with a doubleheader against each other on Monday. Arizona, meanwhile, has just two more games remaining against the San Diego Padres, who have already punched their ticket as a wild card.

While it may seem like that will spell doom for one of them, there are actually quite a few scenarios where both can clinch an MLB postseason spot.

Here’s a brief rundown of how it could happen.

Diamondbacks lose out, Mets and Braves win next 2, split doubleheader

This is easily the most intriguing possible scenario here as it would establish something of a prisoner’s dilemma for the division rivals entering the doubleheader. A split would lock Arizona out of the wild-card race as Atlanta and New York would finish one game ahead of it if they win their next two games ahead of the doubleheader against the Royals and Brewers respectively.

Diamondbacks split, Mets and Braves split next 2, split doubleheader

Because of the tiebreakers both teams hold over Arizona, they actually don’t even need to win both of their games prior to the doubleheader in the event Arizona splits its next two. If both teams split those matchups and then split the doubleheader, they would both still get in ahead of the Diamondbacks thanks to that tiebreaker.

Diamondbacks lose out, Mets and Braves split next 2, split doubleheader

New York and Atlanta don’t need to win their games on Saturday and Sunday to avoid the necessity of a tiebreaker. Even if they split those games, a doubleheader split would still get both into the field if Arizona drops both games to the Padres this weekend.

Diamondbacks win out, Mets and Braves win next 2, split doubleheader

Unfortunately for the Diamondbacks, their fate is not in their hands due to the tiebreak. Even if they win their final two games, wins on Saturday and Sunday from the Braves and Mets followed by a Monday split would create a three-way tie and leave Arizona on the outside looking in.

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