Livescore
The Mets’ playoff-clinching win at the Atlanta Braves was not lost on Brandon Nimmo and Pete Alonso, who have seen the highs and lows as two of the franchise’s longest-tenured players.
“There’s been a lot of hard work around here,” Nimmo said after Monday’s 3-0 loss in Game 2, which followed Game 1’s 8-7 thriller and set the Mets (89-73) up for a Wild Card Series against the NL Central-champion Milwaukee Brewers that begins Tuesday. “There’s been a lot of grinding. Nobody thought, back in April — outside of this clubhouse — that we were going to make the playoffs and we had any shot.
“And we were able to go out and go through some really, really tough times and find ourselves on the other side and pull ourselves up and really rally together, have each other’s backs and be able to culminate in this. The job’s not done, but we’re sure going to enjoy this tonight.”
New York went 1-5 against Milwaukee (93-69), including this past weekend’s 1-2 series in which Mets were outscored by a 19-4 margin, but Alonso and company know what awaits.
“They’re a talented bunch,” Alonso said. “They play great, fundamental baseball. They got great arms, and they’ve done a really good job of having timely hits throughout the course of the year. So they’re a really good ballclub, very well-balanced. And they’re going to be a tough opponent, but I think we’ll be ready.”
While the Braves (89-73) also have a quick turnaround as they go across the country and face the 93-69 San Diego Padres, who earned the top Wild Card spot, the Mets head back up to Milwaukee with a clean slate.
“Milwaukee’s an amazing team,” Nimmo said. “We just played ’em. There’s a reason that they won the Central. They’re very, very good. They have the best bullpen in the NL, very good starters. They hit well, they get hits at the right time — clutch hits — they run the bases well, so all-around great team. But we’re going to enjoy this, and then we’ll worry about them tomorrow.
“But it’s something that — what we did today and what we’ve done this season is something that should be enjoyed, and we will. But tomorrow, we’re back to business and we haven’t had that off day before the playoffs to even really think about it. So it’s just like another regular-season game, and let’s go play and have fun.”
For a team that started the season 0-5 — the first three losses against the Brewers — and was 22-33 in late May, the Mets have firsthand experience of how quickly things can change.
“We’ve answered the bell, and we’ve earned the right to play in the postseason,” Alonso said. “Now, this is when we have a great opportunity in front of us. Take it day by day, series by series and we’ll see how far this thing can go.”
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