Author: rincon

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Four months after dropping 11 games under .500, the New York Mets earned a playoff berth a day after the regular season was supposed to end.

With an 8-7 win at Atlanta in the opener of a makeup doubleheader on Monday behind Francisco Lindor’s ninth-inning homer, the Mets advanced to a best-of-three NL Wild Card Series starting Tuesday at Milwaukeex or San Diego. If New York wins the second game, it would play at the Padres. If the Mets lose the nightcap, they would play at Milwaukee.

New York overcame an 0-5 start to advance to the postseason for just the 11th time in 63 seasons. The Mets then rebounded from deficits of 3-0 in the eighth inning and 7-6 in the ninth to beat the Braves in Monday’s opener. And the big hit was by Lindor, who returned Friday from a back injury that had sidelined him since Sept. 15.

A 10-3 loss to the Dodgers on May 29 completed a three-game Los Angeles sweep at Citi Field by a combined 18-5. New York dropped to 22-33 in its first season under manager Carlos Mendoza and was six games out of the last wild-card berth and needing to overcome seven teams.

Lindor called a players’ only meeting. As players explained it, the Mets aired some issues in the clubhouse that day and committed themselves to positivity, effective preparation and a team-first approach dedicated to helping each other and winning games.

“We just opened the floor and talked about ways we can turn it around,” outfielder Brandon Nimmo said then. “Just felt like a boiling-over point.”

Since then, with Lindor leading the charge, they have the best record in the majors at 67-39. They have outscored opponents 541-430.

Baseball’s biggest spenders since Steve Cohen bought the team ahead of the 2021 season, the Mets reached the playoffs in 2022 only to lose a three-game Wild Card Series to San Diego. The Mets sank to 75-87 last year, when they had a record $319.5 million payroll and were assessed a record $100.8 million luxury tax.

They began this year as the top spender again at a projected $321 million, including $70 million in payments to teams covering salaries of traded players Max Scherzer, Justin Verlander and James McCann. Their projected luxury tax was $83 million.

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Reporting by The Associated Press.

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The San Francisco Giants have named former catcher Buster Posey their new President of Baseball Operations and fired Farhan Zaidi.

Chairman Greg Johnson made the announcement Monday after the Giants finished 80-82 in manager Bob Melvin’s first season — with one more victory than a year earlier. San Francisco won the NL West in 2021 but hasn’t made the playoffs since.

The 37-year-old Posey joined the club’s ownership group in September 2022, less than a year after his retirement in November 2021.

“As we look ahead, I’m excited to share that Buster Posey will now take on a greater role as the new President of Baseball Operations,” Johnson said in a statement. “We are looking for someone who can define, direct and lead this franchise’s baseball philosophy and we feel that Buster is the perfect fit. Buster has the demeanor, intelligence and drive to do this job, and we are confident that he and Bob Melvin will work together to bring back winning baseball to San Francisco.”

Zaidi was hired away from the rival Los Angeles Dodgers in November 2018.

“We appreciate Farhan’s commitment to the organization and his passion for making an impact in our community during his six years with the Giants,” Johnson said. “Ultimately, the results have not been what we had hoped, and while that responsibility is shared by all of us, we have decided that a change is necessary.”

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The Miami Marlins have parted ways with Skip Schumaker, ending the 2023 NL Manager of the Year’s two-season stint with the team.

The Marlins went 146-178 under Schumaker, who was hired in 2022 as the franchise’s 16th manager. His contract was for two years with a club option for the 2025 season, which the team voided earlier this year.

“It has been a tremendous honor serving as manager of the Miami Marlins. I’ve built long-lasting friendships with the staff and players and am proud of all that we accomplished together,” he said.

In his first season, Schumaker led the Marlins to their first playoff appearance in a non-pandemic year since 2003. They made the postseason despite a minus-57 run differential and eventually were swept by the Phillies in their NL wild-card series.

Miami underwent significant changes in its front office this past offseason, including parting ways with general manager Kim Ng, who was responsible for hiring Schumaker and building the roster that made the playoffs.

The Marlins’ 2023 success did not carry over to this season, and after a 0-9 start that was the worst in franchise history, new President of Baseball Operations Peter Bendix sent two-time batting champion Luis Arraez to the Padres for four prospects in a move that prompted a small fan protest over the direction of the franchise.

Schumaker remained optimistic throughout the Marlins season, in which they went 62-100 and were without 2022 Cy Young winner Sandy Alcantara, opening day starter Jesus Luzardo and right-hander Eury Perez because of injuries.

“We’ll turn this around,” Schumaker said in April.

But another rebuild is on the horizon for the Marlins after they traded away their veterans with big league salaries for prospects. Star center fielder Jazz Chisholm Jr. was dealt to the Yankees, and first baseman Josh Bell, outfielder Bryan De La Cruz, relievers Tanner Scott and Bryan Hoeing also were traded.

Schumaker — who played for World Series-winning clubs in St. Louis in 2006 and 2011 — joined the Marlins after spending the 2022 season as the Cardinals’ bench coach. He had been a first-base coach and associate manager for San Diego from 2018 through 2021, then joined the Cardinals’ staff.

He becomes the latest in a revolving door of managers in Miami.

“The Marlins will immediately begin the process of searching for the next leader to serve as our new field manager,” said Marlins owner Bruce Sherman.

In the club’s 32-year history, only Don Mattingly has managed the team for more than four seasons, lasting from 2016 through 2022.

Reporting by The Associated Press.

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Charlie Morton gave up a three-run homer to Michael Massey in the first inning and the Atlanta Braves squandered a chance to clinch a postseason berth, losing to the playoff-bound Kansas City Royals 4-2 on Sunday in what was supposed to be the final day of the regular season.

Atlanta hosts a doubleheader Monday against the New York Mets, a makeup of two games that were rained out last week between the NL East rivals as Hurricane Helene slashed through the southeastern U.S.

Atlanta and the Mets are both 88-72, and Arizona finished 89-73. If either team sweeps Monday, the Diamondbacks reach the playoffs. But if the doubleheader is split, the Mets and Braves advance and Arizona is out because the Braves and Mets hold the tiebreaker edge over the Diamondbacks.

Before recording an out, Morton gave up a leadoff double to Tommy Pham, a single to Bobby Witt Jr. and Massey’s homer.

Morton (8-10) surrendered four runs on five hits with two walks and three strikeouts over 4 1/3 innings.

The 40-year-old was drafted by the Braves in 2002 and made his MLB debut for Atlanta in 2008. He made what could be his final major league start and was given a small ovation after manager Brian Snitker pulled him in the top of the fifth inning.

Atlanta had ample opportunity to score more than two runs but went 1 for 9 with runners in scoring position.

Alec Marsh (9-9) allowed one earned run over five innings for the win. Kris Bubic pitched a scoreless ninth for his first save.

Reporting by The Associated Press.

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Shohei Ohtani went 1 for 4 and fell short in his bid to become the National League’s first Triple Crown winner since 1937, stealing his 59th base to help the Los Angeles Dodgers rally past the Colorado Rockies 2-1 on Sunday in Charlie Blackmon’s final game.

Ohtani finished the regular season leading the NL in homers (54) and RBIs (130). His .310 average trailed San Diego’s Luis Arráez (.314) in the batting race.

The charter member of the 50-50 club, Ohtani swiped his 59th base during the eighth-inning rally.

The last NL Triple Crown winner was St. Louis Cardinals outfielder Joe Medwick in 1937. In the AL, Detroit’s Miguel Cabrera won the Triple Crown in 2012.

Chris Taylor tied the game in the eighth with his first homer since July 7. Soon after Austin Barnes swiped third as part of a double steal with Ohtani. Rockies reliever Seth Halvorsen appeared to get his cleat caught in the dirt in his delivery and stopped. He was called for a balk to bring home Barnes.

[Related: How Shohei Ohtani, without half his powers, rewrote MLB history again and went 50/50]

Evan Phillips (5-1) earned the win and Edgardo Henriquez closed out the ninth for his first career save, among 14 Dodgers with saves this season.

The Dodgers wound up a major league-best 98-64, breaking a string of four straight full seasons with 100 or more wins (they went 43-17 during the pandemic-shortened 2020 season). The NL West champions open the Division Series on Saturday and have home-field advantage throughout the postseason.

Sam Hilliard launched a 476-foot shot into the right field third deck to give the Rockies a 1-0 lead in the second, the fourth-longest in the major leagues this season.

Starter Ryan Feltner scattered two hits over six strong innings in a no-decision. Reliever Victor Vodnik (5-4) took the loss.

It was an emotion-filled afternoon for Blackmon, who went 1 or 2 in his 14th and final season — all with the Rockies. He was lifted for a pinch-runner after his single in the third.

Blackmon was honored in a pregame ceremony and trotted out to center field all alone to soak in the applause. He leaves as the franchise’s all-time leader in triples and second behind Hall of Famer Todd Helton in games played and runs scored.

Colorado (61-101) has back-to-back 100-loss seasons. The team went 59-103 last season. The Rockies saw 2,540,195 fans attend games at Coors Field this season. Last year, the attendance at the hitter-friendly ballpark was 2,607,935.

Before the game, Rockies manager Bud Black sidestepped the topic of his expiring contract.

“I’m not talking about me. You know that,” Black playfully said. “Thank you for not asking.”

Reporting by The Associated Press.

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