CHICAGO — It may not seem like it as they struggle to lock up a postseason berth, but in some ways, at least, the Mets have been quite fortunate.
They are fortunate that the Reds have played sub-.500 ball since late July, and that the Diamondbacks sold off key pieces at the Trade Deadline. They are fortunate that their loss on Wednesday didn’t lose them any ground in the National League Wild Card race.
And they are fortunate that a bizarre play on Thursday resulted in two runs they very much needed in an 8-5 win over the Cubs at Wrigley Field.
The win allowed the Mets to maintain a one-game edge over the Reds for the final NL playoff spot. The Diamondbacks, with a loss to the Dodgers, fell two games behind with three to go. New York will play its final games this weekend against the Marlins in Miami.
“You feel good, obviously — it was a good series win here against a really good team that is already in the playoffs,” manager Carlos Mendoza said. “We faced some really good arms. That’s a good lineup as well. You walk away from this series feeling good, but you’ve still got to go out there and take care of business in Miami. … We’re still in control.”
The Mets’ latest bit of fortune unfolded after they put two men in scoring position with one out in the first inning. Mark Vientos hit a popup behind third base, where both third baseman Matt Shaw and shortstop Swanson chased after it in foul ground. When the two converged, Shaw bumped Swanson and fell down. Swanson retained his footing for long enough to catch the ball while falling into the stands.
As he did, Swanson flipped the ball back to Shaw, who fired home to cut down Francisco Lindor at the plate.
Rule 5.07(b)(3)(C) states that “if a fielder, after having made a legal catch, should step or fall into any out-of-play area, the ball is dead and each runner shall advance one base, without liability to be put out, from his last legally touched base at the time the fielder entered such out-of-play area.”
In other words, Lindor was allowed to score freely, while Pete Alonso moved to third.
“I had an idea of what the rule was, but [third-base coach Mike Sarbaugh] did a great job,” Lindor said. “So credit to Sarby. He’s the one that told me, ‘Go, go, go, go.’ He told me to come back and tag, and then he told me, ‘Go, go, go, go.’”
Cubs manager Craig Counsell could only challenge whether Swanson actually entered an out-of-play area, but a replay review confirmed that ruling. The next batter, Brandon Nimmo, made the Cubs pay even further with an RBI single to score Alonso.
“You’re taking a chance, because they scored a run,” Counsell said of his challenge. “The netting causes problems with that play. In the end, it’s the umpires’ judgement. Was he in the stands? I mean, he’s not in the stands, because there’s a net there. His butt’s on the railing. In [umpire D.J. Reyburn’s] opinion, he was in the stands.”
The episode gave the Mets an early cushion, which they would very much need. Although they knocked around Cubs starter Shota Imanaga for eight runs, three of them coming on a Brett Baty homer, Nolan McLean allowed three homers of his own. While McLean struck out a career-high 11 batters, he also gave up five earned runs — one fewer than in his first seven career starts combined.
“A win’s a win,” McLean said afterward, feeling rightly blessed.
To be clear, the Mets are not in this position entirely because of luck. Their 45-24 record through June 12 was the best record in baseball at that time, giving them enough cushion to withstand what came next. Lindor hit his 30th home run on Thursday, completing his second consecutive 30-30 season alongside Juan Soto, who has gone 40-30.
McLean has been one of the best rookies in baseball.
But it helps this time of year to be a little fortunate.
“The teams that are fighting for the playoffs are really good teams,” Lindor said. “We have to go get it done. Nobody really cares what we’re going through. It’s part of it. We have to go get it done.”
