PHILADELPHIA – In a year that has been so impossible, the improbable has happened.
Vin Scully said it the other way around in his iconic Kirk Gibson home-run call in 1988. But for the 2016 Mets, what seemed liked an impossible situation only six weeks ago turned into an improbable outcome Saturday afternoon.
Terry Collins’ crew – devoid of David Wright, Matt Harvey, Jacob deGrom and Steven Matz, among others – completed its surge to a National League wild-card berth with a 5-3 victory Saturday over the Phillies at Citizens Bank Park.
For only the second time in franchise history, the Mets have reached the postseason in consecutive years. As the No. 1 seed in the wild-card game, they will host either the Giants or Cardinals on Wednesday at Citi Field.
“This year was much tougher, we had a lot of people that were injured,” Bartolo Colon said in a champagne-soaked visitor’s clubhouse. “It was hard just to get here to get to this one game that we’re going to play right now.”
The Mets had plummeted to two games below .500 with a loss in San Francisco on Aug. 19, but have been the hottest team in the major leagues since then, with a 27-12 eruption fueled by rookie pitchers Seth Lugo and Robert Gsellman to replace hurting deGrom and Matz. The return of injured Yoenis Cespedes, Asdrubal Cabrera and Jose Reyes propelled the lineup, with others – such as Curtis Granderson and lately Jay Bruce – emerging from slumps.
“If you’re going to play in our town, you better have heart and you better have character to play in New York City,” Collins said. “You’re going to get knocked down and you better be able to get back up, and I think we did that.”
At their lowest point in August, the Mets were 5 ½ games behind in the race for the NL’s second wild card.
By clinching Saturday, the Mets can now avoid using ace Noah Syndergaard in the regular-season finale and start him Wednesday in the wild-card game.
The Mets last reached consecutive postseasons in 1999 and 2000, both times as the wild-card entry.
“With the talent that we have, one thing, we never gave up,” Reyes said. “All the credit has to go to Terry for keeping this team together after all the injuries and what happened to us. We’re still in this situation? This is unbelievable.”
With the Mets clinging to a one-run lead in the eighth, Cabrera delivered an RBI single that gave Jeurys Familia an extra cushion before the closer recorded his 51st save in 56 chances this season. It became official with Michael Conforto’s diving catch on Aaron Altherr’s sinking line drive to left field.
James Loney sent the Mets on their way to the victory celebration with a two-run homer in the sixth against David Hernandez that gave the Mets a 4-2 lead. The homer was the Mets’ 106th on the road this season, setting a franchise record. The blast gave the Mets 218 homers overall this season, extending the club record.
“We can win,” Loney said. “We have a great dynamic, all-around team, I don’t feel there is a particular weakness.”
Colon (15-8) followed a clunker in Miami last Monday with a more respectable performance, in which he allowed two earned runs on five hits with six strikeouts over five innings.
“It’s very meaningful for me,” the 43-year-old Colon said, referring to the significance of getting the win. “Especially given my age, you think it would be hard to believe I could be here at this age, but here we are, so I’m proud of it.”
Colon had been a consideration to pitch Friday on short rest, but informed team brass he needed the extra day. His next start would likely come Friday, against the Cubs in the NLDS, if the Mets were to advance past the wild-card round.