The New York Mets weren’t expected to make it this far, and neither were the Milwaukee Brewers.
But now they are set to face off in a best-of-three NL Wild Card Series starting Tuesday in Milwaukee.
These two teams should be familiar with each other. The Mets just finished a series in Milwaukee on Sunday before heading to Atlanta for a doubleheader on Monday that determined the last two playoff spots in the NL. A split in that doubleheader sent the Braves and Mets to the playoffs while eliminating the Arizona Diamondbacks.
Now, the Mets return to Milwaukee for an unexpected postseason matchup.
“We’ve answered the bell,” New York first baseman Pete Alonso said during the team’s celebration on Monday after clinching a playoff spot. “We’ve earned the right to play in the postseason. Now this is when we have a great opportunity in front of us.”
The Mets finished with a 75-87 record in 2023 and were 22-33 near the end of May, but they rallied under new manager Carlos Mendoza to secure the last wild-card spot in the NL.
“There were a lot of times this year when it would have been easy for these guys to start pointing fingers, and that never happened,” said Mets president of baseball operations David Stearns. “They hung together, believed in each other, and it allows us to get to a moment like this, which is pretty cool.”
Milwaukee was an even bigger surprise, winning its second straight NL Central title.
The Brewers lost their manager Craig Counsell to the rival Chicago Cubs in the offseason. Two-time All-Star pitcher Brandon Woodruff missed the entire season after shoulder surgery, and 2021 Cy Young Award winner Corbin Burnes was traded to Baltimore in January. Milwaukee also lost pitchers Wade Miley and Robert Gasser to Tommy John surgeries. Christian Yelich hurt his back and didn’t play after July 23.
Despite all this, the Brewers never wavered. They took over the NL Central lead near the end of April and maintained it for the rest of the season.
