The New York Mets clinched the National League East on Saturday with a 10-2 victory over the Cincinnati Reds. It's the team's first division crown since 2006.
MLB on Fox tweeted out the news:
As is customary following a momentous victory like this, the Mets celebrated with a lovely champagne shower in the locker room, via the team's official Twitter feed:
The Mets came into the season as World Series long shots and NL East underdogs. Now, they are championship contenders.
David Wright, who was a first-round pick by the Mets in 2001 and is the last remaining vestige from the 2006 team that went to the NLCS, expressed his pride after the victory, via Anthony DiComo of MLB.com:
Back in March, the Mets were listed at 28-1 to capture the Commissioner's Trophy and 5-1 to win the division, per Dayn Perry of CBS Sports. The Washington Nationals were overwhelming favorites in the East, with 1-3 odds—the biggest favorites in baseball.
To say this was an unexpected run by the Mets is an understatement, as Bart Hubbuch of the New York Post noted:
While the Nats struggled to reach their high expectations, the Mets rode on the shoulders of a dominant starting rotation into the driver's seat.
The trio of Jacob deGrom, Matt Harvey and Noah Syndergaard headlined a staff that also featured Bartolo Colon and Jonathon Niese. Former Atlanta Braves star John Smoltz gave the group high praise when comparing it to the Braves rotations of the 1990s, per Daniel Popper of the New York Daily News.
"They're way better," Smoltz said. "They've got more talent than we could ever have."
It took a while for the offense to start carrying its fair share of the load, though. The Mets sent out lineups during the early months that featured retread veterans and untested prospects, which prevented the team from reaching its potential.
Things finally started to change with the acquisition of Yoenis Cespedes from the Detroit Tigers. His MVP-level performance at the plate, combined with a second-half surge from Curtis Granderson and the return of David Wright, gave the offense a much-needed boost.
On Saturday, though, Lucas Duda provided the early fireworks with a grand slam in the first inning, per MLB:
This win has to be especially sweet for Mets manager Terry Collins. As recently as July 3, there were rumblings about whether the team was planning to fire its skipper in the middle of his fifth season, per ESPN.com's Adam Rubin.
Now, as noted by CBS Sports' Jon Heyman, Collins will go to the postseason for the first time as a manager:
Collins previously managed the Astros (1994-96) and Angels (1997-99), finishing in second place in each season from 1994 to 1998.
As the Mets began to pull away from the pack in the East, the focus shifted to Harvey. A disagreement between the organization and the ace's agent, Scott Boras, took center stage as the sides debated a potential innings cap during his first season back from Tommy John surgery.
Harvey tried to extinguish the firestorm by posting a message on the Players' Tribune, stating he would make himself available for the postseason:
As an athlete, when your surgeon explains to you the risks of exceeding a certain number of innings, it can be alarming. You listen. I love to play baseball and I love winning even more. I would not give that up for anything. I also know I want to be able to play and win for a long time. But there has never been a doubt in my mind: I will pitch in the playoffs. I will be healthy, active and ready to go.
Fittingly, Harvey started Saturday's clincher and got the win after throwing 6.2 innings of two-run ball. He had nine strikeouts and no walks, needing just 97 pitches to earn the win.
Now the question is what form he'll be in after the team has tried to limit his workload down the stretch. It's a delicate balancing act and one where there's no right answer since every pitcher's situation is different.
If Harvey pitches at the level fans have become accustomed to when he's healthy, no one can count the Mets out in the National League. Teaming him with deGrom and Syndergaard will make life difficult for any playoff foe.
The postseason questions will be answered in time. For now, the Mets have a division title to celebrate.
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