Francisco Lindor makes history as Mets continue playoff push - ESPN

CHICAGO — With one blow on a perfect early autumn night, a Francisco Lindor blast made all kinds of history. For the Mets, though, there remains only one kind of history to make — the one that lands them in the postseason.

The Mets helped themselves in that regard in knocking off the Cubs 8-5 on Thursday behind another veteranlike outing from dynamic rookie righty Nolan McLean, who struck out a career-high 11 batters and scattered five Chicago runs while pitching with a sizable lead. New York escaped the key series at Wrigley Field with a big series win.

Still, with three games to go, the Mets haven't locked down anything.

«We've got to go out there and take care of business,» Lindor said. «The teams that are out there fighting for the playoffs are really good teams, so we have to go out there and get it done.»

McLean got plenty of help in a drama-free win at a time when nothing has been easy for the Mets. Lindor's 30th homer in the third pushed New York's early advantage to 3-0, and Brett Baty's three-run shot in the fourth broke the game open.

Next up is Miami, and the Mets will fly to Florida still in control of their own fate in the race for the National League's last wild-card spot. New York leads Cincinnati by one game and Arizona by two, but the Mets would lose a tiebreaker against either club should they finish with identical regular-season records.

«You want to stay alive,» Lindor said. «We're in a position right now where we control our own destiny. But we've got to go take care of business. The Marlins have played as well, and we know that.»

Lindor's homer was notable for several reasons. Lindor, who has swiped 31 bases this season, now has his second career 30-30 season, making him just the second primary