Playoff-focused Mets rally, retake control of last wild card - ESPN

CHICAGO — The Mets have a lot of work to do to lock down a postseason return, but a desperately needed comeback at Wrigley Field on Tuesday demonstrated one thing: From here on out, New York is in postseason mode.

«Needed that one,» Mets manager Carlos Mendoza said after cataloging the big moments from his team's win. And how.

The evidence of New York's right-now postseason mindset was all over its 9-7, come-from-behind win over the flagging Chicago Cubs: A short stint by a starter. A long outing by a closer. A cathartic go-ahead homer from a beleaguered catcher. A rally from a deficit that the Mets hadn't overcome in over two years.

For the Mets, the playoffs aren't here, but playoff baseball already is.

«The only thing that I'm focused about is winning and getting back to the playoffs,» Mets catcher Francisco Alvarez said through an interpreter. «Last year, we went to the playoffs and we had a deep run, and I just love the way that that felt.»

The Mets' win coincided with the Reds' 4-2 loss to last-place Pittsburgh, putting New York back into the sixth slot in the NL playoff pecking order after Cincinnati nudged ahead of them on Sunday. The Reds hold the tiebreaker over New York should the teams finish in a tie.

Alvarez's two-run, eighth-inning blast off Chicago reliever Caleb Thielbar capped a rally from an early 6-1 hole. Dating back to May 19, 2023, the Mets had lost 80 straight games in which they trailed by five or more runs, according to ESPN Research

That it was Alvarez striking the key blow ignited the Mets' dugout, which erupted when the ball cleared the ivy-covered wall in left center and settled into the bleachers. Alvarez stopped just before reaching first base and turned to yell at his teammates in the