Postseason berths have not been customary occurrences for the Chicago Cubs or New York Mets in recent years, but both MLB clubs changed that this year.
The Cubs are going back to the playoffs for the first time since 2008 after clinching on Friday night. Chicago did not win their game against the Pittsburgh Pirates, but the San Francisco Giants lost to the Oakland Athletics, which earned the Cubs an NL wild-card spot.
The @Cubs threw themselves a slightly belated but very enthusiastic clinch celebration: https://t.co/pCzfwu9Wal pic.twitter.com/dyPBfcWF6S
— Cut4 (@Cut4) September 26, 2015
Chicago lost again to the Pirates on Saturday and will need a miracle to get home-field advantage for the NL wild-card matchup, but it's likely they'll face Pittsburgh - who've they've had a lot of success against this year - in that game.
While the Cubs lost and clinched, the New York Mets have won three in a row (scoring a total of 28 runs) against the Cincinnati Reds to clinch the NL East for the first time since 2006. It's also the Mets' first postseason appearance since 2006.
#Mets fans, this is for you! #TheEastIsOurs! #LGM pic.twitter.com/CD7xkRdvZF
— New York Mets (@Mets) September 26, 2015
New York (88-67) took an 8.5-game lead over the Washington Nationals with their win on Saturday, and with seven games to play the Nats will be unable to catch the Mets.
Matt Harvey likely made his final start of the season against the Reds on Saturday and tossed 6 2/3 innings, giving up two runs on nine hits. First baseman Lucas Duda smashed a grand slam in the first inning and the Mets never looked back.
New York will likely face the Los Angeles Dodgers in the NLDS, which makes for a number of intriguing pitching matchups.
