2022 MLB Playoffs: Mets complete 10-day disaster with Game 3 wild-card loss

By Deesha ThosarFOX Sports MLB Writer

NEW YORK — In 10 days, the Mets’ 2022 season quickly deteriorated.

On Sept. 28 at Citi Field, the Mets celebrated a come-from-behind win against the Marlins because it meant they could fly to Atlanta with a one-game lead in the National League East. All they had to do was win one game against the Braves in the three-game series that took place Sept. 30 to Oct. 2 at Truist Park. One win would’ve essentially ensured that the Mets would earn their first division title since 2015. 

Instead, the worst-case scenario happened: They were swept by the Braves.

And so the Mets flew back to New York with heavy hearts, knowing Atlanta had all but secured its fifth consecutive NL East crown, but they still had a shot in the postseason, where it’s anyone’s game. The Mets headed into the playoffs with 101 wins, same as the Braves and the second-most victories in franchise history.

In the Wild-Card Series, the Padres decisively took Game 1, ambushing Max Scherzer with four home runs and gaining the edge in the three-game set. The Mets roared back and took Game 2, chasing left-hander Blake Snell after 3⅓ innings and leaning on their stars to rally the offense. As manager Buck Showalter has said multiple times this season, everything the Mets wanted was right in front of them.

The Mets lost 6-0 to the Padres on Sunday at Citi Field, ending their season by playing just three games in their first postseason appearance in six years. The loss — the finality of it all after the Mets registered 101 wins in the regular season — capped a disastrous 10 days for a 2022 club that fizzled out when it mattered most.

Chris Bassitt allowed three earned runs on three hits and was removed from his start after four innings. He seemed thrown off by both the PitchCom device in his ear and San Diego’s hitters, who kept stepping out of the box to mess up with his rhythm. While Bassitt crumbled in two critical outings — he gave up seven earned runs, six hits and six walks across just 6⅔ innings in his last two starts against the Braves and Padres combined — it didn’t matter much because the Mets offense was absent.

Padres beat Mets to move on to NLDS

The San Diego Padres beat the New York Mets 6-0 behind Joe Musgrove’s great performance. Musgrove went seven innings, struck out five and allowed just one hit.

Padres right-hander Joe Musgrove limited the Mets to one measly hit across seven innings pitched. In the bottom of the sixth, Showalter trotted out of the dugout and went straight to first-base umpire and crew chief Alfonso Marquez to request a check on Musgrove. The Mets suspected the pitcher was using an illegal sticky substance, perhaps on his shiny ear. But after a thorough pat-down yielded no disciplinary action against Musgrove, the righty returned to work and continued his attack on the Mets lineup.

On Sunday, the atmosphere at Citi Field quickly went from nervous-but-excited to funereal. The Padres played better than the Mets in every department: pitching, hitting, defense, gamesmanship — you name it. 

The crowd, surprisingly not a sell-out at 39,241, started streaming for the exits in the top of the eighth inning.

Deesha Thosar is an MLB writer for FOX Sports. She previously covered the Mets for the New York Daily News. Follow her on Twitter at @DeeshaThosar.

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