For the San Diego Padres, Game 3 of the National League Wild Card playoff series was a colossal success. But as a rule of thumb, every time one team enjoys success, another must suffer through failure. That was the case for San Diego’s opponent, the New York Mets.
The Mets battled on Saturday, defeating the Padres 7-3 to keep their season going and bringing the Wild Card series to one final, winner-take-all game. But any good vibes that New York had in Game 2 did not transfer to Game 3. San Diego scored a pair of runs in the second inning and for all intents and purposes, that was it.
Trailing 4-0 in the sixth inning, manager Buck Showalter tried to get something going by asking the umpires to inspect Padres pitcher Joe Musgrove for illegal substances. But that proved fruitless. Nothing was found and Musgrove dominated the Mets through the seventh inning. Musgrove was relieved by Robert Suárez, who pitched a perfect eighth inning. Josh Hader did the same in the ninth, ending New York’s season.
The Padres move on to the NLDS against the Dodgers with a 6-0 Game 3 win over the Mets. pic.twitter.com/QJoe5pEsSC
— The Comeback (@thecomeback) October 10, 2022
In some ways, 2022 was a dream season for the Mets. They won 101 games and led the National League East nearly all year. But for those reasons, the dream was also a nightmare. New York was swept by the Atlanta Braves in the penultimate series of the year, losing its grip on a division that it once held a seemingly insurmountable lead in.
That could have been rectified with a good playoff performance but it was not meant to be. And when the Mets were eliminated, the MLB world was
FINAL: Padres 6, Mets 0
New York's 101-win season ends by getting one-hit in a winner-takes-all game in which Buck Showalter had Joe Musgrove’s ears checked for foreign substances. Nothing showed up. Kinda like the Mets.
Meanwhile, Padres-Dodgers next. Rematch of the 2020 DS.
— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) October 10, 2022
Mets doing the trumpet thing now. pic.twitter.com/3yk2gKPmXI
— Zachary Levine (@zacharylevine) October 10, 2022
Congratulations to the Mets on taking the title of New York’s Most Expensive Failure away from the NYPD
— Richard Staff (@RichardStaff) October 10, 2022
Fantastic Mets season, lots of great moments from the most likable team they've put out there in literal decades, and as one last act of fan appreciation they're going to get their postseason over with before the scheduled start of The Rookie on ABC. First class all the way.
— David Roth (@david_j_roth) October 10, 2022
Yet another season that ends with no parade
— Evan Roberts (@EvanRobertsWFAN) October 10, 2022
Mets spent $259.2 million this past offseason (3rd-most) and own the highest payroll in baseball ($282.7M).
They led the NL East for 170+ days out of the total possible 181 days.
They lost the division and were eliminated in the first round of the playoffs.
— Danny Vietti (@DannyVietti) October 10, 2022
