New York Mets Missed This Golden Opportunity

The Mets missed a big opportunity in the Wild Card race.

Aug 25, 2024; San Diego, California, USA; San Diego Padres center fielder Jackson Merrill (3) celebrates on the field after hitting a walk-off home run against the New York Mets the at Petco Park. Mandatory Credit: Orlando Ramirez-USA TODAY Sports / Orlando Ramirez-USA TODAY Sports

The New York Mets missed a golden opportunity to gain ground in the National League Wild Card race.

On Sunday, the Mets let their series win against the San Diego Padres slip away. After having a 2-0 lead heading into the eighth inning, the tide completely turned.

San Diego tied up the game in the bottom of the eighth inning after the typically dominant Jose Butto allowed a two-run home run to Padres outfielder Jurickson Profar. This immediately flipped the momentum to San Diego's side.

In closer Edwin Diaz's first live game action in four days, he came on to pitch in the bottom of the ninth inning with the game still tied at two. With the hopes that Diaz would force the contest into extra innings, 21-year-old phenom Jackson Merrill had other plans as he crushed a walk-off home run to win the game for San Diego.

This loss came at a major cost for the Mets as they continue to try to gain ground on the Atlanta Braves for the final Wild Card spot in the NL.

The Mets enter a new week 2.5 games out of a playoff spot in the National League pic.twitter.com/9Kdy6H0okA

— SNY Mets (@SNY_Mets) August 26, 2024

After the Braves lost their game against the Washington Nationals, the Mets could have gained a game on them to make their deficit just 1.5 games in the playoff race. However, with their crushing loss to the Padres, they remain 2.5 games back with 31 games to go in the regular season.

The Mets will stick on the west coast and have another daunting task at hand. They are set to take on the red-hot Arizona Diamondbacks, who hold the top Wild Card position and have won six in a row, for a three-game series in the desert beginning on Tuesday.

With the clock ticking down on the season, the margin for error only continues to grow slimmer for the Mets, who are currently on the outside looking in on the playoff picture. They must take at least two out of three from Arizona, but it won't be easy.