Good morning, Mets fans.
The Oakland Coliseum was packed with green and gold as fans said an emotional farewell to the Athletics during their final game in the city on Thursday. The A’s, who’ve called the Coliseum home since 1968, won 3-2 against the Texas Rangers. As Oakland’s last major sports team leaves, following the Raiders and Warriors, many fans voiced mixed emotions. Some even vowed to stop watching MLB, upset with the decision to relocate.
The A’s plan on playing in Sacramento for three years before moving to Las Vegas permanently.
Now onto the morning briefing!
Ed Szczepanski-Imagn Images
The Mets and Atlanta Braves did not play on Thursday due to Hurricane Helene, while the Arizona Diamondbacks had a scheduled day off and the San Diego Padres took a loss to the Los Angeles Dodgers.
New York remains deadlocked with the D-backs for the second Wild Card spot, though it holds the tiebreaker, while sitting a game up on Atlanta. The Mets have also found themselves three games back of San Diego for the top WC spot with the tiebreaker and two contests in hand, though that factor may not come into play depending on if Monday’s doubleheader against the Braves is played or not.
The final game at the Oakland Coliseum had a few connections to the New York Mets. Former Mets draft pick J.T. Ginn notched his first major league win against the Texas Rangers, while his opponent, Kumar Rocker, another former Mets draft pick, took the loss. Former Met, outfielder Travis Jankowski, made the final out of the game to seal the victory for Oakland.
According to Jeff Passan of ESPN, who cited reporting from Juan Arturo Recio of ESPN DR, Tampa Bay Rays shortstop Wander Franco will face trial for sexually abusing a minor. A judge in the Dominican Republic ruled that the evidence and accusations against Franco are strong enough for the case to move forward.
The Los Angeles Dodgers clinched the NL West title Thursday night with a 7-2 win over the Padres. Down 2-0 in the seventh, Will Smith’s two-run homer sparked a comeback, which was followed by key hits from Shohei Ohtani and Mookie Betts. Andy Pages added a two-run homer in the eighth, and Michael Kopech closed it out to secure the Dodgers’ 11th division title in 12 years.
The New York Yankees clinched the AL East for the second time in three years with a dominant 10-1 win over the Baltimore Orioles on Thursday. Baltimore had delayed the celebration with two wins earlier in the series, but Gerrit Cole’s stellar outing combined with home runs from Aaron Judge and Giancarlo Stanton finally sealed it for New York.
Colin Chatto writes about five keys for the Mets’ upcoming series in Milwaukee versus the Brewers.
Mathias Altman-Kurosaki updates the NL Wild Card race leading into the final weekend of the regular season.
2000: The Mets clinched a playoff spot with a 6-2 win over the Braves. Though the Braves led the division, the Mets finished nine games ahead in the Wild Card race. Rick Reed got the win and Edgardo Alfonzo went 2-for-3 with a home run. New York would go all the way to the World Series that year, and then you know the rest.
Born On This Date: Luis Guillorme (1994), John Lannan (1984), Jon Rauch (1978), Jason Phillips (1978), Don Schulze (1962)
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