Seven things to know about the New York Mets, the Milwaukee Brewers' playoff opponent
The Milwaukee Brewers will meet the New York Mets in the wild-card round of the 2024 playoffs, beginning Tuesday at American Family Field. It's the first time the Brewers and Mets have met in a postseason series, and there's at least one obvious subplot to watch.
Here's what you need to know about the Mets (89-73), who were just in Milwaukee over the weekend.
First, the Brewers beat the Mets in five of six meetings this season
In a scheduling quirk, the Brewers bookended their 2024 season with the Mets, opening the season with a series sweep at Citi Field in Queens and closing with the three-game series over the weekend, winning the first two games to force the Mets to go all-out with their pitching for a win Sunday to keep their playoff hopes alive. The Mets had a great September overall (17-9) but fizzled down the stretch with four losses in six games.
Here's a look at the head-to-head meetings this year:
March 29: Brewers 3, Mets 1. Perhaps in retrospect, it can be remembered as the debut of 20-year-old phenom Jackson Chourio, who picked up his first big-league hit and began a memorable season in which he'll finish in the top three of rookie of the year voting and give Brewers fans something big to look forward to. But in the moment, it was known for the benches-clearing incident between the Mets and Brewers, seemingly spurred by former Phillies player Rhys Hoskins sliding into Mets second baseman Jeff McNeil (and Hoskins subsequently giving McNeil a "crybaby" gesture from the dugout). Oh, did we mention the Brewers only allowed one hit in the win? And Christian Yelich homered? And they beat longtime nemesis Jose Quintana in the process?
March 30: Brewers 7, Mets 6. There were plenty of boos for Hoskins, but he still finished with three hits (including his first homer as a member of the Milwaukee Brewers) as the Brewers got out to a big lead and then held on for dear life. William Contreras also had three hits, though Hoby Milner allowed a three-run homer in the eighth, and Abner Uribe allowed a one-out homer in the ninth to Pete Alonso, but Uribe struck out two batters to close the game.
March 31: Brewers 4, Mets 3. For the first time since 2018, the Brewers started the year 3-0. Bryan Hudson worked three shutout innings of relief ― the first sign that he would have a breakout first half of the season ― and Colin Rea was steady for five frames. Chourio had an RBI double for his first extra-base hit, and Joel Payamps registered a 1-2-3 ninth for the save.
Sept. 27: Brewers 8, Mets 4. Hoskins hit a grand slam in the opening inning, giving the Brewers a franchise record-tying 10 grand slams this season and record-tying three for Hoskins this year. Chourio made a key catch as he ran into the left-field wall to keep the Mets from mounting a serious comeback.
Sept. 28: Brewers 6, Mets 0. If the Brewers are going to win in the postseason, this is a tantalizing preview of what's possible. Jared Koenig started as the "opener," Tobias Myers capped a stunning rookie season with four clean innings, and the Brewers' top bullpen arms did the rest, limiting the Mets to just two hits. Even 18 strikeouts at the plate weren't enough to keep the Brewers from churning out six runs.
Sept. 29: Mets 5, Brewers 0. The Brewers only mustered three hits, but it was hard to blame them. They were resting starters for the postseason, and a loss actually created the greater likelihood for a makeup doubleheader between the Braves and Mets on Monday, which also potentially played into Milwaukee's favor. David Peterson, a left-hander who figured to be a challenging matchup for Milwaukee in the playoffs, was strong but wouldn't be available on regular rest in the wild-card series.
You're surely familiar with the Mets' president of baseball operations
In his first year as New York Mets president of baseball operations, David Stearns has certainly made an impact.
Stearns, of course, held the same position with the Milwaukee Brewers from 2015-22, but he abruptly left the position after the 2022 season. Speculation flourished that Stearns was interested in leading his childhood rooting interest, the Mets, and that proved true when he was hired before the 2024 season in his first year after the conclusion of his Brewers contract.
The maneuver has worked out for both parties; Stearns' top lieutenant Matt Arnold has taken the reins and helped the Brewers win division titles in 2023 and 2024, and the Mets have turned around quickly. But now Stearns' former employer and new one meet head-to-head in the playoffs.
Stearns' moves have included hiring manager Carlos Mendoza, signing Luis Severino and Harrison Bader to one-year contracts, striking gold with infielder Jose Iglesias on a minor-league deal and finding a surprise ace by singing Sean Manaea to a two-year contract. He also signed J.D. Martinez and acquired Phil Maton and Jesse Winker, all of whom have played a role in New York's success.
9The Mets went from a deeply disappointing 75-87 team last year to this year's 89-game winner and a playoff qualifier.
Two familiar names from the Brewers' 2023 postseason — for different reasons — are now with the Mets
Winker has had a renaissance season, first with the Nationals before getting traded to the Mets, and now he's back at the scene where his presence garnered a strong reaction from Brewers fans. After a dreadful 2023 season with Milwaukee in which he was clearly still ailing from offseason knee and neck surgeries, Winker was given a plate appearance in each of the two playoff losses to the Diamondbacks, eliciting boos from the Brewers crowd (and making outs both times).
Winker's numbers are down a bit since joining the Mets, but for the season, he has a .765 OPS, .253 batting average, 14 homers and 14 stolen bases. Compare that to last year when he had a .567 OPS for Milwaukee with one homer and zero stolen bases. He could get pinch-hit playoff appearances in Milwaukee in back-to-back postseasons.
Tyrone Taylor, meanwhile, has become a starter for the Mets, often playing right field but capable of playing all three outfield spots. He went 1 for 8 for the Brewers in last year's playoff series, but his two-run homer in Game 1 gave the Brewers a 3-0 lead that they wouldn't ultimately hold, and he also hit a screamer that turned into an unforgettable double play thanks to third baseman Evan Longoria. Taylor and Adrian Houser were traded to the Mets in the offseason in exchange for minor leaguer Coleman Crow, and Taylor's numbers are similar to what he did last year for the Brewers.
Houser, by the way, was released by the Mets at the end of July and signed as a free agent with the Cubs, then the Orioles, on a minor-league deal.
There's another name Brewers fans will know; Tylor Megill has been a starter most of the season for the Mets, with a 3.98 ERA. That's the younger brother of Brewers reliever Trevor Megill, though it's unclear if Milwaukee will see him following his workload Monday.
The Mets have an MVP candidate in Francisco Lindor, and if he's banged up, he's not showing it
Shortstop Francisco Lindor has been willing the Mets into the playoff conversation with an MVP-caliber season, but he's been dealing with a sore back that might keep him from being 100% in the postseason. Of course, the recent data suggests he's just fine.
Lindor missed two weeks before returning to shortstop against the Brewers on Sept. 27, and he had four hits over the three-game series, including a home run, with two appearances in the field and one at designated hitter.
Then came the massive home run in the first game of Monday's doubleheader against the Braves, a ninth-inning shot that tipped the scales and clinched the Mets' playoff berth. He sure looks healthy.
For the year, Lindor has an .833 OPS with 33 homers and 29 stolen bases.
The Mets have some solid left-handed starters, but Milwaukee has had success against them
Typically, left-handed starters seem like the type of thing that would give the Brewers fits (though this year, the Brewers aren't markedly worse against LHP than RHP).
Most of the Mets options from the left side are part of the starting rotation: Sean Manaea, Jose Quintana and David Peterson. But the Brewers have beaten Quintana twice this season and Manaea once, and Peterson was used for seven innings Sunday, meaning if he pitches in the wild-card series, it won't be on regular rest.
The Mets primarily rely on right-handers in the lineup; Brandon Nimmo and Francisco Lindor (switch-hitter) are two of the rare exceptions. It's why you're indeed likely to see the lefty Winker at some point as a pinch hitter.
Pete Alonso is in a contract year and isn't someone you can forget about
Surely you might imagine Pete Alonso as the centerpiece of the Mets offense, given that he came into the season in a contract year and cleared 40 homers each of the past two seasons.
The Polar Bear was an all-star for a third straight year, and though his slugging percentage has dropped from .504 last year to .464 this year, his on-base percentage and batting average have gone up. From an advanced-stat perspective, his wRC+ is a touch higher this year (123) than last (121), although those are both down from his 141 in 2022. He's got 34 homers and fewer than 90 RBIs for the first time in four seasons, but he's still dangerous.
The principal character from the early-season fight between the Mets and Brewers is gone, and it's opened the door for a major contributor
Jeff McNeil, who was at the center of a dispute between the Mets and Brewers on opening day when he took issue with a Rhys Hoskins slide, fractured his wrist in September and is out for the playoff series with the Brewers.
McNeil has been slightly below average offensively this year for the Mets but was still the team's regular second baseman.
His absence has opened up a full-time spot for Jose Iglesias, who has been a revelation for the Mets this season. At age 34, Iglesias has an .842 OPS. Iglesias didn't even play in the big leagues in 2023 and was well below average in 2022, but he's essentially having a career year. He currently has a 22-game hitting streak.
He's one of many examples of how the Mets have thrived without current superstars, getting big contributions from players like Mark Vientos, Harrison Bader, Starling Marte, J.D. Martinez and Brandon Nimmo, not to mention pitchers Luis Severino, Manaea, Quintana, Peterson and Megill.
The team's closer is one of the best in baseball, but William Contreras stole his music (maybe)
Edwin Díaz missed all of the 2023 season with an injury after suffering a freak knee injury in the World Baseball Classic, but he's back as a premier bullpen arm in 2024.
Díaz has famously been using Blasterjaxx and Timmy Trumpet's "Narco" for his entrance music in New York; Brewers fans have come to know that same song as the walk-up music for catcher William Contreras, who was using the song back to his days with the Atlanta Braves. Blasterjaxx have stated they believe it's rightfully Díaz's song. And Díaz was, after all, using the song briefly in Seattle before Contreras was even in Major League Baseball. But he also dropped it for a while after that, then picked it back up in 2021 around the same time as Contreras.
As the closer this season, Díaz has a 3.52 ERA and 20 saves, with 84 strikeouts in 54 innings. He has an excellent WHIP of 1.04 and 14.2 strikeouts per nine innings. That's not as good as when he's been at his best, but it's still elite for a big-league closer.
It's hard to imagine Díaz being available right away in the series. He's thrown 66 pitches over the previous two games, including 26 in Sunday's regularly scheduled season finale against Milwaukee followed by 40 to help the Mets lock down the Braves.
The Mets have an intriguing rookie capable of playing shortstop, too
With Francisco Lindor back from injury, it's not clear what role we'll see for shortstop prospect Luisangel Acuña in the postseason, but he certainly gave the Mets some production in his brief tenure.
Acuña had a .966 OPS in 39 at-bats, with three homers. The younger brother of Ronald Acuña is just 22 years old and is one of the few players on the Mets who can truly burn you with speed (although he doesn't have a stolen base yet), so he might be used as a pinch-runner or as a fill-in at short when Lindor serves as DH in the postseason.
One last thing: What's the deal with their 'OMG' sign?
(This story was updated to add new information.)
This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Seven things to know about the New York Mets in Brewers' playoffs
