Mets pushed to brink as Rays clinch at Citi

NEW YORK -- When the final strike of Wednesday’s 8-5 Mets loss to the Rays popped into catcher Mike Zunino’s glove, the rest of Tampa Bay’s roster poured out of the dugout cheering and laughing, tossing confetti and glitter into the air. They became the latest team to accomplish something the Mets never have: win a clinching game at Citi Field.

The Mets’ 2015 National League East clincher came in Cincinnati. Their two playoff series wins occurred in Los Angeles and Chicago, and their 2016 Wild Card berth became official in Philadelphia. But other teams have celebrated at Citi over the years; the Rays were merely the latest, clinching the American League East title after beating the Mets.

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Citi Field is now over a decade old. The Mets’ own party is overdue.

“Obviously, it’s a little bit disappointing,” left fielder Dominic Smith said. “We go out here and we compete every day, and we hold ourselves to the highest standard. So being a playoff team was something that was everybody’s same goal. It was something that we wanted to reach as a team. So to be where we’re at right now, you’re definitely not too happy.”

Technically, the Mets are not mathematically eliminated, though that can occur as soon as Thursday. The Mets’ most direct remaining path to the playoffs involves them winning four straight games in Washington this weekend and having the Phillies and Marlins both lose all their remaining games. It is mathematically possible, but exceedingly unlikely.

Before Wednesday, most of the Mets’ playoff permutations involved them winning five straight to end the season. The Rays ensured that would not happen, jumping on starter Michael Wacha for four runs in six innings -- the final pair on the first of Randy Arozarena’s two homers.

Wacha, who suffered a midseason injury and then bounced between the rotation and the bullpen in September, represented one of the most significant issues the Mets faced in their late attempt at a postseason run. Unlike last year, when the team won 15 of 16 during a late-season stretch to float back into contention, the 2020 Mets simply did not receive consistent enough starting pitching to construct a long winning streak.

“There’s been a combination of things,” manager Luis Rojas said. “Sometimes, the momentum’s been stopped … and then other times we’ve been challenged in a lot of areas. Tonight is another tough loss. We didn’t throw the ball particularly well overall, but the guys will be ready again tomorrow to come in and compete. We still have a chance.”

The Mets did receive game-tying homers from Andrés Giménez and Smith in the second and fourth innings, respectively, but could not match Tampa Bay’s late offensive burst, which included a three-run rally off Chasen Shreve and Jeurys Familia in the eighth.

And so the Rays celebrated at Citi, their whoops and hollers still audible long after the game as they returned to the dugout to take photographs and smoke cigars.

A few hundred feet away in the home clubhouse, the Mets were wondering why that couldn’t be them.

“It’s no regrets, really,” Smith said. “We made a few comebacks and we were pretty much in every game until the final pitch. … That’s all we can ask for is to play hard and keep fighting, so I say it’s no regrets because that’s what we did every night.”