The New York Mets are back in the playoffs, clinching their first postseason berth in six years following a 7-2 victory over the Milwaukee Brewers on Monday night, highlighted by Max Scherzer’s 200th career victory.
Scherzer, who was reinstated from the injured list before the game, was pulled from the game in the midst of a perfect game, striking out 9 over 6 innings of work and only throwing 68 pitches in his first start in 16 games.
“This is what you play the game for,” Scherzer said (h/t ESPN). “You play to get into the postseason. There’s a lot of ways for it not to work out. For us to be able to find a way to get into the postseason, that’s awesome. That’s what we celebrate. That’s what you play the game for.
“We have a lot of things in front of us. We understand that. But you got to celebrate the good times, too.”
The team celebrated in the clubhouse following the game.
“This is just the first step. I have high expectations,” owner Steven Cohen said following a postgame speech to the team. “If we can win the division, that would be great. Obviously, Atlanta is a great team, and it will probably go down to the wire, and then we’ll see what happens in the playoffs. I think this is a team that can go really far.”
