Reds earn playoff berth as they capitalize on Mets' big fade

MILWAUKEE (AP) — This was the kind of moment that helped lure Terry Francona back into managing. The Cincinnati Reds earned their first playoff berth since 2020 on Sunday, setting off a wild, champagne-soaked celebration. It's the first time in franchise history the Reds have clinched a playoff berth on the final day of the regular season, according to the Elias Sports Bureau. "When you watch those guys, it's just unbridled joy," said Francona, who spent last year away from baseball for health reasons before taking over the Reds. "It doesn't matter the language you speak, what country you're from. They're hugging each other, and it's real. And it's worth all the heartache and everything we did, just for those couple of minutes." The Reds blew an opportunity to clinch a playoff spot on their own when they squandered a 2-0 lead in a 4-2 loss to the Milwaukee Brewers. But they still got the National League's third and final wild card because the Mets were beaten 4-0 by the Miami Marlins. After Cincinnati's game ended, the Reds went into the locker room and watched the final inning of the Mets-Marlins game. "We witnessed the last out," reliever Tony Santillan said, "and the clubhouse exploded." Cincinnati and New York both finished 83-79, but the Reds owned the head-to-head tiebreaker after going 4-2 against the Mets this season. The Reds head to Los Angeles to begin a best-of-three Wild Card Series against the defending World Series champion Dodgers on Tuesday night. Cincinnati went 1-5 against the Dodgers during the regular season. According to Sportradar, the only other teams in the 162-game era to reach the playoffs with fewer than 84 wins were the 1973 Mets (82-79), 2005 San Diego Padres (82-80) and 2006 St. Louis Cardinals (83-78). The 1973 Mets and 2006 Cardinals both reached the World Series, with the Cardinals winning it all. "As long as you get in, it's a crapshoot," said Reds utilityman Gavin Lux, who won World Series titles with the Dodgers in 2020 and 2024. "Whoever gets hot. Anyone can beat anyone." Cincinnati's playoff berth adds one more line to Francona's Hall of Fame-worthy resume. In his first season as Boston's manager, Francona led the 2004 Red Sox to their first World Series title since 1918. He managed Boston to another World Series championship in 2007 and got Cleveland to Game 7 of the 2016 World Series. Now he's in the postseason again. His pep talk in mid-September when the Reds were below .500 sparked a surge. "After we got swept in Sacramento, Tito came in and basically said, 'I know I believe in us. I still believe in all of you. I believe in this group,'" Lux said. "We kind of went on a little run there at the end." Cincinnati's playoff berth means the Mets will stay home for the postseason, a humbling finish for a team whose $322.6 million payroll at the start of the season was the highest in the majors. Although the Mets owned a big league-best 45-24 record through June 12, they went 38-55 after that. "It's a failure," Mets outfielder Juan Soto said. "Anytime you don't make it to the playoffs or win a championship, it's a failure. That's how we're going to look at it, and that's how we're going to go through things in the offseason." The offseason can wait for the Reds. Cincinnati's last postseason appearance came during the pandemic-shortened season of 2020, so the last time the Reds earned a playoff berth in a 162-game season was 2013. They haven't won a playoff game since 2012 and last won a postseason series in 1995. "They thought it would be a miracle for us to get here, but we believed fom the beginning, man," pitcher Nick Martinez said. "We believed when we were down and out. We believed in spring training. We believed in what we could do and who we are, and we showed that." The Reds benefited from the additions they made at the July 31 trade deadline. They boosted their lineup and infield defense by acquiring Miguel Andujar and Ke'Bryan Hayes. They also picked up starting pitcher Zack Littell, a move that enabled them to strengthen their bullpen by shifting Martinez to a relief role. But the Reds still struggled to separate themselves from other wild-card contenders. "We went through a tough time throughout the season," pitcher Andrew Abbott said. "We all know that. But we stuck together as a team. We stuck together as a family." The Reds got to the playoffs by winning eight of their last 11 games while the Mets faded. Cincinnati's late charge included a four-game sweep of the playoff-bound Chicago Cubs. The Reds followed that up by losing two straight at home to Pittsburgh, but they won the final game of that series 2-1, with Noelvi Marte robbing Bryan Reynolds of a potential tying homer in the ninth inning. The Reds were a game behind the Mets as they headed to Milwaukee to close the regular season, and the Brewers had won their last 13 series against Cincinnati. But the Reds took two of three, while the Mets lost two of three in Miami. Now the Reds are heading to the playoffs and eager to keep beating the odds. "We stayed together," shortstop Elly De La Cruz said. "We played together. We care about each other. That's the key for us. They can't kill us." ___ AP MLB: https://apnews.com/MLB