A coin toss held at National League...

A coin toss held at National League meetings in Toronto last week gave the New York Mets, or St. Louis Cardinals, the home field for any playoff game needed to decide the East Division race.

The Mets would be at home against either Montreal or St. Louis on Monday, Oct. 5, should New York finish the regular season tied with either of those teams. St. Louis would be at home only if it finished tied with Montreal. The Expos would be the visiting team for any playoff game.

If three teams tie, they will be ranked according to winning percentages against each other or, if they have identical percentages, by lot. Then they would play each other, with one loss meaning elimination. The club with the best percentage can choose its designation as No. 1, 2 or 3.