Mets Beat Braves, Finally Wrap Up Playoff Berth

For the first time ever, the New York Mets are going to the playoffs in consecutive years.

Rick Reed limited the Atlanta Braves to four hits in eight innings and pinch-hitter Darryl Hamilton singled in the go-ahead run in the fifth as the Mets won, 6-2, Wednesday night at New York to clinch the National League wild-card berth.

“This is just one step,” Reed said in the clubhouse, where the champagne celebration was more businesslike than wild. “Last year, it was a tough battle for us. Once we won the game in Cincinnati, a lot of steam was let out.”

Last year, the Mets needed to beat the Reds in a tiebreaker playoff on the day after the regular season was scheduled to end. This time, the Mets clinched with four games to spare, eliminating the Dodgers, their final wild-card rival.

“We’ve been at this step before,” said Reed, who struck out seven and walked one. “We’ve been to the next step. We have to get to the step after that.”

After the Mets beat Arizona in the first round of last year’s playoffs, Atlanta eliminated them in the NL championship series.

Before last year, the Mets’ only trips to the playoffs were in 1969, 1973, 1986 and 1988.

Milwaukee 10, Cincinnati 6--The Brewers hit four homers, the Reds three in the second-to-last game to be played at Milwaukee County Stadium. The teams close out the venerable stadium’s 48-year run with a sold-out afternoon game today. Next year the Brewers will play at Miller Park, a $394 million stadium.

St. Louis 3, San Diego 0--Rick Ankiel struck out eight to raise his total to 193 and break Dizzy Dean’s single-season club record for strikeouts by a rookie as the Cardinals won at San Diego. Dean’s mark of 191 was set in 1932. Ankiel (11-7) gave up five hits in six innings.

Colorado 6, Arizona 4--Terry Shumpert hit a tying home run and Jeff Cirillo and Todd Helton had RBI singles as the Rockies rallied in the eighth inning to beat the Diamondbacks at Denver.

Todd Hollandsworth capped an 11-pitch at-bat with his 18th home run in the fourth.

Florida 6, Montreal 3--A.J. Burnett got his first win in more than a month and contributed a key triple in a four-run fifth inning for the Marlins at Miami. Burnett (3-7) allowed two runs--one earned--and three hits in 6 2/3 innings. He is batting .280 (seven for 25).

Houston 10, Pittsburgh 1--Jeff Bagwell hit his career-high 46th home run and drove in four runs as the Astros won at Pittsburgh. Bagwell has 131 RBIs and has scored 151 runs. The last major leaguer to score 150 runs in a season was Ted Williams in 1949.

Chicago 1, Philadelphia 0--Kerry Wood closed his comeback season with eight scoreless innings, striking out 10 as the Cubs won at Chicago. Sammy Sosa singled home Wood for his 137th RBI as the Cubs won for only the sixth time in 26 games.