A history of huge Mets-Braves clashes as rivals set for massive series with playoffs on the line
Memories of mammoth Mets-Braves clashes from yesteryear are resurfacing as each team’s season hangs in the balance entering their enormous three-game series in Atlanta starting Tuesday, as the Mets (87-69) began Monday tied with the Diamondbacks for the second wild-card spot while the Braves trailed both teams by two games for the final NL playoff spot.
As the two teams prepare to renew their rivalry with everything on the line, here’s a look at the history of major late-season and playoff duels between the NL East foes.
Rest of Mets-Braves series postponed by weather as Monday doubleheader looms
1969 NLCS
Predating the rivalry’s most notable era in the 1990s and early 2000s, the Mets and Braves’ first playoff matchup came in the 1969 NLCS, the first playoff series in the Mets’ eight-year history at that point and the first year the league championship series were instituted.
The Mets swept the Braves 3-0 en route to defeating the Orioles in five games to win their first World Series.
Cy Young winner Tom Seaver earned the win in Game 1, and some kid named Nolan Ryan earned the win in the Game 3 clincher.
Will the Mets make the playoffs?
1998 collapse
The Mets ended the 1998 regular season with a three-game series in Atlanta, with the Braves having long locked up the NL East and the Mets controlling their own destiny in the race for the lone wild-card spot at 88-71, coming off two straight losses to the woeful Expos. The Cubs were also 88-71 while the Giants were 87-72.
But the Mets got swept, with Rick Reed getting beat up in the first game, the bats getting shut out by Tom Glavine and the Braves bullpen in Game 2 and Greg Maddux stifling the Mets in Game 3 while Armando Reynoso was chased in the second inning after giving up five runs.
The Cubs lost two of three in Houston while the Giants won two of three at Colorado, setting those two up for a wild-card tiebreaker game Chicago won as the Mets devastatingly missed out.
Mets catcher Mike Piazza reacts during the Mets’ loss to the Braves on Sept. 27, 1998.
Mets catcher Mike Piazza reacts during the Mets’ loss to the Braves on Sept. 27, 1998. AFP via Getty Images
1999 NLCS
The rivals played two huge series in late September with the division up for grabs entering the first one. The Braves held a one-game lead entering their three-game set in Atlanta starting Sept. 21, and the Mets got swept while getting outscored 13-6.
The Mets then got swept in Philly while the Braves went to Montreal and swept the Expos to clinch the NL East before the two teams met again at Shea Stadium for the penultimate series of the season.
The Mets lost two of three at home to the Braves before sweeping the Pirates and then beating the Reds in a wild-card tiebreaker to make the postseason.
