The New York Mets fought their way into the NL wild-card game, and are preparing to host the San Francisco Giants on Wednesday night. With a chance of advancing to the NLDS against the Chicago Cubs at stake, here are three players the Amazin’ need to keep an eye on for the one-game playoff.
Madison Bumgarner
He’s the Giants’ ace for good reason. Bumgarner’s performance in the 2014 postseason was a big part of San Francisco’s championship run. He posted an ERA of 1.03 over seven games, capped by winning the World Series MVP two years ago.
The four-time All-Star pitched four complete games this season, including a shutout, and will be a tough obstacle for the Mets to overcome.
Brandon Belt
The first baseman had a stellar regular season, earning his first All-Star selection. Belt sports the third highest batting average on the team (.275) and led the team in home runs (17). He was clutch for the Giants in the 2014 wild-card game, when he went 2-for-3 and drove in three runs.
Buster Posey
The 2012 NL MVP led his team with a .288 batting average and 88 runs scored this season. He went 2-for-5 in the Giants’ last wild-card game.
Posey, who is 3-for-6 lifetime against Syndergaard, proves to be his team’s biggest threat against the Mets entering Wednesday. Bumgarner will rely on his catcher for run support to boost his confidence in the sudden-death matchup.
