Mets’ playoff push effectively begins as Clay Holmes returns to mound

For all intents and purposes, the New York Mets’ postseason begins Tuesday night when closer Clay Holmes toes the Citi Field rubber to begin his 152nd inning of the 2025 season, further shattering his previous career high of 70 innings.

Pete Alonso’s walk-off home run on Sunday, combined with Monday night’s results, left the Mets with a 1½-game lead over the Arizona Diamondbacks and two-game leads on the San Francisco Giants and Cincinnati Reds for the final National League wild-card spot. The club begins a stretch of 12 games in 13 days that will run to its Sept. 28 regular-season finale against the Miami Marlins.

The upcoming slate will compress decision-making for manager and front office alike. With Holmes entering work well beyond his previous major-league usage, the Mets will lean on a bullpen that has logged heavy minutes across recent months. How that workload is managed over the next two weeks could shape whether the team’s September surge carries into October.

New York reached this precarious position after an uneven four months that left expectations uncertain. The team has moved into contention late in the season but still faces a crowded race for the NL’s final postseason berth. The wild-card standings remain fluid, and several permutations could determine who punches a ticket.

Mets officials and coaches have not ruled out clinching a spot before the finale, but the sequence of games ahead will determine whether the club needs late-inning heroics again or can rely on more conventional wins. The club’s offense and bullpen performance during the 12-game stretch, along with results around the league, will decide the outcome.

Tuesday’s game will be watched closely both for immediate scoreboard implications and for Holmes’ availability in short- and long-term scenarios. His season-to-date workload, now more than double his prior career high, has become a focal point as New York navigates the final, decisive days of the regular season.

If the Mets maintain their current lead, they will still have to guard against the rapid swings that typify late-season baseball. If they falter, the crowded wild-card chase leaves room for rivals to overtake them in short order. Either outcome will be decided over the next two weeks, in what has become a compressed, high-stakes sprint to the finish.