The Mets make the playoffs, beat the Braves and achieve the comeback with a score of 22:33

ATLANTA (AP) — These New York Mets know a thing or two about comebacks.

They saved their best result for the final day of the regular season.

They overcame deficits of 3-0 in the eighth inning and 7-6 in the ninth inning to secure a playoff spot when Francisco Lindor hit a two-run home run to cap a thrilling victory 8:7 win over the Atlanta Braves in the opener of a makeup doubleheader on Monday.

That was only fitting for a team that started 0-5 and looked little like postseason material when it slipped 11 games under .500 in late May.

“Everyone took us out before the year even started, and here we are, man,” rookie manager Carlos Mendoza said.

The Mets advanced to a best-of-three NL Wild Card Series starting Tuesday in Milwaukee.

New York lost the nightcap 3-0, but that hardly mattered. Pete Alonso and the Mets had already secured the 11th postseason berth in team history.

“We're a franchise that hasn't had enough of these moments,” first-year president of baseball operations David Stearns said during the clubhouse champagne party following the twin bill. “We still have more work to do. I don’t think anyone here is happy with just one celebration.”

Lindor, who returned Friday from a back injury that had sidelined him since Sept. 15, made the big hit, starting a drive into the Braves bullpen off Pierce Johnson.

“It felt like it was in slow motion,” Lindor said. “Emotion. Emotion. It felt like I got the spot I wanted. And you never know if the ball is going to go out or not, but I feel like I caught it 100%. We're one step closer. Now we have to finish it.

Asked what he was thinking as he rounded the bases, Lindor said, “My back hurts. I'm tired. I know how good Atlanta is.”

New York had lost 77 consecutive games by three runs in the eighth inning or later since May 17, 2023.

“I have never seen a game like this. It’s just been a total rollercoaster,” said owner Steve Cohen. “I had tears in my eyes as we kept going, and then I was shocked when we fell behind.” And then Francisco, just a big boy, takes on the challenge. I mean, he must have dreamed of this as a child.”

It was a throwback to 1973, when the Mets also secured a spot in the playoffs the day after the season was supposed to end. That time they defeated the Chicago Cubs 6-4 and secured the NL East title.

“These are special moments. You have to enjoy these moments,” said Stearns, who grew up a Mets fan in New York City. “That’s the standard we should be at.”

This year, a 10-3 loss to the Dodgers on May 29 ended a three-game sweep in Los Angeles at Citi Field with a combined score of 18-5. New York fell to 22-33 in its first season under Mendoza and was six games out of the final wild-card spot and had to defeat seven teams.

Lindor called a players-only meeting. As the players explained it, the Mets brought up some issues in the clubhouse that day and committed to a positive attitude, effective preparation and a team-first approach that focused on helping each other and making games win.

“We just opened up the field and talked about how we can turn things around,” outfielder Brandon Nimmo said at the time. “It just felt like a boiling point.”

Since then, under Lindor's leadership, they have the best record in the majors at 67-40 and have outscored their opponents 541-433.

“It was a tough battle,” Lindor said. “We put ourselves in a big hole and climbed further and further. We stayed afloat. You know, after the All-Star break, we never thought we were going to drown.”

One of New York's biggest concerns heading into the Wild Card Series is the availability of star crosser Edwin Díaz, who recovered from a blown save to secure the win in the doubleheader opener. The right-hander has thrown 66 pitches in the last two days.

But the Mets were undeterred all season long.

“No one thought outside of this clubhouse in April that we would make the playoffs, that we had a chance,” Nimmo said. “We were able to go out and get through really, really tough times, find each other on the other side, pull ourselves together and really band together, have each other's backs and be able to peak in that.”

The Mets have spent the most money since Cohen purchased the team before the 2021 season. In 2022, they won 101 games and reached the playoffs, only to lose a three-game Wild Card Series at home to San Diego. The Mets fell to 75-87 last year, when they had a record payroll of $319.5 million and were hit with a record tax of $100.8 million.

They began this year again at the top, with a projected $321 million, including $70 million in payments to teams that covered the salaries of traded players Max Scherzer, Justin Verlander and James McCann. Their proposed luxury tax was $83 million.

After winning the doubleheader opener, Cohen Posted on X: “Have you ever seen a game like this? I'm so proud of this team. Met fans, went out and celebrated.”

“It was a tremendous group effort,” said Alonso. “We deserve it.”

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