Giants Get More NL Wild Card Help After Mets Swept by Phillies

The Mets hold the final wild card berth entering Friday’s action, even after an awful series against the Philadelphia Phillies in which they were swept. That put the Phillies in control of the NL East Division race. The only way the Mets are going the playoffs is through the wild card.

So, what do the Giants have to do down the stretch to overcome the Mets? The math looks simple. But San Francisco needs to win three more games than New York as the season winds down, even though the Giants are only 1.5 games back. Why?

San Francisco has 16 games remaining while New York only has 15. The Mets have 76 wins, and the Giants have 74 wins. Plus, there’s a tiebreaker issue for the Giants. If San Francisco and New York end up tied, the Mets would win the tiebreaker, as the Mets won the season series with the Giants, 4-2. So, the Giants need three more wins than the Mets.

Other Wild Card Factors

It’s not just the Mets the Giants have to watch, though they are the team directly in front of San Francisco. But the Cincinnati Reds are tied with the Giants 1.5 games back of the Mets going into Friday’s action.

The same math holds for the Reds in this scenario. Cincinnati needs to win three more games than the Mets to clinch. But what about a tie with the Giants? Well, the Reds and the Giants split their season series, 3-3. The next tiebreaker is intradivision record. Right now, San Francisco (18-21) has a slightly better record in the NL West than Cincinnati (17-22) does in the NL Central.

That is part of what makes the seven games with the Dodgers so vital for the Giants. A good run against their arch-rival could be helpful from a tiebreaker perspective.

The Giants are trying to get back to the playoffs for the first time since 2021, when it won the NL West. San Francisco last claimed a wild card berth in 2016 and last won a World Series in 2014.  

San Francisco Giants Playoff Watch

NL Wild Card Race (after Sept. 11)

Chicago Cubs: 83-63 (7.5 games ahead)

San Diego Padres: 80-67 (4.0 games ahead)

New York Mets: 76-71 (last wild card berth)

San Francisco Giants: 74-72 (1.5 games behind final berth)

Cincinnati Reds: 74-72 (1.5 games behind final berth)

San Francisco Giants Games Remaining: 16

San Francisco Giants Remaining Schedule: Sept. 12-14, vs. Los Angeles Dodgers; Sept. 15-17, at Arizona; Sept. 18-21, at Los Angeles Dodgers; Sept. 22-24 vs. St. Louis; Sept. 26-28, vs. Colorado.