Atlanta Braves (97-59) vs New York Mets (98-58)
Friday, September 30, 2022 at 7:20 pm
For the New York Mets and Atlanta Braves, the first 156 games of the regular season were just the opening act for this weekend.
The National League East may be decided beginning Friday in Atlanta, where the Mets are slated to visit the Braves in the opener of a three-game series.
Right-hander Jacob deGrom (5-3, 2.93 ERA) is slated to start for the Mets against left-hander Max Fried (13-7, 2.50).
Both teams were off Thursday after a pair of chaotic games against NL East also-rans Wednesday night that ended with the Mets alone atop the division.
Host New York overcame a four-run deficit thanks to Eduardo Escobar, who capped a five-RBI evening with a walk-off 10th-inning single in a 5-4 win over the Miami Marlins.
Escobar delivered the game-winning hit fewer than 20 minutes after the Washington Nationals' C.J. Abrams laced a walk-off RBI single to give the hosts a 2-1 win over the Braves.
The Mets (98-58) are one game ahead of the Braves (97-59). The division winner earns the second first-round bye while the second-place finisher will head to a wild-card series scheduled to start Oct. 7 -- two days after the regular-season finale.