The 2016 National League Wild Card Game was a
during
Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball organization and the oldest major professional sports league in the world. MLB is composed of 30 total teams, divided equally between the National League (NL) and the American League (AL), ...
's (MLB)
2016 postseason played between the
National League
The National League of Professional Baseball Clubs, known simply as the National League (NL), is the older of two leagues constituting Major League Baseball (MLB) in the United States and Canada, and the world's oldest extant professional team ...
's (NL) two
wild card teams, the
New York Mets
The New York Mets are an American professional baseball team based in the New York City borough of Queens. The Mets compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member of the National League (NL) East division. They are one of two major league ...
and the
San Francisco Giants
The San Francisco Giants are an American professional baseball team based in San Francisco, California. The Giants compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West division. Founded in 1883 as the New Y ...
. As both teams finished with identical 87–75 records, a
tiebreaker
In games and sports, a tiebreaker or tiebreak is used to determine a winner from among players or teams that are tied at the end of a contest, or a set of contests.
General operation
In matches
In some situations, the tiebreaker may consi ...
was used to determine the host team. In accordance with
MLB tiebreaking rules, the Mets earned the right to host the game by winning their season series against the Giants 4–3.
The game was played on October 5, 2016 at
Citi Field
Citi Field is a baseball stadium located in Flushing Meadows–Corona Park in New York City, United States. It opened in 2009 and is the home field of Major League Baseball's New York Mets. The stadium was built as a replacement for the adjacent ...
in
Queens
Queens is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Queens County, in the U.S. state of New York. Located on Long Island, it is the largest New York City borough by area. It is bordered by the borough of Brooklyn at the western tip of Long ...
,
New York, and the winner advanced to play the first-seeded
Chicago Cubs in the
NL Division Series. It was televised in the United States on
ESPN
ESPN (originally an initialism for Entertainment and Sports Programming Network) is an American international basic cable sports channel owned by ESPN Inc., owned jointly by The Walt Disney Company (80%) and Hearst Communications (20%). Th ...
.
The Giants defeated the Mets, 3–0.
Background
This was New York's third playoff appearance as a Wild Card team, and their second consecutive postseason appearance after winning the
National League pennant
The National League pennant winner of a given Major League Baseball season is the team that wins the championship—the pennant—of MLB's National League (NL). This team receives the Warren C. Giles Trophy and the right to play in the World Se ...
the
previous season, while it was San Francisco's second appearance since
2014
File:2014 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Stocking up supplies and personal protective equipment (PPE) for the Western African Ebola virus epidemic; Citizens examining the ruins after the Chibok schoolgirls kidnapping; Bundles of wat ...
, when they went on to win the
World Series
The World Series is the annual championship series of Major League Baseball (MLB) in the United States and Canada, contested since 1903 between the champion teams of the American League (AL) and the National League (NL). The winner of the World ...
. It was the second postseason meeting between the Mets and the Giants, after the
2000 National League Division Series
The 2000 National League Division Series (NLDS), the opening round of the 2000 National League playoffs, began on Tuesday, October 3, and ended on Sunday, October 8, with the champions of the three NL divisions—along with a "wild card" team—p ...
.
Game results
Line score
With the winner advancing and the loser finished for the year, each team sent its best starting pitcher to the mound, and the game was a
pitchers' duel between the Mets'
Noah Syndergaard
Noah Seth Syndergaard (born August 29, 1992), nicknamed "Thor", is an American professional baseball pitcher for the Los Angeles Dodgers of Major League Baseball (MLB). He has previously played in MLB for the New York Mets, Los Angeles Angels an ...
and the Giants'
Madison Bumgarner
Madison Kyle Bumgarner (born August 1, 1989), commonly known by his nickname, "MadBum", is an American professional baseball pitcher for the Arizona Diamondbacks of Major League Baseball (MLB). Previously, he pitched for the San Francisco Giants ...
. Syndergaard did not allow a hit until the sixth inning, and finished with seven scoreless innings and ten strikeouts. On the other side, Bumgarner matched zeroes with Syndergaard. In the top of the sixth, with two outs and a runner on second,
Curtis Granderson
Curtis Granderson Jr. (born March 16, 1981), nicknamed the "Grandyman", is an American former professional baseball outfielder. He played 16 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Detroit Tigers, New York Yankees, New York Mets, Los Ange ...
made a solid catch in center field on a drive by
Brandon Belt
Brandon Kyle Belt (born April 20, 1988), nicknamed "Baby Giraffe", "Sparky", and “Captain”, is an American professional baseball first baseman for the Toronto Blue Jays of Major League Baseball (MLB). He has previously played in MLB for the S ...
to preserve the shutout. In the top of the eighth, reliever
Addison Reed
Addison Devon Reed (born December 27, 1988) is an American former professional baseball pitcher. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Chicago White Sox, Arizona Diamondbacks, New York Mets, Boston Red Sox and Minnesota Twins.
Amate ...
allowed the Giants to load the bases with two outs on a single and two walks (one intentional), but struck out
Hunter Pence
Hunter Andrew Pence (born April 13, 1983), nicknamed "The Reverend", is an American former professional baseball right fielder and designated hitter. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Houston Astros, Philadelphia Phillies, San F ...
to end the inning. In the bottom of the inning, with a runner on second, a hard line drive by
Asdrúbal Cabrera
Asdrúbal José Cabrera (; born November 13, 1985) is a Venezuelan-American professional baseball infielder who is currently a free agent. He has played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Cleveland Indians, Washington Nationals, Tampa Bay Ra ...
right at Bumgarner ended the threat.
In the top of the ninth, Mets closer
Jeurys Familia
Jeurys Familia Mojica (; born October 10, 1989) is a Dominican professional baseball pitcher who is currently a free agent. He has played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the New York Mets, Oakland Athletics, Philadelphia Phillies and the Bost ...
allowed a leadoff double to
Brandon Crawford
Brandon Michael Crawford (born January 21, 1987) is an American professional baseball shortstop for the San Francisco Giants of Major League Baseball (MLB).
Crawford played college baseball for the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA). H ...
, then after
Angel Pagan
In various theistic religious traditions an angel is a supernatural spiritual being who serves God.
Abrahamic religions often depict angels as benevolent celestial intermediaries between God (or Heaven) and humanity. Other roles include ...
struck out and
Joe Panik
Joseph Matthew Panik (born October 30, 1990) is an American former professional baseball second baseman. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the San Francisco Giants, New York Mets, Toronto Blue Jays, and Miami Marlins. Panik was an A ...
walked, journeyman infielder
Conor Gillaspie
Conor Michael Gillaspie (born July 18, 1987) is an American former Major League Baseball (MLB) third baseman who played for the San Francisco Giants, Chicago White Sox and Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim between 2008 and 2017.
Early life
Gillaspie ...
hit a three-run home run to deep right to break the scoreless tie and give the Giants a 3−0 lead. In the bottom of the ninth, Bumgarner returned to the mound and set down the Mets in order for a complete game shutout. Exactly as he had done in the
2014 National League Wild Card Game
The 2014 National League Wild Card Game was a play-in game during Major League Baseball's (MLB) 2014 postseason played between the National League's (NL) two wild card teams, the San Francisco Giants and the Pittsburgh Pirates. It was held at ...
, Bumgarner had tossed a four-hit shutout to send the Giants to the NLDS.
In popular culture
The Strokes
The Strokes are an American rock band from New York City. Formed in 1998, the band is composed of lead singer and songwriter Julian Casablancas, guitarists Nick Valensi and Albert Hammond Jr., bassist Nikolai Fraiture, and drummer Fabrizio Mor ...
frontman
Julian Casablancas, a lifelong fan of the Mets, wrote the 2020 song "
Ode to the Mets
"Ode to the Mets" is a song by American rock band the Strokes, the ninth and closing track on their sixth studio album, ''The New Abnormal'' (2020). Singer Julian Casablancas began writing the song while waiting for a subway train following t ...
" while waiting for the
7 train at
Mets-Willets Point station immediately following the game; The song is the closing track on The Strokes' 2020 album ''
The New Abnormal
''The New Abnormal'' is the sixth studio album by American rock band the Strokes, released on April 10, 2020, through Cult and RCA Records. It was their first full-length album since '' Comedown Machine'' (2013), marking the longest gap between ...
''.
Fabrizio Moretti
Fabrizio Moretti (born June 2, 1980) is a Brazilian-American musician and visual artist best known as the drummer for American rock band The Strokes, with whom he has released six studio albums since 2001. A collaborative artist, he has been pa ...
, the band's drummer, has stated that both the Mets and the song evoke “something that you set your heart to and that you love unconditionally but that continues to disappoint you.”
Notes
References
External links
2016 Major League Baseball season scheduleSchedule for 2016 PostseasonBox score
{{San Francisco Giants
National League Wild Card Game
Major League Baseball Wild Card Game
New York Mets postseason
San Francisco Giants postseason
National League Wild Card Game
National League Wild Card Game
2010s in Queens
Flushing, Queens