“What twisted people we are. How simple we appear, or pretend to be, to others, and how twisted we really are. How pathetic we are and how spectacularly we twist ourselves before our own eyes and the eyes of others. And what is all this for? To hide what? To make people believe what?”
– “2666”, Roberto Bolaño

That’s how it should be.

After their dramatic 2-1 win over the Phillies on Sunday night, the Mets’ path to the playoffs is easy.

Go to Atlanta, defeat the longtime National League East nemesis, expel a few stubborn franchise demons and pop the champagne in the visitors’ clubhouse at Truist Park by winning two of three.

Consider this the first playoff series of the fall. Yes, the Mets have built up some cushion thanks to a 6-1 home win capped by a stellar series against the Phillies. With just one win in Atlanta, New York would still have its fate in its hands this weekend in Milwaukee — at a time when the Brewers probably don’t have anything on the line. (Atlanta hosts the Royals in the final series of the year, and Kansas City has a surprising amount at stake in this series, although that’s because it’s playing poorly.)

This, of course, is exactly the same scenario the Mets faced two seasons ago. They head to Atlanta for the penultimate series of the year, securing the division with two wins or determining their fate with one. Instead, they were swept that weekend and eliminated the following in front of a less than sold-out crowd at Citi Field.

And the September series in Atlanta has been haunting the Mets for a long time.

For closer Edwin Díaz and the rest of the Mets, the playoffs essentially begin on Tuesday against the Braves. (Gregory Fisher / Imagn Images)

Since 1997, the Mets are 26-44 after September 1 in Atlanta, including the postseason. When the Mets are above .500, they are 13-26. When both teams are above .500, New York is 5-21. (It doesn’t quite feel like it, but the Mets are 19-9 in home games against Atlanta in the same sample.)

“When you go into the locker room, the ghosts of previous losses come back,” former Mets GM Steve Phillips told me a few years ago.

That story, excluding 2022, belongs more to the fan bases than to the players actually on the field. And the Mets have a few things on their side this year that they don’t normally have when they make the trip.

The first is the momentum. The 2022 team barely held on to the top of the standings, while Atlanta has been playing excellent baseball since early June. This year, the context is reversed: The Mets have been the best team in baseball since late May. And New York has all the positive vibes on its side.

Second, the Mets have had the edge from the start. Except in 2022, that has rarely been the case in their important late-season matchups. (The Mets also had the edge in Atlanta in 2007, when they won a road series there in the first few days of September.)

And third, the Mets are a different team in one really important area, which was shown on Sunday night: They hit a lot more home runs. If you remember two things from that series win, it’s that the Mets starters were hit hard, and that they were hit hard by home runs. Atlanta hit seven home runs to New York’s three. Over half of the runs in the series were scored by home runs, and that’s where Atlanta had a big lead all season: in 2022, they hit a league-leading 243 home runs; the Mets were below the league average at 171. The Mets would have had to add Barry Bonds in 2001 to catch up to Atlanta in home runs.

In 2024, Atlanta will have 206 home runs and the Mets will have 202. A home run – say in the seventh inning to break a 1-1 tie against a very good starting pitcher – is one of the best ways to win important games late in the regular season and in the postseason.

Which essentially starts on Tuesday. The Mets have their best pitchers lined up, and so has Atlanta. It should be no different.

The exhibition

The Mets won a thrilling victory over the Phillies on Sunday night, taking three of four games in the series and drawing level with Arizona while building a two-game lead over Atlanta for a postseason spot. New York is 87-69.

Atlanta won two of three games against the Marlins and finished its six-game tour of Cincinnati and Miami with a score of 4-2. At 85-71, Atlanta is two games behind the Mets and Diamondbacks in the battle for a wild-card spot.

Milwaukee came back on Sunday to salvage the last of a four-game home series against the Diamondbacks. For the Brewers, it was a missed opportunity to close the gap on the Phillies and secure a first-round bye. Instead, they trail Philadelphia by three points, 89-67, with six games to go.

The pitching opportunities

in Atlanta

RHP Luis Severino (11-6, 3.79 ERA) vs. RHP Spencer Schwellenbach (7-7, 3.61 ERA)
LHP David Peterson (9-3, 3.08) vs. LHP Chris Sale (18-3, 2.38)
LHP Sean Manaea (12-5, 3.29) vs. LHP Max Fried (10-10, 3.42)

in Milwaukee

LHP Jose Quintana (10-9, 3.74) vs. RHP Colin Rea (12-5, 4.20)
RHP Tylor Megill (4-5, 3.98) vs. RHP Frankie Montas (7-11, 4.50)
RHP Luis Severino vs. RHP Tobias Myers (8-6, 3.05)

In baseball

José Iglesias giggled briefly. What was he doing this time last year?

“I don’t remember,” he said. “Probably sung?”

That’s right. Iglesias spent the 2023 season out of baseball, unhappy but comfortable with the idea that his major league career might be over. Instead, the 34-year-old has enjoyed the most successful season of his baseball life after signing a minor league contract with the Mets last December.

Since being promoted in late May, he’s been a spark with energy, a .300 hitter, a postgame musical artist and one of the most memorable parts of an increasingly memorable Mets season. His role has only increased of late, with Jeff McNeil’s injury forcing Iglesias into everyday duty and Francisco Lindor’s back injury pushing him to the first batting spot.

Last week I met with Iglesias for a quick question-and-answer session.

How worried were you last year that you would not get another chance like this?

I was very disappointed. I don’t think worried is the word. I wasn’t worried. I had a fantastic career. I was very grateful for everything I did and I don’t regret anything in my career at all. I played for over a decade and played well. I was very disappointed and upset that I didn’t get a chance to play the game I love. The Mets saw that I fit in with them, they gave me a chance and an opportunity and I’m taking it with both hands.

You’ve been playing for a long time, but it’s been a while since you played in a playoff game. (Iglesias last played in the postseason with the Tigers in 2013.) How much would you like to be back in that atmosphere and play a major role for this team?

That’s why you play. The playoffs are special. A lot of guys in this room haven’t experienced that. Once they taste it, they get addicted to it. I definitely miss being in the playoffs. It’s special, man. It’s special being in the playoffs. That’s the kind of atmosphere you want to be in.

How strange was it, being so long ago? The Tigers team was so good and you were young.

Torii Hunter always said to enjoy every time you make the playoffs. You never know when you’re going to be back.

In playoff games and in the big leagues in general, especially this late in the season when the concentration is so high, every play is even more important. All year long they’re all important, but now it always comes down to that one play or one pitch. That attention to detail is important late in the season.

Carlos Mendoza said that was something you particularly impressed upon the other players.

You have to manage your energy and play the game hard. Personally, I think, and I know the other guys in this clubhouse feel the same way, but we’re just going to give it our all until the end and see where we are.

Have you had more fun playing baseball than ever before?

Throughout my career. I’ve been on different teams and in different situations. But everything that happened, the song, the energy, the team, the sign, the team winning and the teamwork – I’m just happy. I’m happy to be able to contribute and I’m very humbled by this great opportunity. I’m taking full advantage of it.

Injury Updates

Red = 60-day IL
Orange = 15-day IL
Blue = 10-day IL

• Francisco Lindor could be back on Tuesday. He received an injection into his sore back on Thursday, took part in batting practice on Friday and was active in baseball over the weekend.
• Kodai Senga will not return this week. Senga was sore in his triceps after his one-inning rehab start for Syracuse on Saturday. The right-hander will continue to throw and could play a role at some point in the postseason.
• Christian Scott will undergo Tommy John surgery. He is out of surgery until the 2026 season.

Wildcard schedule

San Diego (89-67): at Los Angeles³in Arizona³
Arizona (87-69): against San Francisco³against San Diego³
Atlanta (85-73): against New York³against Kansas City³

Tiebreaker

The Mets have the tiebreaker over the Padres and the Diamondbacks. The winner of this week’s series in Atlanta will also have that tiebreaker.

(For the most optimistic: The Phillies have the tiebreaker in the division against the Mets.)

Last week at the Mets

A note on the epigraph

I have to admit that I changed Bolaño a little by removing “we Mexicans” from the line. I like how it fits the Mets fan base right now.

Earlier this summer, the Times compiled its best books of the 21st century. For anyone interested, here are my top 10:

1. “Swan Song 1945”, Walter Kempowski
2. “2666”, Roberto Bolano
3. “The Corrections”, Jonathan Franzen
4. “Exhale”, Ted Chiang
5. Oblivion, David Foster Wallace
6. “Expelled”, Matthew Desmond
7. “Leaving Atocha Station”, Ben Lerner
8. “Outline”, Rachel Cusk
9. “Normal People”, Sally Rooney
10. “Skippy Dies”, Paul Murray

Time for Trivia

When was the last time the Mets won a season series against an Atlanta team that had a .500-plus record?

NOTE: This was the first full season for a particular Mets manager.

(I will respond to the correct answer in the comments.)

(Photo of Brandon Nimmo and Pete Alonso: Jim McIsaac / Getty Images)