 over the right-center fence to give the Mets a three-game sweep and a thrilling finish to their second-half surge that fell short of a postseason berth.An excited Smith tossed his helmet between third base and home plate, then was swarmed and doused by jubilant teammates as his uniform top was ripped off by Alonso in a wild scene.Moments later, the Mets took off their jerseys and gave them to fans after one last comeback win.New York went 46-26 in the second half and finished third in the NL East at 86-76 - a nine-game improvement over last year. Likely on deck in the coming days, a decision about manager Mickey Callaway, who could be fired after two seasons without a playoff trip.Callaway said he's been packing up his New York apartment since last week and will spend 19 hours driving home to Florida over the next two days.''I don't have any anxiety. I'm proud of what we did this year,'' he said before the game. ''I'm proud of how hard I worked, and I left everything on the field.''We haven't discussed anything in depth. Right now I have a contract for next year and I'm going to go home and prepare for next year.'' Alonso received a series of standing ovations from Citi Field fans who also chanted his name, one day after hitting his 53rd home run to break the rookie record set by Yankees star Aaron Judge in 2017.Alonso doffed his helmet and later tipped his cap to the crowd of 31,523 when he was pulled. He went 1 for 5 with a single and became the only rookie since 1900 - and first Mets player overall - to win the outright major league home run crown.Adeiny Hechavarria hit two late homers for Atlanta, the first multihomer game of his career, and had an early RBI single. He and Adam Duvall connected on consecutive pitches from Walker Lockett in the 11th to give the Braves a 6-4 lead.Chris Mazza (1-1) got an inning-ending double play for his first major league win.Atlanta lost five of its final six games to finish 97-65, seven games better than last season. The Braves have lost nine straight playoff rounds since sweeping Houston in the 2001 NLDS. The only longer skid belonged to the Cubs, who dropped 10 consecutive rounds from 1910 through 1998.Hechavarria, released by the Mets in August and a late addition to the lineup Sunday, tied it 4-all with a leadoff homer in the ninth against Paul Sewald.Rafael Ortega launched a two-run homer off Mets starter Noah Syndergaard. Joe Panik came off the bench and put New York ahead 4-3 on a solo homer off Shane Greene with two outs in the eighth.Syndergaard struck out nine in seven innings of three-run ball and heads into an uncertain offseason. It seems plausible the big right-hander won't be back - he's had a rocky relationship with New York's front office and has already been mentioned in trade talks several times.TRAINER'S ROOMBraves: 1B Freddie Freeman struck out and singled before being lifted. He returned Saturday from four days off to rest his ailing right elbow and said it feels good. But he hasn't homered since Sept. 1 and ended the season in a 5-for-39 slump (.128) with one extra-base hit since Sept. 11. ... 3B Josh Donaldson was scratched from the lineup and replaced by Hechavarria. The Braves said they wanted Hechavarria, who could be a backup infielder on the playoff roster, to get some time at third base heading into the postseason. ... All-Star OF Ronald Acuna Jr. hasn't played since Tuesday because of a tight left hip. He will work out this week to get ready for the Division Series opener. .... OF Ender Inciarte (right hamstring) and utilityman Johan Camargo (right shin) will miss the Division Series, weakening Atlanta's bench.UP NEXTBraves: Keuchel went 8-8 with a 3.75 ERA in 19 starts this season after signing in June. He was 4-2 with a 3.31 ERA in the postseason for Houston.Mets: Open next season at home March 26 against Washington.---More MLB: https://apnews.com/MLB and https://twitter.com/-Sports)
Rookies center stage in finale between Mets, BravesFLMPete Alonso gets one more chance Sunday afternoon to add to what will someday be a monster man cave.The New York Mets' first baseman will look to tack on to his single-season rookie home run record when the Mets host the Atlanta Braves in the regular-season finale for both teams.Noah Syndergaard (10-8, 4.30 ERA) is scheduled to take the mound for the Mets against the Braves' Mike Soroka (13-4, 2.60) in a battle of right-handers.Alonso made history Saturday night when he hit his 53rd homer -- a solo shot in the third inning that capped the Mets' scoring in their 3-0 win. The blast snapped a tie atop the all-time rookie leaderboard with New York Yankees outfielder Aaron Judge, who hit 52 homers in 2017.The milestone homer was the latest in a rookie season filled with memorable moments for Alonso -- he was named to the All-Star team and won the Home Run Derby -- and unleashed a torrent of emotions at Citi Field.The theme to "The Natural" filled the air as Alonso rounded the bases. Alonso was greeted outside the dugout by dozens of teammates, who exchanged hugs and handshakes with him. He then took off his helmet and waved to the roaring crowd of 32,210."Seeing the replay was a little bit neater for me, just to see his face, like he can't even believe it happened," Mets manager Mickey Callaway told reporters after the game. "This kid has done amazing things this year. The fans came here to see something historic and they got what they wanted to see. It's like he never lets you down." As Alonso warmed up for the fourth inning, FOX cameras captured him wiping tears from his eyes."To be number one out of every single guy that played the game, it's humbling and it's such just a ridiculously awesome feeling," Alonso said. "That moment was just pure magic." Alonso got the home run ball and said he planned to keep it at the house he will someday build with his fiancee."To have this type of stuff is really special to me," Alonso said. "Just results of hard work and dreams coming true. It's awesome." Even the National League East champion Braves (97-64) were wide-eyed at Alonso's feat."He's a monster," Braves manager Brian Snitker said. "Got to spend a little time with him at the All-Star Game and he's like an honest, real guy. He's refreshing. I respect the heck out of him." The Mets (85-76) will be looking to make a nine-game improvement on their 2018 record.Syndergaard didn't factor into the decision Tuesday night, when he gave up four runs over five innings in the Mets' 5-4, 11-inning win over the Miami Marlins.Soroka, who would be a Rookie of the Year favorite in most seasons, will be preparing for a likely start in the National League Division Series against either the St. Louis Cardinals or Milwaukee Brewers. He earned the win in his most recent start Sept. 19 after giving up two runs over five innings as the Braves beat the Philadelphia Phillies, 5-4.Syndergaard is 0-2 with a 3.65 ERA in eight career starts against the Braves. Soroka is 4-0 with a 2.19 ERA in four starts against the Mets.--Field Level Media
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