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After six months and 160 games, the New York Mets and Atlanta Braves must face off today for a season-ending doubleheader to decide their playoff fates -- and those of the Arizona Diamondbacks. The regular season ended yesterday for the other 28 MLB clubs, but the Mets and Braves still have two games remaining after Hurricane Helene forced the cancellation of the final two games of their series in Atlanta last week.
The Mets and Braves can punch their ticket to the postseason by winning one of the two games today. Meanwhile, the Diamondbacks are idle today and must root for a sweep by either team to get into the playoffs.
Game 1 of today's doubleheader in Atlanta starts at 1:10 p.m. ET (10:10 a.m. PT). Tylor Megill will start on the mound for the Mets opposite Spencer Schwellenbach of the Braves.
Game 2 is scheduled to start roughly 40 minutes after the conclusion of the first game. Luis Severino and Chris Sale are the tentative starters for game 2, but the matchup could change depending on the outcome of game 1.
Let's play two! Today's season-ending doubleheader in Atlanta will decide the final two postseason spots in the National League.
Playoff scenarios for Mets, Braves and Diamondbacks
Each of the three divisions in the National League are decided, with the Phillies winning the NL East, the Brewers winning the NL Central, and the Dodgers winning the NL West. The Padres locked up the first Wild Card spot, but the other two Wild Card spots -- the fifth and sixth NL playoff seeds -- remain open.
The Mets and Braves are both 88-72 with two games to play, and the Diamondbacks have completed the 162-game regular season at 89-73. That leaves three teams fighting for the final two playoff spots. Here are the scenarios entering today's season-ending doubleheader:
- If the Mets and Braves split the doubleheader, the Braves get the fifth seed, the Mets get the sixth seed and the Dbacks are eliminated.
- If the Braves win both games, they will earn the fifth seed, the Dbacks get the sixth seed, and the Mets are eliminated.
- If the Mets win both games, they will earn the fifth seed, the Dbacks get the sixth seed, and the Braves are eliminated.
Looking ahead to tomorrow, the fifth seed will head to San Diego to face the Padres in game 1 of the best-of-three Wild Card series, and the sixth seed goes to Milwaukee to begin the other NL Wild Card series against the Brewers.
How to watch Mets-Braves doubleheader
Today's playoff-deciding doubleheader will be broadcast nationally on ESPN2. The games will also be broadcast locally on SportsNet NY (SNY) in the New York area and Bally Sports South in the Atlanta market. The good news for baseball fans is each of the five major live TV streaming services offers ESPN2.
Mets fans who live in the local New York market can to listen to their local announcers call the game on SNY with either DirecTV Stream or Hulu Plus Live TV. In-market Braves fans can do the same on Bally Sports South with either DirecTV Stream or Fubo.
Additionally, Spanish-speaking baseball fans can watch the Spanish-language broadcast on ESPN Plus.
Sling TV's Sling Orange plan includes ESPN2, which costs $45 a month in the areas with local networks and $40 elsewhere.
YouTube TV costs $73 a month and includes ESPN2. Right now, the first four months are discounted to $65 a month. And there is a 21-day free trial. Plug in your ZIP code on YouTube TV's welcome page to see which local networks are available in your area.
Hulu Plus Live TV costs $77 includes ESPN2 and SNY. On its live news page, you can enter your ZIP code under the "Can I watch local news in my area?" question at the bottom of the page to see which local channels you get.
DirecTV Stream's basic $80-per-month plan includes ESPN2. SNY and Bally Sports South are available with the $109-a-month plan if you want to listen to the local announcers call the game for either team. You can use its channel lookup tool to confirm that ABC is available where you live.
Fubo's basic plan costs $80 a month and includes ESPN2 and Bally Sports South, but Fubo charges an RSN fee (either $12 a month if you get one RSN or $15 a month if you have two or more in your area) that raises the monthly charge to $92 or $95. Fubo is currently offering $30 off for the first month of some of its plans, which means you can get its base Pro plan for $62 or $65 to start. Click here to see which local channels you get.
The Mets-Braves doubleheader will stream on ESPN Plus but only in Spanish. English-speaking fans will need to find the national broadcast on ESPN2 or the local broadcast on SNY in the New York area or Bally Sports South in Atlanta.
ESPN Plus costs $11 a month (or $110 a year). Read our full review of ESPN Plus.
All of the live TV streaming services above allow you to cancel anytime and require a solid internet connection. Looking for more information? Check out our live TV streaming services guide.