The New York Mets entered their final series with a simple mission: Win. They held a slim one-game lead for the last Wild Card spot, and their destiny was in their hands. The night started as they expected. A Francisco Lindor leadoff homer and Pete Alonso RBI double gave them a quick 2-0 lead. But that hope vanished in the fifth inning.

The Miami Marlins exploded for six runs and put their season on life support. But NYM didn’t just lose the game; they lost one of their most important players. Brett Baty , the 25-year-old young Mets infielder who’d carried them since August, took a big swing at a pitch in the first inning and visibly grimaced in pain. He tugged at his right side but waved off his manager to stay in the game. Baty even made a tough across-the-body throw to first base to

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