How Reds can clinch the final NL Wild Card spot over New York Mets with tiebreaker in Game 162

Billy Heyen

How Reds can clinch the final NL Wild Card spot over New York Mets with tiebreaker in Game 162 image

One game to make 162 games matter.

That's what it comes down to for the Cincinnati Reds on Sunday. They enter the day holding the National League's final Wild Card spot. And in Milwaukee against the Brewers, they are a step away from the postseason.

The New York Mets can still get in, too. They take on the Miami Marlins.

It all comes down to this.

How can the Reds clinch the NL Wild Card spot?

The Cincinnati Reds can guarantee they are in the postseason with a win.

If the Reds win Sunday in Milwaukee, the third and final NL Wild Card spot is theirs.

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Who holds the Reds-Mets tiebreaker?

That's the other good news for Cincinnati: The Reds hold the tiebreaker with the Mets.

Cincinnati won the regular season series, which is how the standings tiebreaker is decided for two teams competing for one Wild Card spot.

That means that if the Reds and Mets have the same result on Sunday, Cincinnati is in.

If both teams win, the Reds are in.

If both teams lose, the Reds are in.

The only way the Reds miss is if the Mets win and they lose.

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Billy Heyen

Billy Heyen is a freelance writer with The Sporting News. He is a 2019 graduate of Syracuse University who has written about many sports and fantasy sports for The Sporting News. Sports reporting work has also appeared in a number of newspapers, including the Sandusky Register and Rochester Democrat & Chronicle