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The 1999 National League wild-card tie-breaker game was a one-game extension to Major League Baseball's (MLB) 1999 regular season, played between the New York Mets and Cincinnati Reds to determine the winner of the National League (NL) wild card. It was played at Cinergy Field in Cincinnati, Ohio, on October 4, 1999. The Mets won the game 5–0, with starting pitcher Al Leiter pitching a two-hit shutout. As a result, the Mets qualified for the postseason and the Reds did not. The game was necessary after both teams finished the season with identical win–loss records of 96–66. Some described the Mets as collapsing late in the season while the race between the Reds and their division rival Houston Astros was close enough to create the possibility of a three-way tie. The Reds won a coin flip late in the season which, by rule at the time, awarded them home field for the game. Upon winning, the Mets advanced to NL Division Series (NLDS) where they defeated the Arizona Diamondbacks, three-games-to-one. They then advanced to the NL Championship Series (NLCS) but were defeated by the Atlanta Braves in six games, bringing an end to the Mets' season. In baseball statistics, the tie-breaker counted as the 163rd regular season game by both teams, with all events in the game added to regular season statistics. ==Background== Neither the Mets nor the Reds had made the playoffs the previous season. The Mets finished the 1998 season with an 88–74 record, while the Reds finished below .500 at 77–85. The Mets had been tied with the Chicago Cubs and San Francisco Giants in the 1998 wild-card race as late in the season as September 25 at 88–72. However, the Mets did not win another game that year and finished their season one game back of the Cubs and Giants who tied at 89–73.〔 The Cubs and Giants played a tie-breaker in 1998, with the Cubs ultimately winning the wild card.〔 Sports writers said the Mets "blew" their lead and "collapse()," later comparing their 1998 season to the Mets' troubles late in the 1999 season.〔 Rickey Henderson and Robin Ventura joined the Mets prior to the 1999 season and spent the year as their starting left fielder and third baseman. The Reds added right fielder Michael Tucker, center fielder Mike Cameron, and starting pitchers Denny Neagle and Steve Avery during the offseason. The Mets spent 34 days of the 1999 season leading the Eastern Division, but following a seven-game losing streak from September 21–28 along with an eight-game winning streak by their division rival Atlanta Braves from September 19–28 the Braves took a commanding 8-game lead in the division that they did not relinquish. Meanwhile, the Reds and Houston Astros were locked in a tight race for the Central division. The Astros led the division for much of the season, but did not lead by more than three games after August 1 except for one day. Ultimately, the Astros won the division with a 97–65 record, one game ahead of the 96–66 Reds.〔〔 The Astros won their 97th game on the final day of the season.〔 If Houston had not won that game the Astros, Reds, and Mets would have instead been locked in a three-way tie. Bob Costas suggested that MLB was lucky to avoid this situation as he believed they had "no reasonable tiebreaker" to deal with it. Had this three-way tie arisen the Mets would have won the wild card while the Astros and Reds would have played a tie-breaker for the Central division title. The Mets' losing streak late in the season led Jayson Stark to label them a "sinking ship" in a column on September 30. However, the Mets broke this streak with a win over dominant pitcher Greg Maddux and then, following a loss, swept three games from the Pittsburgh Pirates.〔〔 The sweep included a walk-off win in the final game of the series. The Mets and Pirates were tied 1–1 in the bottom of the ninth inning when Pirates closer Brad Clontz threw a wild pitch which allowed Melvin Mora to score and win the game 2–1, tying the Reds' 96–66 record. The ''New York Daily News'' described this late-season performance as an "agonizing roller coaster ride" for Mets fans. With the Mets and Reds holding the best non-division winning records in the league a tie-breaker was necessary to determine the wild-card winner. Bob Costas said at the time he did not like the wild-card system as he believed it "diminishes the drama and authenticity of a pennant race," although he approved of the playoff teams in 1999.〔 Tim McCarver disagreed, arguing that the late-season race between the Mets, Astros, and Reds showed the excitement a wild card can add to the season.〔 A coin flip conducted earlier that September set the Reds' home park of Cinergy Field as the location for the tie-breaker game. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「1999 National League Wild Card tie-breaker game」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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