Game #162: Mets 3, Brewers 2

A wild season deserves a wild finish. Not nearly as wild as what Miami did, but reasonably wild.

(NYDailyNews.com)

New York plated two runs on shoddy Milwaukee defense in the bottom of the 8th, and Frank Francisco finally returned to the closer's role as the Mets capped Mike Piazza Day and the 2013 season with a 3-2 victory over the Brewers.

The Good Stuff:

• Down 2-1 in the bottom of the 8th, Juan Lagares got a rally going with a groundball that shortstop Jeff Bianchi couldn't handle, scoring immediately after on Juan Centeno's bunt single that was kicked around the infield. Wilfredo Tovar followed with a sac bunt that wasn't a sac, as pinch-runner Matt den Dekker beat the throw to third. Two batters later, Eric Young got the final run of the year home on an RBI groundout.
• In a moment 161 games (and quite a bit of frustration) in the making, Frank Francisco closed out a 1-2-3 9th inning for his first and only save of the year, sending the nearly 42,000 Met fans who packed the house for Mike Piazza's Hall of Fame induction home happy and satisfied for the offseason.
• Jonathon Niese finished out the season strong, allowing two runs on six hits in six innings, walking two and striking out two on 80 pitches.
• Eric Young stole two bases, giving him 46 for the season (38 with the Mets) and the National League stolen bases crown. He also scored the game's opening run on David Wright's sac fly in the 1st.

The Bad Stuff:

• How about the 161 games before today that Frank Francisco was doing everything to not be a major league closer? Good riddance.

Final Analysis:
And that was all she wrote. 162 games in the books, the same record as last year at 74-88. Time flies when you're having fun (admit it - baseball is still fun, even if your team is losing). Check back in the next few days for MM's season in review.

MM