Morning Briefing: Mets Announce Starters For Games 1 and 2

Good morning, Mets fans!

Carlos Mendoza announced the Mets’ pitching schedule for the first two games of the NLDS on Friday. Mendoza surprisingly announced, rather than Tylor Megill or David Peterson, that Kodai Senga would get the ball for Game 1, making just his second start all year. Mendoza then announced that Luis Severino will pitch Game 2 on the road on regular rest.

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Start times for NLDS Games 3 through 5 were announced:

• Game 3 (Tuesday): 5:08 p.m. ET
• Game 4 (Wednesday): 5:08 p.m. ET
• Game 5 (Friday): 4:08 p.m. ET

Jeff McNeil and his wife, Tatiana, welcomed their second child, a daughter named Serena.

Former Mets first baseman Lucas Duda was hired as the hitting coach for Lipscomb University’s baseball team.

Latest MLB News

Phillies manager Rob Thomson announced that Cristopher Sánchez will pitch Game 2 at home for the Phillies, partly because Thomson expects Citi Field to be a “pretty hostile environment.” Sánchez has been much better at Citizens Bank Park than on the road this year, owning a 2.21 home ERA and a 5.02 road ERA.

Kevin Acee of the San Diego Union-Tribune reported that Joe Musgrove will undergo Tommy John surgery. It’s a brutal blow for Musgrove and the Padres, as Musgrove was pitching brilliantly lately, but he exited his last start in the Wild Card round against the Braves early and he’ll now be out through at least 2025. The Padres will have to continue their World Series hunt without him.

Anthony Rizzo will not be on the ALDS roster for the Yankees. The first baseman has been out with fractured fingers on his right hand.

The Reds officially announced they agreed on a contract with legendary manager Terry Francona to be the team’s next skipper. It is a three-year deal with a club option for the 2028 season.

The Twins announced that Thad Levine, their general manager, is departing the organization to pursue other opportunities, both in and out of baseball. Levine spent the last eight seasons as the Twins’ general manager, serving most of his tenure under president of baseball operations Derek Falvey.

According to MLB.com’s Mark Bowman, the Braves plan on picking up the team options on Marcell Ozuna ($16 million), Travis d’Arnaud ($8 million), and Aaron Bummer ($7.25 million). Ozuna had another fantastic season (39 HR, .925 OPS) while d’Arnaud (.739 OPS) and Bummer (3.58 ERA) were both solid.

Per ESPN’s Jeff Passan, Japanese pitcher Tomoyuki Sugano will sign with an MLB team as an international free agent in the offseason. Sugano, who will be turning 35 next week, went 15-3 with a 1.67 ERA in 24 starts for the Yomiuri Giants in 2024.

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Jack Markowski relives Pete Alonso‘s rollercoaster of a night on Thursday, from his dropped pop-up in foul territory to his season-saving home run in the ninth inning.

Christian De Block recaps the stellar outing from Jose Quintana to help keep the season alive in Thursday’s do-or-die game.

On This Date in Mets History

1986: The Mets capped off their regular season with a 9-0 victory over the Pirates. It was the Mets’ 108th win of the year, finishing with a 108-54 record.

2023: Mets general manager Billy Eppler resigned from his position due to an investigation into his alleged manipulation of the injured list. Eppler was originally set to remain in the organization under new president of baseball operations David Stearns, but he felt it would be unfair to burden Stearns with the investigation.

Born On This Date: Rey Sánchez (1967), Brent Gaff (1958), Dennis Bennett (1939).

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