For the first time since 2016 when they made it all the way to the World Series, the New York Mets are headed to the MLB postseason. They booked their ticket to the playoffs as early as Monday when they defeated the Milwaukee Brewers, 7-2, on the road, thanks in large part to another outstanding start from ace Max Scherzer and the offense provided by Pete Alonso and company.

Although they are still trying to lock up the division title in the National League East, Alonso and Scherzer feel relieved that at least they are going to see more baseball beyond the 162-game regular-season schedule.

Via Jaclyn Hendricks of the New York Post:

“We have worked really hard and we performed and it just feels really good to secure a postseason spot,” Alonso said. “We have more to come. We know what the challenge ahead of us is, but you can’t just not celebrate special moments. We really do care about each other.”

Scherzer, who pitched six perfect innings in the aforementioned Brewers game is a playoff veteran, but he must be feeling a special type that he's done it again this time with the Mets.

“This is what you play the game for, you play to get into the postseason,” Scherzer said. “The fact that we got here, there’s a lot of ways for it not to work out. For us to find a way, that is awesome, that is what we celebrate. But we have a lot of things in front of us and we understand that, but man you have got to understand the good times too.”

The Mets have a slim lead over the Atlanta Braves in the division, as the Braves continue to breathe down their necks. The division title winner might even come down to what happens in the rapidly approaching three-game series in Atlanta between the Mets and the Braves, though, New York also has a favorable series against the Washington Nationals to finish off their regular-season schedule.