The end of the regular season is right around the corner in the MLB, and there are several right playoff races that are coming down to the wire. Easily the most chaotic of the bunch if the National League wild card race, with the Atlanta Braves and New York Mets series likely set to determine which of these two teams will find their way into the postseason, and which will come up just short.

The only problem is that, after the Braves picked up a 5-1 win over the Mets on Tuesday night, the ensuing two games on Wednesday and Thursday night were postponed due heavy rain ahead of Hurricane Helene's imminent landfall. As a result, the two teams are set to play a doubleheader on Monday, a day after the official end of the regular season.

“The final two games of a crucial series between the New York Mets and Atlanta Braves were postponed Wednesday by heavy rains ahead of Hurricane Helene. Now, a wild-card race that seemed headed to the final day of the regular season may require an extra day. And a doubleheader, at that. The regular season was set to end Sunday, but the Mets are now scheduled to return to Atlanta on Monday for a pair of games 40 minutes apart that could determine who heads to the playoffs.” – ESPN

Braves-Mets doubleheader could have huge playoff implications

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The circumstances surrounding this potential doubleheader are quite unique, because if the playoff standings are already set in stone, the league could technically decide to just not have these two teams play these games. Given how close the NL wild card standings are, though, chances are these games will need to be played in order to determine the proper playoff seeding.

The Braves, who are a game behind both the Mets (who hold the second wild card spot based off win percentage currently) and the Arizona Diamondbacks, have a three-game series with the Kansas City Royals starting on Friday, while the Mets have a three-game series against the Milwaukee Brewers on deck.

It's safe to say that pretty much every game from here on out is a playoff-caliber contest for the Braves, Mets, and Diamondbacks. And if the standings are still close once play concludes on Sunday, it could set the stage for a wild doubleheader between these two squads on Monday to determine who will make the playoffs, and who will be sent home for the offseason.