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Mets beat Phillies 5-3 to clinch top NL wild card

New York Mets starting pitcher Bartolo Colon throws in the first inning of a baseball game against the Philadelphia Phillies, Saturday, Oct. 1, 2016, in Philadelphia. (AP Photo/Laurence Kesterson)
New York Mets starting pitcher Bartolo Colon throws in the first inning of a baseball game against the Philadelphia Phillies, Saturday, Oct. 1, 2016, in Philadelphia. (AP Photo/Laurence Kesterson) New York Mets starting pitcher Bartolo Colon throws in the first inning of a baseball game against the Philadelphia Phillies, Saturday, Oct. 1, 2016, in Philadelphia. (AP Photo/Laurence Kesterson)

By Associated Press 2 min read

PHILADELPHIA (AP) – The New York Mets clinched a playoff spot Saturday, beating the Philadelphia Phillies 5-3 to secure the top National League wild card.

The defending NL champions will host San Francisco or St. Louis on Wednesday night at Citi Field, with the winner advancing to face the Chicago Cubs.

James Loney hit a two-run homer to back 43-year-old Bartolo Colon (15-8), and Jeurys Familia closed for his major league-high 51st save. T.J. Rivera, Jose Reyes and Asdrubal Cabrera each had an RBI single.

The only other time the Mets made the postseason in consecutive years was 1999-2000. New York won the NL East last season and went all the way to the World Series before losing to Kansas City.

This season has presented all sorts of new challenges. The banged-up Mets overcame a bevy of injuries that depleted their lineup and decimated a terrific young rotation – with Matt Harvey, Jacob deGrom and Steven Matz all sidelined by season-ending ailments.