MLB Rankings: The greatest hits of the season’s final week

MLB Rankings: Greatest Hits of the Final Week

1. Dominic Smith, New York Mets, 91 percent

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This was sort of, on one level, but not really, the way Mets fans envisioned their season-ending: An extra-inning, game-winning home run to sink the division-rival Atlanta Braves…and win the pennant.

Except for the last clause, they got the script right Sunday.

Dominic Smith delivered the homer, a three-run 11th inning that shot erased a 6-4 Braves lead. After scoring in the ninth inning to tie the game, the Braves had built that lead on back-to-back 11th inning home runs by  Adeiny Hechavarria and Adam Duvall, off Walker Lockett, a September call-up who was serving in the team’s furtive hope that he might be an answer to New York’s notorious bullpen woes. Guess not.

To protect that lead, the Braves had called on veteran Jerry Blevins, who fanned Tomas Nido but not before surrendering a base hit to Luis Guillorme.

That fanning of Nido prompted Braves manager Brian Snitker’s call for another veteran, Anthony Swarzak, and the pattern repeated. Wilson Ramos singled and Rene Rivera struck out.

With two out, Snitker went to the pen a third time, summoning Grant Dayton. In this season when relievers made the situation worse as often as they improved it, Dayton fit right in. He threw two pitches to Smith, the first missing the strike zone and the second landing in the Citi Field bullpen.

Save for the fact that it delivered only some momentary excitement and not the hoped-for pennant, it was a dream finish.