Who do the Mets play next in the MLB Playoffs? Good news and bad news

The New York Mets toppled the Milwaukee Brewers in electrifying fashion on Thursday night behind a go-ahead, three-run bomb from Pete Alonso in the ninth inning. It is the hit of the season so far and perhaps the defining moment of Alonso's impressive New York tenure.

He deserves all sorts of credit for putting a rough performance behind him — Alonso was 0-for-3 with a strikeout and a fielding error before the home run — and coming through in the clutch. Now New York moves to the NLDS, continuing what has been a magical second half of the season.

Most folks were ready to write off the Mets after disappointing 2023 campaign. Hell, even the Mets front office was pretty much ready to kick the can down the road. But this group has something special and is looking to overcome decades of Mets stigma to do the unthinkable.

It won't get easier, of course. The Brewers were the weakest of the NL division winners and a favorable matchup for this Mets squad. Their next opponent? Not such a softball. The Philadelphia Phillies are on the docket in the NLDS, a team the Mets are intimately familiar with and inextricably linked to as NL East foes.

New York Mets to face Philadelphia Phillies in NLDS after Pete Alonso game-winner

This should be a great series. The Phillies are the best team in the National League, the Mets are perhaps the hottest. There is bad blood running between the streets of New York and Philadelphia. These are two fanbases with a bitter rivalry and decades of pent-up animosity.

Philadelphia won the season series, 7-6, and made a valiant effort to squash New York's postseason push late in the campaign. We cannot understate the postseason resume of this Phillies core, even without that elusive World Series, and it's worth noting all the advantages in Philadelphia's corner. That pitching staff is the best among remaining postseason teams and Philly can match New York star-for-star, even with Francisco Lindor reaching a new level of special in 2024.

That said, momentum is always a key factor in the playoffs. New York just won the most thrilling game of the season; Philadelphia has been scrimmaging in an empty ballpark all week. Not to borrow a classic Brian Snitker excuse, but there are certain benefits to playing in the first round, assuming you can make it through. Philadelphia can't afford a ramp-up period — the Mets will come out of the gate swinging.

Zack Wheeler, Aaron Nola, Cristopher Sanchez, and Ranger Suarez await the Mets' potent offense. The Phillies' hitters aren't always the most consistent, but Bryce Harper, Trea Turner, Kyle Schwarber, and Nick Castellanos is a postseason quartet to fear. The Phillies will be the odds-on favorites in Las Vegas and deservedly so.

On paper, Philadelphia is the better team, but so much of baseball transcends whatever is "on paper." The Mets are surging at the right time and that Alonso home run feels like of the sort of play we might see on the World Series highlight reel down the line.

Only time will tell. But get ready for a great week of baseball.