Jeff McNeil sits in Mets’ finale, nonetheless wins NL batting crown

NEW YORK — Jeff McNeil, held out of the New York Mets’ regular-season finale Wednesday in opposition to Washington, formally received the Nationwide League batting title after the Los Angeles Dodgers’ Freddie Freeman got here up quick in his bid to overhaul McNeil on the final day of the season.

Mets supervisor Buck Showalter stated it was his choice to take a seat McNeil as New York prepped for a wild-card playoff sequence versus the San Diego Padres that begins Friday night time.

“Would not put that on him,” Showalter stated. “Crucial factor is Friday. Every little thing else takes second.”

McNeil finishes with a .326 common after taking part in each ends of a doubleheader Tuesday and going 3-for-8 with a house run and a stroll in opposition to the Nationals.

New York was eradicated from the NL East race throughout the second sport when first-place Atlanta beat Miami. However even after Showalter pulled most of his regulars with a big lead, McNeil remained within the sport and flied out twice in wet situations.

Needing to go 4-for-4 on Wednesday in opposition to the Colorado Rockies so as to catch McNeil, Freeman doubled and homered in his first two at-bats, however a flyout to the warning monitor in heart subject within the fifth ended his hopes.

Freeman hit .325 for the season and finishes with 199 base hits and 100 RBIs. Freeman’s 393-foot drive to left tied the sport 1-all with two outs within the third. He singled in a run within the seventh.

Los Angeles had already clinched the NL West title and home-field benefit by means of the World Sequence. The Dodgers beat the Rockies 6-1 for his or her 111th victory, changing into the Nationwide League’s winningest workforce in additional than a century.

McNeil turns into the primary Mets participant to steer the majors in hitting. Minnesota’s Luis Arraez, who received the AL batting crown, hit a third-inning double after strolling twice Wednesday to complete the season at .316.

Jose Reyes is the one earlier Mets participant in franchise historical past to win an NL batting crown, when he hit .337 in 2011.

Reyes drew criticism that 12 months when he opened the season finale with a bunt single, then left the sport to guard his lead.

Corridor of Fame slugger Ted Williams famously performed each video games of a doubleheader on the final day of the 1941 marketing campaign when sitting out would have secured a .400 batting common. Williams went 6-for-8 to complete at .406, making him the final main leaguer to hit .400.

However gamers sitting out on the ultimate day of a season to protect particular person statistics or achievements is hardly remarkable — particularly when resting for the playoffs.

McNeil is driving a 10-game hitting streak and is batting .465 (20-for-43) with eight multi-hit video games since Sept. 23.

He was hitting .287 coming into play July 30, leaving him far behind Freeman (.319) and St. Louis Cardinals slugger Paul Goldschmidt (.334). However the 30-year-old McNeil, a two-time All-Star, has batted .378 since to Freeman’s .327 and Goldschmidt’s .288.

The Related Press contributed to this report.