New York (AFP) - The New York Mets defied a welter of injuries to secure a return to the Major League Baseball playoffs with a 5-3 victory over the Philadelphia Phillies.
Although the Mets were runners-up in the World Series last season, a return to the playoffs looked unlikely in August, when the injury hit team was languishing 5 1/2 games outside a National League wild card spot.
Twenty-seven wins later, the Mets locked up an NL wild card berth, with James Loney powering them past the Phillies with a two-run homer in the sixth inning.