When you both made the MLB playoffs, why not celebrate?

The Atlanta Braves and New York Mets entered the day fighting for their playoff lives, each needing just one win in Monday’s doubleheader to clinch a wild card spot − or the Arizona Diamondbacks would get in. The Mets won a thriller in the first game and the Braves pitched a shutout for both teams to get in the postseason.

After the doubleheader concluded, each team went back to their locker rooms and celebrated making the playoffs. The two squads are long NL East rivals, but since they were both in the same stadium, they put competition aside and made sure to congratulate one another.

Mets and Braves players went onto the field at Truist Park and were all smiles as they took pictures and exchanged hugs.

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It’s nice to see rivals be friends, even if they have a flight to catch.

The Braves will head to San Diego to face the Padres in the wild-card round, while the Mets will face the Milwaukee Brewers. Both best-of-three series will begin on Tuesday.

This article has been updated to correct information.

MLB’s all-time hits leader, Pete Rose, passed away Monday, September 30 at 83 years old. Rose is one of the greatest baseball players of all-time, racking up an astonishing 4,256 hits over his 24-season career with the Cincinnati Reds, Philadelphia Phillies, and Montreal Expos. Rose was a 17-time All-Star and won three World Series as well as the 1973 National League MVP.

Despite all of Rose’s accomplishments, Rose may be most well-known for being withheld from the MLB Hall of Fame. Here is everything to know about the man nicknamed ‘Charlie Hustle.’

What MLB records does Pete Rose hold?

Rose is the MLB’s all-time leader in:

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Hits: 4,256
Games Played: 3,562
At-Bats: 14,053
Singles: 3,215

Rose’s most notable record is hits. Rose is one of only two players with 4,000 career MLB hits (Ty Cobb), and the distance in hits between Rose and MLB’s No. 3 all-time hits leader – Hank Aaron; 3,771 – is greater than the distance between Aaron and No. 12 Willie Mays (3,293).

Why isn’t Pete Rose in the Hall of Fame?

In 1989, Pete Rose was given a lifetime ban from MLB after it was revealed that Rose had placed bets on his Cincinnati Reds while he was playing for and managing the team between 1985 and 1987.

Rose’s eligibility for the Hall of Fame has come and gone at this point. Even if MLB were to lift the ban, Rose would no longer be eligible for Cooperstown. However, the controversy lies in MLB’s acceptance of gambling recently. Although it is still forbidden for players to gamble on their own teams/performances, MLB now allows live betting in many of its ballparks. The league even has an official gambling partner in FanDuel.

The Big Red Machine

Outside all the hits, Rose helped the Cincinnati Reds earn two World Series titles. The Reds were arguably the most dominant team in Major League Baseball during that stretch, earning the moniker ‘The Big Red Machine.’ Between 1970 and 1979, the Reds averaged over 95 wins per season.

At their peak, alongside Rose, the Reds featured Johnny Bench, Joe Morgan, Tony Perez, Ken Griffey Sr., George Foster, Dave Concepcion, and Cesar Geronimo.

Bench, Morgan, and Perez are all in the Hall of Fame. Morgan died in 2020 at the age of 77.

Pete Rose nickname

Rose was renowned for this playing style, which was unrelenting. As the story goes, Yankees greats Whitey Ford and Mickey Mantle spotted Rose early in his career and dubbed him ‘Charlie Hustle’ to denote someone who would play every last second as if it were the World Series.

One of the most polarizing figures in sports history, Pete Rose had a long, complicated relationship with baseball. But he also was a star in another sport: wrestling.

MLB’s all-time hits leader − who later earned a lifetime ban − died on Monday at the age of 83. While he is known for what happened during his baseball career, he made history in WWE.

In 1998, Rose appeared as the guest ring announcer at WrestleMania 14 for the match between The Undertaker and Kane. He came out to the ring and taunted the Boston crowd at the TD Garden, gloating about when he and the Cincinnati Reds defeated the Red Sox in the 1975 World Series. Kane then made he made his entrance and when he got to the ring, Kane hit Rose with a tombstone piledriver in one of the most iconic wrestling moments involving a celebrity.

The next year at WrestleMania 15, Rose tried to attack Kane by disguising himself as the San Diego Chicken. Instead, Rose was dealt another tombstone piledriver.

At WrestleMania 16 in 2000, Rose then tried to attack Kane from behind with a baseball bat, but his plans were thwarted. He got a chokeslam from Kane and a stink face from Rikishi.

Rose returned to WWE in 2010 as the host of Monday Night Raw, and of course, he had another run-in with Kane where he dragged him into his office and appeared to attack him.

Aside from the hilarious relationship between Rose and Kane, the baseball star made WWE history in 2004 when he was the first celebrity inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame.

‘For fans of WWE, he created another extraordinary legacy with some of the most memorable celebrity appearances of all time,’ WWE said of Rose. ‘Rose’s appearances at WrestleMania 14, WrestleMania 15, and WrestleMania 2000 are classic moments that stand among the celebrity highlights of WWE’s annual spectacular.’

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Jim Harbaugh is optimistic about the direction the Los Angeles Chargers (2-2) are headed despite entering their Week 5 bye on a two-game losing skid.

The Chargers were defeated 17-10 by the defending Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs on Sunday. It was the Chargers’ six-straight loss to Kansas City and the club’s first loss to the Chiefs under Harbaugh.

The Chargers scored the game’s first 10 points, then the defense forced two turnovers and held Patrick Mahomes to a modest game. Yet, the Chargers offense was held scoreless in the second half for the second time in as many weeks.

A neutralized offense in the second half is just part of the issue for Harbaugh’s Chargers. Week 4 featured another subpar performance in the passing game, which has become a concerning trend.

“It’s building,” Harbaugh said of the Chargers offense. “Want to get better in all the areas. Not a finished product, in our mind. …It’s a point of emphasis to get that unit humming, especially when it matters most.”

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Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert set an NFL record for the most passing yards through a player’s first four seasons (17,223). Under Harbaugh, the quarterback has yet to pass for more than 200 yards in a single game.

“We have to stay patient, understand that we got the right guys out there. We didn’t execute,” Herbert said after Sunday’s loss. “It didn’t go our way (Sunday) and that’s not going to stop us going forward next week, two weeks, whenever it is.”

The Chargers offense was always expected to be run-centric under offensive coordinator Greg Roman, who is a run game guru. Plus, the Chargers let go of WR Mike Williams and traded WR Keenan Allen over the offseason, the best two wide receivers Herbert’s had. But does Roman’s offense cater to Herbert’s skillset? The numbers through their first four games together say no. The Chargers have the second-worst passing offense in the NFL. Herbert is averaging just 144 passing yards per game this season after averaging 275 yards per game the first four years of his career.

The silver lining is the Chargers still have plenty of time to improve their meager passing attack. The team has a soft schedule coming out of the bye with back-to-back road games against the Denver Broncos and Arizona Cardinals before returning home to host the New Orleans Saints. And players and coaches are optimistic about this season.

“Just understand what’s going on. If you look at the film and look at what the offense is doing and what (the defense) is doing, it’s a lot of football we can be proud of. But that doesn’t matter. It’s not no moral victories, especially for me,” Chargers outside linebacker Khalil Mack said. “It’s a process. But not getting too down on yourself, not getting too high (and) not getting too low, staying even-keeled and focusing on getting better every week.”

Maybe no one is more hopeful than coach Harbaugh as the Chargers enter their Week 5 bye.

“It’s an early bye, it’s a Week 5 bye,” Harbaugh said. “I think it’s a good thing for where we are now and when it comes. When it comes this early, getting the team back refreshed, but also taking advantage of the things we need to get better at. There’s that element of work together, get it to the point of where we want it. Where it’s good, great (and) where it needs to be. As a function of bye week, I would call it ‘opportunity week.’ Opportunity to improve in areas that we need it.”

In a stunning maneuver that simultaneously cast aside the architect of their winningest team while elevating one of the greatest players in franchise history, the San Francisco Giants fired president of baseball operations Farhan Zaidi and appointed future Hall of Fame catcher Buster Posey to that role.

The move comes just three seasons after Zaidi, 47, blended a combination of longtime Giants champions with a slew of newcomers to lead the Giants to a 107-win season and the 2021 National League West title, edging the rival Los Angeles Dodgers by one game. Yet the Dodgers toppled the Giants in an epic five-game NL Division Series, after which Posey – a three-time World Series champion for the Giants and the 2010 NL MVP – retired.

The Giants never neared those heights again, going 81-81, 79-83 and 80-82 as Zaidi’s commitment to roster-flipping and platooning did not bear fruit without the leftover championship core of Posey, Brandon Belt and Brandon Crawford.

Now, stunningly, it is Posey who will take the reins of baseball operations, even as he’s had virtually no executive experience.

Posey joined Greg Johnson’s ownership group and relocated his family back to the Bay Area after retiring. He reportedly undertook a significant role in the $151 million extension signed by Matt Chapman earlier this month, which might have been interpreted as a sign Zaidi, who was hired before the 2019 season, was seeing his influence wane.

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Now, it is official.

‘We are looking for someone who can define, direct and lead this franchise’s baseball philosophy,’ Johnson, the club chairman, said in a statement, ‘and we feel that Buster is the perfect fit. Buster has the demeanor, intelligence and drive to do this job, and we are confident he and (manager) Bob Melvin will work together to bring back winning baseball to San Francisco.’

Posey, 37, was a seven-time All-Star with the Giants and a career .302 hitter with 158 home runs. He played a crucial role as a rookie in leading the Giants to the 2010 World Series, their first in San Francisco, the start of three World Series championships in five years.

Zaidi was a top executive in Oakland and with the Dodgers before the Giants hired him to replace Bobby Evans, who inherited the job from Brian Sabean, the architect of the Giants’ three title teams. Zaidi’s heavily analytic approach – and hiring of progressive manager Gabe Kapler – was a significant departure for an organization grounded in traditional scouting and development principles. But the club faded badly after making the 2016 NL Division Series, and longtime manager Bruce Bochy departed after Zaidi’s first season in 2019.

While the 2021 season was a stunning development, Zaidi’s approach, combined with the Giants’ inability to attract elite free agents to San Francisco, roiled an increasingly impatient fan base.

Things seemed to come to a head when an extension for Chapman reportedly stalled before Posey interceded. This Giants club featured late additions in Chapman and Blake Snell, who struggled to find homes in free agency last winter.

That played no small part in the club’s slow start and eventual fade from contention. Now, Snell is expected to opt out of his contract, but said Saturday that he’d welcome a return to the Giants.

If that happens, he’ll be dealing with a new president calling the shots – one very familiar to Giants fans.

Yet player pedigree never guarantees executive success, across sports Michael Jordan struggled mightily as an executive with the Washington Wizards, and his Charlotte Bobcats teams also failed to gain traction under his team presidency. Baseball Hall of Famer Ted Williams could not translate his hitting greatness to the Washington Senators teams he managed.

Yet Posey is freshly enough removed from the game to retain relationships with current players, agents and on-field staff. His career spanned perhaps the most disruptive decade-plus with regard to player development and deployment.

‘We believe it is time,’ Johnson said in his statement, ‘for new leadership to elevate our team.’

The Atlanta Braves and New York Mets both secured their spots in the MLB postseason by splitting Monday’s doubleheader at Truist Park, a dramatic afternoon that featured an instant classic in Game 1.

New York won the opener to clinch their spot first, a wild game that featured three lead changes in the last two innings, Francisco Lindor’s go-ahead home run in the ninth proving the decisive blow.

In a must-win situation after the gut wrenching loss in the opener, Atlanta had to dig deep for Game 2. Grant Holmes got the start after ace Chris Sale was scratched and came through in the clutch, giving up just one hit in four scoreless innings. The Braves bullpen combined for five shutout innings, hanging on for a 3-0 win.

In the wild-card round beginning Tuesday, the Braves will face the San Diego Padres and the Mets will visit the Milwaukee Brewers for the best-of-three series.

Here’s how Monday unfolded in Atlanta

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FINAL: Braves 3, Mets 0 

The Braves bounced back from a crushing loss in the opening game of the doubleheader to clinch their wild-card spot with a 3-0 win in the 162nd game of the season.

Braves add insurance runs: Atlanta leads 3-0 through seven

Needing a win to clinch a postseason spot and clinging to a 1-0 lead, the Braves gave themselves a bigger cushion in the seventh inning, getting a two-run single from Marcell Ozuna.

Game 2: Atlanta leads 1-0 through five

Grant Holmes, Daysbel Hernández and Dylan Lee have combined to keep the Mets scoreless through six innings and have Atlanta nine outs away from securing a spot in the postseason after the crushing loss in Game 1 of the doubleheader.

Grant Holmes cruising for Braves, Atlanta leads 1-0 through three

Starter Grant Holmes is giving the Braves exactly what they needed, facing the minimum with six strikeouts through three innings. Holmes had tossed 1 ⅔ innings in Sunday’s loss to the Royals, but was able to come back Monday having thrown only 21 pitches in that outing.

Braves take second-inning lead in Game 2

Gio Urshela hit an RBI single in the bottom of the second off Mets starter Joey Lucchesi to give Atlanta a 1-0 lead in a game that it must win to clinch a spot in the playoffs.

A Braves victory would send Atlanta to San Diego for the wild-card series, with the Mets heading to Milwaukee.

Game 2 underway: Must-win for Braves

The teams had to get right back on the field after the Mets’ stunning win in the first game of the doubleheader that clinched New York’s spot in the postseason. After ace Chris Sale was scratched, Grant Holmes got the start for Atlanta with Joey Lucchesi on the mound for the Mets.

Chris Sale scratched for Braves

Atlanta ace Chris Sale was scratched from starting the second game of Monday’s doubleheader after dealing with back spasms.

The presumed NL Cy Young winner hadn’t pitched since Sept. 19 and was 18-3 with a 2.38 ERA in 29 starts after joining the Braves in an offseason trade with the Red Sox.

FINAL: Mets 8, Braves 7

Edwin Diaz held on in the bottom of the ninth to pick up the postseason-clinching win for the Mets.

Francisco Lindor home run puts Mets back ahead

Francisco Lindor’s two-run homer off Pierce Johnson in the top of the ninth gave the Mets an 8-7 lead. A wild turn of events in Atlanta after the Mets had scored six in the top of the eighth and the Braves came back with four in the bottom of the inning.

Braves storm back to take 7-6 lead

After giving up six runs in the top of the eighth, Atlanta scored four in the bottom of the frame to go back ahead, with a bases-clearing double from Ozzie Albies giving the Braves a 7-6 lead.

Edwin Diaz came in to try getting a five-out save, but Jared Kelenic’s RBI infield single made it 6-4 with two outs. Then, Diaz walked Michael Harris II to load the bases for Albies.

Albies has five RBI in the game after getting the scoring started with a two-run homer in the third inning.

Mets rally to take eight-inning lead

Tyrone Taylor’s leadoff double in the eighth chased Spencer Schwellenbach – who had held the Mets scoreless for seven innings. Francisco Alvarez followed with an RBI double against Joe Jimenez that finally got the Mets on the board. Francisco Lindor’s RBI single two batters later made it 3-2 with nobody out.

Jose Iglesias brought in the tying run with an opposite-field single and then Mark Vientos’ sacrifice fly brought home Lindor – suddenly giving the Mets a 4-3 lead.

Brandon Nimmo followed with a no-doubt homer off closer Raisel Iglesias – who came in to try to get a six-out save – to make it 6-3.

Ramon Laureano home run extends Braves’ lead

Mets manager Carlos Mendoza sent Tylor Megill out for the sixth inning and the right-hander retired Jorge Soler to lead off – but Ramon Laureano followed with a solo home run that gave the Braves a crucial insurance run.

Megill was pulled after giving up a single with two outs, finishing his outing with eight strikeouts, replaced by Huascar Brazoban.

Braves lead Mets 2-0 through five

Spencer Schwellenbach gave up two hits to begin the top of the fifth, but the Mets couldn’t get the ball out of the infield with Harrison Bader grounding out to end the frame. It was the second time in the game that the Mets failed to score after getting a runner to second with no outs.

They’re 0-for-6 with runners in scoring position.

Spencer Schwellenbach cruising through four: Braves up 2-0

Spencer Schwellenbach is continuing his domination of the Mets, giving up just an infield hit with four strikeouts through four innings.

Ozzie Albies home run puts Braves in front

After Michael Harris’ leadoff single in the bottom of the third, Atlanta second baseman Ozzie Albies hit a two-run homer off Tylor Megill to give the Braves a crucial 2-0 lead in the first game of the doubleheader.

A three-time All-Star, Albies was limited by injuries this season, this is 10th home run in 98 games.

Mets-Braves scoreless through two

Mets starter Tylor Megill worked around two infield hits in the bottom of the second, striking out Gio Urshela and Orlando Arcia to strand both runners.

Mets vs. Braves doubleheader underway

Spencer Schwellenbach set the Mets down in order to begin the day at Truist Field, retiring Francisco Lindor, Jose Iglesias and Mark Vientos in the top of the first.

In two starts against the Mets entering Monday, the rookie Schwellenbach held the Mets to one run in 14 innings, striking 15 with one walk.

How to watch Braves vs Mets doubleheader

Both games will air on ESPN2, MLB.TV and can be streamed on Fubo.

Braves vs. Mets pitching matchups

Game 1

Braves: Spencer Schwellenbach – 8-7, 3.47 ERA in 20 starts
Mets: Tylor Megill – 4-5, 3.98 ERA in 15 games (14 starts)

Game 2

TBD

Georgia chemical plant fire hovers over Atlanta

A chemical plant fire in Rockdale County, Georgia, on Sunday has the county east of Atlanta under a thick cloud of smoke – more than 24 hours later. However, the decline in air quality is not expected to impact today’s Mets-Braves doubleheader at Truist Park in Cobb County – a little more than 35 miles away. 

Meteorologist Alex Forbes of FOX 5 in Atlanta notes the air quality issue ‘is not high on the scale at all’ and conditions are expected to improve as the day progresses. 

Braves lineup for Game 1 vs Mets

Michael Harris II, CF
Ozzie Albies, 2B
Marcell Ozuna, DH
Matt Olson, 1B
Jorge Soler, RF
Ramon Laureano, LF
Travis d’Arnaud, C
Gio Urshela, 3B
Orlando Arcia, SS

Mets lineup for Game 1 vs Braves

Francisco Lindor, SS
Jose Iglesias, 2B
Mark Vientos, 3B
Brandon Nimmo, LF
Pete Alonso, 1B
J.D. Martinez, DH
Tyrone Taylor, RF
Francisco Alvarez, C
Harrison Bader, CF

David Peterson’s clutch start puts Mets on doorstep

MILWAUKEE — With two games on Monday and a potential playoff game on Tuesday, there was no bigger time than Sunday for David Peterson to bounce back and ease the burden of the bullpen.

After a bumpy opening inning, the 28-year-old left-hander delivered an encouraging result heading into Monday’s doubleheader.

Peterson gave up an infield single to Jackson Chourio in the opening inning before the Brewers put runners on the corners with a walk and a fielder’s choice. But Peterson got Eric Haase to wave at a slider for the final out of the inning.

From there, Peterson was nearly unhittable. He only walked two batters across the next six innings, finishing seven scoreless innings with one hit, three walks and eight strikeouts.

‘For him to go out there in a must-win for us today, I thought the way he controlled the game, his tempo, I don’t think there was any type of pressure,’ Mets manager Carlos Mendoza said. ‘He was calm, he was under control and he kept making pitches. It’s a good sign because he’s one of the guys.’

— Andrew Tredinnick, NorthJersey.com

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As its 2024 regular season drew to a close Monday, Major League Baseball lost one of its most iconic players ever.

Pete Rose, the sport’s all-time leader in career hits, died Monday at the age of 83. A cause of death has yet to be reported.

Rose was one of the biggest stars of his era, a 17-time all-star, a three-time batting title winner, and a three-time World Series champion who won the National League Most Valuable Player award in 1973. His 4,256 hits are the most in MLB history, putting him 67 ahead of Ty Cobb.

His on-field heroics, however, only tell part of his broader life story. In 1989, Rose was banned from baseball by commissioner Bart Giamatti for gambling on his own team as a player and manager. After years of denying the accusations, Rose admitted in 2004 that the allegations were true. Because of the ban, Rose is ineligible for induction into the Baseball Hall of Fame.

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For all the controversy he generated, Rose’s accomplishments and tenacious style of play — which earned him the nickname “Charlie Hustle” — made him a beloved figure for many, particularly in his native Cincinnati, where he played 19 of his 24 MLB seasons with the Reds. He also managed the Reds for six seasons, from 1984-89.

Rose’s death generated an outpouring of thoughts and remembrances. Here’s a sampling of the social media reaction to Rose’s passing:

Pete Rose dead at 83: Social media reacts

Basketball Hall of Famer Dikembe Mutombo, who played 18 seasons in the NBA and served as a global ambassador for the league after retiring, has died from brain cancer, the NBA announced Monday.

Mutombo was 58.

‘Dikembe Mutombo was simply larger than life,’ NBA Commissioner Adam Silver said in a statement announcing his death. ‘On the court, he was one of the greatest shot blockers and defensive players in the history of the NBA. Off the floor, he poured his heart and soul into helping others.’

The 7-2 center was the fourth overall pick in the 1991 NBA draft by the Denver Nuggets. He quickly established himself as a force in the paint, averaging 16.6 points and 12.3 rebounds per game on his way to finishing second in the 1992 rookie of the year voting.

Mutombo played for six different teams during his pro career, earning eight All-Star selections and being named to three all-NBA teams.

However, he was best known as a shot-blocker – leading the league in that category in three consecutive seasons from 1994 to 1996 and being named the NBA’s defensive player of the year four times.

A native of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Mutombo came to the United States to play college basketball for Georgetown University and legendary coach John Thompson.

He played his first five seasons with the Nuggets before signing with the Atlanta Hawks as a free agent in 1996. He went on to play with the Philadelphia 76ers, New Jersey Nets and New York Knicks before finishing his career with the Houston Rockets.

In a statement, Hawks principal owner Tony Ressler said:

“We are deeply saddened by the news of Dikembe Mutombo’s passing.

“Dikembe was a proud and honorable man, who lived up to the definition of a word that became synonymous with his name – humanitarian. He used his many gifts and his platform to improve the lives of everyone he encountered, especially in his homeland of the Democratic Republic of the Congo and throughout Africa.

“His passion for the game, its growth and the joy he brought to defense – including his undeniable presence and iconic ‘finger wag’ – made him a star on the court and with the fans around the globe.

“I was fortunate to have been able to call him a friend. My family and I were beyond proud to have him represent the Hawks organization on and off the court. With his jersey in the rafters, his life and legacy will always be remembered in Atlanta.

“On behalf of the entire Hawks organization, our thoughts, prayers and support are with Rose and their family at this difficult time.”

Mutombo retired at the end of the 2008-09 season, finishing his career with 11,729 points (9.8 per game) and 12,359 rebounds (10.3 per game).

He was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2015.

After his playing career ended, Mutombo was named by the NBA to be its first Global Ambassador. In that role, he worked extensively to grow the game internationally, especially in African nations.

‘He was a humanitarian at his core,’ Silver said. ‘He loved what the game of basketball could do to make a positive impact on communities, especially in his native Democratic Republic of the Congo and across the continent of Africa.’

In addition to his compassionate side, Mutombo also had a distinctive sense of humor – both on and off the court. His signature finger wag was incorporated into an iconic commercial for GEICO insurance in which he used his shot-blocking talents in everyday life.

In 2022, Mutombo revealed that he was undergoing treatment in Atlanta for a brain tumor.

(This story was updated to include additional information.)