Francisco Lindor spent much of Tuesday’s pregame on the clubhouse couch huddled under a blanket, resembling somebody who might have celebrated too much the previous night. 

But the star shortstop was wide awake and full of energy when the Mets needed him most. 

Lindor smashed a go-ahead grand slam in the seventh inning that helped deliver the Mets a sixth straight victory, 7-5 over the Brewers  at American Family Field. The Mets remained one game ahead of Atlanta for first place in the NL East, a night after clinching the franchise’s first postseason berth since 2016 and acknowledging the accomplishment with a champagne toast. 

“We’re in a fight and we have got to come out every day and do our best.” 

Lindor’s slam came after lefty Taylor Rogers walked the bases loaded in the seventh. An inning earlier Pete Alonso mashed a three-run homer that put life into a Mets lineup that managed only one hit through five innings. Overall, the Mets had only four hits.

New York Yankees outfielder Aaron Judge hit his 60th home run during his team’s 9-8 walk-off win against the Pittsburgh Pirates at Yankee Stadium on Tuesday night, which was historic for several reasons.

Judge tied Babe Ruth for the second most home runs hit in American League history — which had previously stood as the MLB home run record for 34 years — and is now just three shy of Roger Maris‘ AL record of 63 home runs.

The 30-year-old also reached 60 home runs in fewer games than both Maris and Ruth, which has long been a debate over the validity of the record.

Ruth had initially set the record in 154 games, while Maris broke the  record in 162 games after the league had previously extended the total amount of games in a season.

Judge hit his 60th homer in 147 games and is poised to hit at least four more with the Yankees scheduled to play 15 games before the conclusion of the 2022 MLB regular season.

Max Scherzer’s perfection Monday night served as the ideal springboard for the Mets to celebrate a playoff berth and the right-hander’s 200th career win. 

In his return from the injured list, Scherzer retired all 18 batters he faced over six innings and struck out nine in helping the Mets clinch their first postseason appearance since 2016 with a 7-2 victory over the Brewers at American Family Field. 

The Mets, with their fifth straight victory, maintained their one-game lead on Atlanta in the NL East race, but are assured at least a wild-card berth. They joined the Dodgers and Astros (both of whom already clinched their respective divisions) among MLB teams officially in the postseason. 

Afterward, the team hoisted champagne glasses in a low-key celebration of the team’s success and Scherzer’s milestone win. Scherzer was presented with “Ace of Spades” champagne that he shared with teammates. 

“This team has been tenacious — it never gave up the whole year,” said team owner Steve Cohen, who addressed the players postgame. “This is a special group of guys. They love each other. They are a team that enjoys playing together and you can see it.”