NEW YORK _ Zack Wheeler had dominated, putting together the perfect swan song if Thursday indeed marked his final start in blue and orange. For most of the night, he ensured that, if a partnership were to end, the final memory would be sweet.
In a minute, it changed.
Wheeler, who shut out the Marlins over seven innings, surrendered back-to-back home runs in the eighth. Suddenly, the Mets trailed by a run. A perfect finish to Wheeler's season turned into a 4-2 Mets loss.
Tyler Heineman placed a two-run homer in the seats, then ex-Met Curtis Granderson followed with a solo shot. There was not much energy at Citi Field on this night. The Mets are eliminated from postseason contention, and are simply playing for pride.
So, all eyes were on Wheeler.
His eighth-inning stumble probably won't change your perception of him. He entered the night with a 3.78 career ERA. He's been a staple in the Mets rotation, and just finished his fifth season.
Repeatedly, he has been in trade rumors. Each time, he has emphasized how much he loves playing for the Mets.
You, the fan, will probably miss him if he does not return.
On Thursday, Wheeler one-hit Miami over six. When Starlin Castro smoked a ground-rule double in the seventh, it ended Wheeler's streak of 16 straight batters retired. Wheeler struck out 10 over eight frames.
Perhaps he should have been pitching with a lead much sooner. On the other side, Jordan Yamamoto notched a career high 10 strikeouts against the Mets, one-hitting them over six.
In the seventh, the Mets pressured Jarlin Garcia and eventually broke through with an RBI single from _ you guessed it _ Wheeler. Brandon Nimmo's sacrifice fly gave New York a 2-0 lead as Wheeler returned to the mound to finish his masterpiece.
Wheeler could not do so. The Marlins went ahead, then added to their lead when Edwin Diaz entered and immediately served up a solo home run.
Wheeler will close the season with a 3.96 ERA. At times, he's admitted to being confused and frustrated by his results. Sometimes, he hasn't felt great on the mound. Others, he's wondered why he didn't throw up more zeroes.
Overall, he finished the season on a roll. Before Thursday, Wheeler had allowed only one earned run in each of his last five starts. Unfortunately for him and Mets fans, he could not do so again.
For some time, Wheeler has faced questions about whether he'll remain a Met.
Here they come again.
