1999 National League Wild Card tie-breaker game
| Teams | |
|---|---|
| Date | October 4, 1999 |
| Venue | Cinergy Field |
| City | Cincinnati |
| Umpires | Bruce Froemming, Gerry Davis, Mark Hirschbeck, Ed Rapuano, Rich Rieker, Jeff Nelson |
The 1999 National League wild-card tie-breaker game was a one-game extension to Major League Baseball's (MLB) 1999 regular season, played between the New York Mets and Cincinnati Reds to determine the winner of the National League (NL) wild card. It was played at Cinergy Field in Cincinnati, on October 4, 1999. The Mets won the game 5–0, with starting pitcher Al Leiter pitching a two-hit shutout. As a result, the Mets qualified for the postseason and the Reds did not.
The game was necessary after both teams finished the season with identical win–loss records of 96–66. Some described the Mets as collapsing late in the season while the race between the Reds and their division rival Houston Astros was close enough to create the possibility of a three-way tie. The Reds won a coin flip late in the season which, by rule at the time, awarded them home field for the game. Upon winning, the Mets advanced to NL Division Series (NLDS) where they defeated the Arizona Diamondbacks, three-games-to-one. They then advanced to the NL Championship Series (NLCS) but were defeated by the Atlanta Braves in six games, bringing an end to the Mets' season. In baseball statistics, the tie-breaker counted as the 163rd regular season game by both teams, with all events in the game added to regular season statistics.
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