Mets historic meltdown has domino effect

NEW YORK (Reuters) - A Mets meltdown of historic proportions sent the New Yorkers tumbling out of the postseason picture and the domino effect could include a shake-up at Shea Stadium.

The Mets let a seven-game lead slip through their fingers in their last 17 games of the season by going 5-12, including two five-game losing streaks. They went 1-6 at home in the final week.

"I'm a big boy," manager Willie Randolph told reporters after Sunday's 8-1 loss to the last-place Florida Marlins finished off the Mets. "I know how things work. I know I'm accountable for my job."

General manager Omar Minaya had some kind words for Randolph but said the front office and ownership would review the season soon and map out plans to move forward.

The Mets were not the first team to lose such a big lead -- the 1934 New York Giants and 1938 Pittsburgh Pirates also squandered seven-game leads in September -- but no club had ever dropped that sizable a lead so close to the finish.

Relievers routinely coughed up leads during the collapse, fielding was shoddy, baserunning was puzzling, bats went cold in the clutch and moves made by Randolph and Minaya were loudly second-guessed.

"It feels almost surreal," said first baseman Carlos Delgado, whose left hand was broken by a pitch in the first inning on Sunday. "We were too good to finish like this."

Ageing players such as pitchers Tom Glavine (41) and Orlando "El Duque" Hernandez (37), outfielder Moises Alou (41) and catcher Paul Lo Duca (35) might not be back and the coaching staff could be changed in the aftermath.

PHILLIES' JOY

For all the misery in Mets-land, there was joy in Philadelphia, where the hard-charging Phillies celebrated their first division title in 14 years after beating the Washington Nationals 6-1 in Sunday's regular season finale.

New York had a chance to salvage the season with a win over the Marlins on Sunday but hopes died fast as 303-game winner Glavine gave up seven runs in the first inning after retiring only one batter.

"Shooting yourselves in the foot over and over again down the stretch, in all honesty, we didn't deserve it," third baseman David Wright said about missing the playoffs.

The Mets demise simplified things for the Colorado Rockies and the San Diego Padres, who finished tied at 89-73 to set up a knockout game in Denver on Monday night for the wildcard playoff berth.

Had New York won on Sunday they would have joined Philadelphia at 89-73 and created a four-way National League logjam at that record.

The Mets and Phillies would have played off for the division title and the loser would have joined a three-team playoff for the wildcard berth.

Now the Phils will host the wildcard winner, and the Central champion Chicago Cubs will play the West winning Diamondbacks in Arizona in the best-of-five National League divisional series starting on Wednesday.

The American League pairings already were set with the West champion Los Angeles Angels traveling to Boston to start their series against the East winners Red Sox on Wednesday. The wildcard New York Yankees open their series against the Central Division champion Indians on Thursday in Cleveland.