The Milwaukee Brewers clinched their second NL Central title in four years, beating an erratic New York Mets 8-4 on Sunday, behind Willy Adames, who hit two home runs and produced three runs.
Josh Hader pitched a perfect ninth inning, dropping Brandon Nimmo with a fly ball to left fielder Christian Yelich that sparked the Brewers’ celebration on the diamond in front of 43,430 cheering fans.
Milwaukee completed a three-game series sweep and handed the Mets their 10th loss in 11 games.
A day after New York was eliminated from a postseason chance in its first season under new owner Steven Cohen, the Mets (73-82) made three mistakes and claimed a losing record for the fourth season in five years.
Freddy Peralta (10-5) won for the first time since Aug. 10, ending a slump in which he was 0-2 in five starts. He had four runs and five hits in 5 1/3 innings.
Peralta entered the game with a rival batting average of .162 and is heading to finish the season with the best since 1920. (AP)