mets collapse

The New York Mets completed a stunning September collapse when they fell 8-1 to last-placed Florida Marlins on Sunday in a defeat that ruled them out of a playoffs berth on the final day of the season.

The Mets, who until Friday had led the National League East since mid-May, became the first major league team to squander a seven-game lead with 17 games left to play when they were overtaken by the Philadelphia Phillies for the NL East crown.

"It's just a tough life lesson in baseball," Mets manager Willie Randolph told reporters. "When you have the opportunity to seal the deal and you don't capitalize, it can come back to haunt you.

"It's going to be a tough winter."

The Mets and Phils entered Sunday's game in a dead heat.

Philadelphia beat the visiting Washington Nationals 6-1 in their regular season finale to finish with a 89-73 record and win the East Division.

The Mets dropped to 88-74 after a dismal defeat set in motion by a disastrous first inning from 303-game winner Tom Glavine, who recorded only one out and was charged with seven runs in the worst opening frame of his 20-year career.

Glavine gave up five hits and walked two, forced a run in by hitting pitcher Dontrelle Willis and made a throwing error that allowed a run to score. PHILADELPHIA, United States (AFP) ― The Philadelphia Phillies clinched their first National League East title since 1993 with a victory over Washington on Sunday as the New York Mets completed a monumental collapse.

Jamie Moyer tossed 5 1/3 effective innings and Ryan Howard homered and drove in three runs as the Phillies defeated the Nationals 6-1 in their regular season finale.

The triumph, coupled with the Mets' 8-1 loss to the Florida Marlins, gave the Phillies their first NL East division title since their NL pennant-winning season in 1993.

The Mets' fate was sealed when starter Tom Glavine could not get out of the first inning.

Cody Ross and Dan Uggla both had a two-run double in the opening frame as the Marlins tagged Glavine for seven runs.

The Mets lost for the 12th time in 17 games, completing one of the most colossal collapses in major league history.

The Mets held a seven-game lead with 17 games left on September 12. No team with that big a lead with as many games left failed to finish in first place. New York also lost nine of its last 10 home games.

In Philadelphia, Jimmy Rollins continued to be an offensive catalyst with two runs scored and a triple - his 20th of the season for the Phillies, who celebrated around the pitcher's mound after Brett Myers struck out Wily Mo Pena looking for the final out.

Myers tossed his glove skyward and players, coaches and manager Charlie Manuel were all soon gathered around the mound area.

The turning point in the contest came in the sixth inning with Philadelphia clinging to a 3-1 lead. Moyer left the game with runners on first and second and one out for Tom Gordon, who got Austin Kearns to ground into an inning-ending double play. The Phillies then tacked on two runs in their half of the frame when Tadahito Iguchi had a pinch-hit sacrifice fly and Rollins hit his RBI triple to make it 5-1 Philadelphia.

Moyer, from the Philadelphia suburb of Soderton, allowed only one run - unearned - on five hits with no walks and six strikeouts.

Howard added his 47th home run, a solo shot reaching the second deck, in the seventh inning. Before the first pitch was even thrown, the sellout crowd of 44,865 was stoked to a fever pitch as Florida's seven-run first inning against the Mets was posted on the scoreboard.

With the Cubs assured of the NL Central title and the Arizona Diamondbacks of the NL West crown, the end of the regular season on Sunday still couldn't bring a close to the race for the NL wild card.

The San Diego Padres could have claimed it with a victory, but fell 11-6 to Milwaukee to open the door to the Colorado Rockies, who forced a Monday playoff game for the final NL berth with a 4-3 victory over the Diamondbacks.