However, the Mets swept their season-ending three-game series with the Pittsburgh Pirates at Shea Stadium, while the wild-card-leading Cincinnati Reds lost two out of three to the Milwaukee Brewers.
That Sunday saw the Mets win their game, 2–1, on a wild pitch in the bottom of the ninth; the Reds avoided the sweep in Milwaukee following a seven-hour rain delay.
The Braves led the National League East by only one game as they entered a three-game September series against the Mets, the team that was right on their heels.
Per MLB rules, the one game wild card playoff was held the next day, October 4, at Cincinnati's Cinergy Field.
The Braves would vanquish the Houston Astros in four games, with Brian Jordan and eventual National League MVP Chipper Jone leading the way.
Prior to Game 1, Mets Manager Bobby Valentine chided the Braves, saying that "They better be ready to play some ghosts, because we were dead and buried two weeks ago," in reference to earlier statements by Chipper Jones.
When the series shifted to Shea Stadium in New York, raucous Mets fans would continually jeer Jones, chanting "LARRY!"
Tuesday, October 12, 1999, 8:12 p.m. (EDT) at Turner Field in Atlanta, Georgia; 63 °F (17 °C), cloudy The Braves began their eighth consecutive NLCS with a 4–2 victory over the Mets, defeating a team they left for dead two weeks earlier.
Andruw Jones walked to lead off the eighth off of Turk Wendell, moved to second on a sacrifice bunt, and scored on Weiss's single.
Greg Maddux tossed seven solid innings and John Rocker recorded the final four outs for the save, his second of the postseason, despite allowing an RBI single to Todd Pratt in the ninth to seal Atlanta's fourth straight win.
Wednesday, October 13, 1999, 4:09 p.m. (EDT) at Turner Field in Atlanta, Georgia; 62 °F (17 °C), cloudy Kevin Millwood held the Mets in check to win his second straight postseason start, allowing three runs—two earned—over 7+1⁄3 innings.
After Andruw Jones singled, Eddie Pérez's home run off of Mets starter Kenny Rogers put the Braves up 4–2.
The Mets cut the lead to 4–3 in the eighth when Mora reached on third baseman Jones's error and scored on Edgardo Alfonso's double.
Friday, October 15, 1999, 8:12 p.m. (EDT) at Shea Stadium in Queens, New York; 56 °F (13 °C), clear Tom Glavine pitched seven shutout innings and the Braves edged the Mets, 1–0, to take a commanding three-games-to-none lead in the NLCS.
With a superb effort from its two-time Cy Young Award winner, Atlanta avoided that fate here, setting up the possibility of its fifth World Series in the 1990s with a win in Game 4.
After Benny Agbayani reached on an error, the animated left-hander struck out pinch-hitter Todd Pratt, got Melvin Mora on a deep fly to right-center field and Rey Ordóñez on a weak force play.
Saturday, October 16, 1999, 7:42 p.m. (EDT) at Shea Stadium in Queens, New York; 66 °F (19 °C), clear The Mets struck first in Game 4 on John Olerud's home run in the sixth off of Braves' starter John Smoltz, but back-to-back leadoff home runs by Brian Jordan and Ryan Klesko off of Mets' starter Rick Reed put the Braves up 2–1.
After a double steal, Olerud's two-run single put the Mets up 3–2 and Armando Benitez retired the Braves in order in the ninth to keep New York in the NLCS.
Sunday, October 17, 1999, 4:09 p.m. (EDT) at Shea Stadium in Queens, New York; 67 °F (19 °C), cloudy Robin Ventura's bases-loaded blast off Kevin McGlinchy with one out in the bottom of the 15th inning kept the Mets' season alive with a 4–3 victory over the Braves in Game 5 of the NLCS.
Official scorer Red Foley ruled the hit (which was recently ranked the third Greatest Moment in Mets history, behind only the team's two World Series Championships) a single.
The Mets took an early 2–0 lead in the bottom of the first inning as John Olerud hit his second home run in as many days with Rickey Henderson on first.
Pitching on his 25th birthday, local villain John Rocker entered the game in the bottom of the 13th inning to a loud chorus of boos and several projectiles hurled in his direction.
Valentine was speaking in reference to a calf injury that had been bothering Ventura during the postseason, and had led to his entering this game without a hit in the series.
After Andruw Jones's fielder's choice loaded the bases, Eddie Perez's two-run single knocked Leiter out of the game.
An Edgardo Alfonzo leadoff double was followed by John Olerud's single before Piazza's sacrifice fly put the Mets on the board.
The Mets took an 8–7 lead in the eighth, as rookie Melvin Mora, a virtual unknown, singled home Benny Agbayani off of Mike Remlinger.
Otis Nixon pinch-ran for Perez, and took the momentum back by stealing second base and going to third when Piazza's throw went into center field.
Kenny Rogers entered the game (although most had speculated that it would be rookie Octavio Dotel) and gave up a leadoff double to Gerald Williams.
The Braves took advantage of Piazza's limited defensive abilities, running relentlessly on the star backstop and stealing 14 bases in 18 attempts.
Chipper Jones, Greg Maddux, Tom Glavine, John Smoltz, and manager Bobby Cox would all be inducted into the Hall of Fame, as would Mets' catcher, Mike Piazza and outfielder, Rickey Henderson.