Yankees Fan Rich Reminds TJ Jefferson That the Mets Have Been Ousted from Playoff Contention

Rich came back from an appendectomy with at least one very clear priority: making sure TJ knew the Mets had been eliminated.

"All right, T.J. The New York Metropolitans got eliminated from playoff contention," Rich announced.

TJ wasn't having it. "Like I said, in May this happened," he said. Rich corrected the record. It became official this very week. "You lasted all the way to mid-September, man," Rich said. TJ's interest, he admitted, did not.

The show's standings board made it official with a big X next to the Mets. "I got hexed out," TJ said. Someone at the desk called it very Family Feud-ish.

The Yankees, meanwhile, clinched, and Rich was already thinking about October. His team is 22 games over .500, yet the Guardians could win their division and get a week off while the Astros, one game above .500, might still sneak in. That means the Yankees and Red Sox could be meeting in the wild card round at Yankee Stadium. Again.

"It's happening again," came the response from the desk.

Rich had his three starters picked out: Schlittler, Cole and Fried. "That's the Yankee strength right there," he said, though he noted Aaron Judge got hurt and had to leave the game.

The night the Mets were officially eliminated had a twist. Pete Alonso, now playing elsewhere, hit his 300th home run to tie the game, and Mets fans went nuts. They gave him a curtain call.

Alonso happens to be TJ's favorite baseball player, so he had no problem with it. "If our record was a little different and this game meant something, then yeah, I might have tapered it a little bit," TJ said. "But no, we're so far out of it. It was cool."

Rich had a different read on why Alonso was wearing another uniform. "This guy means so much to Mets fans, which is why they let him walk. Come on," he said. The desk noted Alonso has been awesome this year, with 38 home runs and over 100 RBI.

Then Rich got to the moment he clearly enjoyed most. A ball dropped between Francisco Lindor, Bo Bichette and Juan Soto, and SportsCenter showed "zero chill," putting their salaries on screen. "It's a billion dollars of salaries letting the ball drop," Rich said.

He confessed it was exactly the medicine he needed. "That is chicken soup for the soul when you need your appendix taken out," he said, picturing himself reading about it after getting to the emergency room.

"Good to see the hate in your heart was taken out," came the reply. Rich insisted it isn't hate.

The Red Sox side of the desk had its own Alonso regret. "Wilson Contreras has been awesome this year. Glad to have him, but I really wanted Alonso," came the admission.

The desk agreed on one thing. The AL East is the best division in the American League by far, and it feels like one of its three contenders is headed to the World Series. With the Red Sox and Rays meeting this weekend, TJ offered his blessing to both of his colleagues. "I hope the worst for both of you."

The crew kept pushing TJ to admit he hates the Yankees. He wouldn't. His uncle Ralph, who lived in Jamaica, Queens, was a Yankee fan and gave him some love for them. The Eagles, though, are a different story. "Oh, yeah," TJ said. Real sports hate, he explained, comes through when it's there. "I don't hate the Yankees. I just don't."