The final weekend of the regular season always carries an extra weight, as some teams struggle for their October existence and others try to be a spoiler. This season, the New York Mets, with their final National League Wild Card spot and an 82-77 record, belong to the first category. The Cincinnati Reds are just one game behind them and holding a crucial head-to-head tiebreaker. The Arizona Diamondbacks also remain in the race, trailing by 2 games of the Mets. But the spoiler?

The Miami Marlins. And to embrace this role, Miami made a stunning decision. They shuffled their pitching rotation and pushed back the start of their $54 million ace, Sandy Alcantara. After his strong start against the Colorado Rockies on September 18, Alcantara was on a standard rotation schedule to next face the Philadelphia Phillies on Wednesday. But he was moved to Friday against the Mets, a move their manager called lining up to “finish strong.”

This move immediately sparked a debate on MLB Network, and Host Brian Kenny questioned the timing. Kenny noted the Marlins were still technically alive when they decided to hold Alcantara. “He should have pitched on Wednesday. The Marlins just got eliminated. They held him off while they were still eligible,” Kenny said to former big leaguer Sean Casey. “I know they hate the Mets, but does that make sense?” It’s a fair point; why risk your own slim chances just to spite a rival?

But Casey saw it differently and couldn’t hide his excitement.

“I love this. I love… no, seriously, I love it.” Casey argued that for a team with no October baseball to look forward to, this series becomes their championship. “No, this is their… this is their postseason. Seriously, let me tell you why.”

Casey then shared a personal story that perfectly presents this spoiler POV.

He recalled a team meeting with the 2004 Cincinnati Reds before a series against the playoff-bound Chicago Cubs. “I said, ‘Hey listen, this is our playoffs. We’re going home in seven days from now, but we want the Cubs are going home with us,’” Casey recalled. The Reds went on to win three of four and knocked the Cubs out of the postseason.

Now, he believes the Marlins want to be the team that follows that same script. And the decision is especially terrifying for the Mets because of who Alcantara is.

Alcantara’s full-season numbers looked ordinary with a 10-12 record and a 5.48 ERA overall while still recovering from TJ, but the late surge told a different story. And especially against the Mets, he unleashed his CY Young-winning self by going  2-0 with a 2.25 ERA in his two starts this season and a 2.98 ERA in his 17 career starts.

Now, with the last three games left, the Mets have to sweep the series to advance to October without any outside help. But so far, in the middle of the 8th, it doesn’t look good for NYM as the scoreboard shows 6-2 in Miami’s favor.

But the series is more than just Alcantara vs. the Mets

It’s a weekend on a knife’s edge, and the Mets will start it with 25-year-old rookie Brandon Sproat. This will easily be the biggest and most intense start of his young career. The former Florida Gators star can touch 100 mph with his fastball. And after his most recent rough outing on September 19, when he allowed four runs in four innings against the Nationals, he has a 0-1 record with a 3.94 ERA in his three appearances so far.

New York’s pitching plan after Sproat becomes a complete mystery.

Clay Holmes will likely start on Saturday, but the team’s options are thin after that. Veterans Sean Manaea and David Peterson have struggled badly in their last few days. Manaea has allowed five runs in his last four innings, while Peterson has an 8.42 ERA over his last nine starts. This uncertainty extends to their lineup as Manager Carlos Mendoza has to decide whether to start Brandon Nimmo in center for his bat, or Tyrone Taylor for his glove.

The Marlins, on the other hand, have their rotation lined up perfectly.

After Alcantara, the Mets will face Eury Perez and Edward Cabrera. While both have had their ups and downs, they possess some good stuff capable of shutting down any lineup. Marlins manager Clayton McCullough pointed out, “We have Sandy, Eury (Perez), and (Edward Cabrera) starting this weekend. We’ve got it lined up. We want to finish strong.”

For Marlins fans, this weekend carries a different kind of emotion as there is a real possibility this could be Sandy Alcantara’s final start in a Miami uniform. He has been the heart of the franchise, giving everything he has. His teammates and fans will surely want to send him out with a win.

But right now, the question remains: Will the spoiler get the last laugh, or can the Mets overcome their nightmare?