Mets 3. Brewers 2
NEW YORK - Eric Young Jr. won the National League stolen base crown and drove in the game-winning run and as the Mets edged the Milwaukee Brewers 3-2 in the season finale.
Young clinched the stolen base crown with two steals in the first inning, and he finished the season with 46. He led the NL in steals 17 years after his father swiped an NL-high 53 bases for the Rockies. It is the first time in history a father and son have each won a stolen base title.
Young's game-winning RBI came on a groundout in the eighth inning. New York snapped a three-game losing streak and finishes the season 74-88.
The Brewers, who also finished 74-88, had their four-game winning streak snapped. Milwaukee won six of its final eight games.
Juan Lagares led off the eighth with a routine grounder to short, but Jeff Bianchi's throw drew first baseman Sean Halton off the bag. Juan Centeno followed with a bunt, but Scooter Gennett was late covering second, and the throw from catcher Jonathan Lucroy sailed into foul territory as Lagares scored.
Wilfredo Tovar then bunted, but pinch-runner Matt den Dekker beat the throw to third from pitcher Brandon Kintzler (3-3). After Josh Satin flew out, Young hit a squibber up the first base line to bring home den Dekker.
The rally made a winner out of Vic Black (3-0). Frank Francisco earned his first save of the season with a perfect ninth.
Young began the four-game series two stolen bases behind the Brewers' Jean Segura before he caught him with two steals in Thursday's opener. Young went 1-for-9 without a steal attempt over the next two games while Segura missed Thursday and Friday's games with a strained right hamstring before he went 0-for-4 on Saturday.
Segura, who sat out nine straight games before playing Saturday, didn't play Sunday. Young wasted no time seizing the opportunity by singling on the eighth pitch of the game. He took off for second on Estrada's next pitch and clapped his hands upon seeing second base umpire Dale Scott call him safe.
Young stole third three pitches later and raced home as right fielder Norichika Aoki caught David Wright's fly to medium left. The throw home beat Young, but he slid past the tag of Lucroy.
Young chipped in defensively in the fourth inning, when the Brewers scored both their runs and collected five of their six hits off Jonathon Niese.
Jeff Bianchi, Jonathan Lucroy and Carlos Gomez opened the inning with singles, but Young - who scored the Mets' lone run in the first - briefly kept New York ahead by throwing Bianchi out at home as he tried to score on Gomez's single.
Halton beat out a potential double play to bring home Lucroy before Logan Schafer singled home Gomez.
Lucroy was the lone player on either team to record two hits.
Marco Estrada allowed one run on just two hits in seven innings for the Brewers - the second straight time Estrada allowed two hits over seven innings and the fifth time in his final eight starts that he allowed two hits or less.
Estrada walked none and struck out eight. He went 3-0 with a 2.15 ERA over his final eight outings.
Niese walked two and struck out two in six innings.
NOTES: Prior to the game, the Mets inducted Mike Piazza into their Hall of Fame. Piazza, who played for the Mets from 1998 through 2005 and ranks first in team history in slugging percentage (.542) and third in homers (220) and RBI (655), is the 27th player enshrined in the Mets' Hall of Fame. ... The Mets improved to 27-25 in season finales while the Brewers fell to 21-24. ... The preliminary 2014 schedule has the Mets and Brewers playing a three-game series in New York from June 10-12 and a four-game set in Milwaukee from July 24-27. ... The Brewers fielded their 125th different lineup of the season Sunday. ... The game was played in front of a sellout crowd of 41,891 at Citi Field.
