Playoff Primer: St. Lucie Mets vs. Daytona Tortugas
FSL St. Lucie Mets

Playoff Primer: St. Lucie Mets vs. Daytona Tortugas

Published on September 8, 2025 under Florida State League (FSL)
St. Lucie Mets News Release


DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. - The St. Lucie Mets will battle the Daytona Tortugas (Cincinnati Single-A affiliate) in the best-of-three Florida State League East Divisional playoff series starting on Tuesday. The winner of the series will advance to the FSL Championship Series against either the Lakeland Flying Tigers (Detroit) or Clearwater Threshers (Philadelphia).

Game 1 is Tuesday at 6:35 p.m. at Jackie Robinson Ballpark in Daytona Beach. Game 2 is Thursday at 6:10 p.m. at Clover Park in Port St. Lucie. If necessary the teams will play a decisive game 3 which is scheduled for Friday at 6:10 p.m. at Clover Park.

Tickets to Thursday's game 2 are on sale now at stluciemets.com. Fans can enjoy $2 select beer, hot dogs, soda and popcorn. All first responders receive free admission. Potential game 3 tickets will be put on sale only if the game is necessary.

The Mets finished the regular season with a 77-53 record which was best in the FSL. It's a historic turnaround for the franchise after finishing with the second worst record in MiLB in 2024 and the worst record in MiLB in 2023. The Mets' .592 winning percentage this season is the best for the franchise since 2012 (.615).

The Mets won the FSL East first half to secure a playoff spot. The clinching game was won on a Sunday night in June at Daytona. The Mets were even better in the second half. They went 43-22 in the second half and wrapped up the FSL East second half title with over a week left in the season. It's just the second time in franchise history the Mets won both halfs in the same season. The other time was 1989, their second season of existence.

Daytona made its way into the postseason by finishing with the second best record in the FSL East's second half. It's the second consecutive year the Tortugas claimed a wildcard spot. Last season Palm Beach won the East in both halfs. Palm Beach proceeded to sweep Daytona in the East Divisional series before going on to win the FSL championship.

The Mets are seeking their seventh FSL title. They last won it all in 2022. In that postseason the Mets went 4-0. They swept Palm Beach 2-0 and then went 2-0 vs. the Dunedin Blue Jays for title No. 6.

The Mets are in the playoffs for the 17th time. They are 38-30 all time in the postseason (23-13 at home, 15-17 on the road).

This is the third playoff series between the St. Lucie and Daytona franchises and the first since Daytona became a Reds affiliate. Daytona is 5-0 against St. Lucie all time in the playoffs. The then Daytona Cubs (Chicago-NL) swept the Mets 3-0 in the 2011 FSL Championship Series. The Cubs swept the Mets 2-0 in the first round of the 2000 playoffs.

This season the Mets went 20-10 against the Tortugas. They went both 10-5 at home and at Jackie Robinson Ballpark. The teams last met from August 1-3 with the Mets winning three out of four games at Clover Park.

Since the teams last played on August 3rd, the Tortugas have gone 19-10 while the Mets are 17-12. Those are the two best records in the FSL over that time span.

Both teams come into the series with offensive firepower. The Tortugas (705 runs and 1,053 hits) and Mets (692 runs and 1,030 hits) finished 1-2 in total runs and hits in the FSL. The Mets have had the advantage on the mound, finishing the season with a 3.59 team ERA, which led the FSL. Daytona's season long team ERA was 4.82, which was last in the FSL.

The Mets' speed has played a major factor in their second half success. Their 176 stolen bases since the start of the second half are the second most in MiLB. The Mets set a franchise record with 282 steals this season. In their final regular season game on Saturday in Fort Myers they set a single-game franchise record with 13 stolen bases. Mets first round draft pick Mitch Voit has 20 steals in 22 pro games.

The winner of this series will host game 1 of the best-of-three FSL Championship Series on Sunday. The Lakeland/Clearwater winner will host game 2 next Tuesday and if necessary game 3 next Wednesday.

All playoff games at Clover Park will be streamed for free on the Bally Sports Live app and ballysportslive.com. Tuesday's road game in Daytona can be heard on internet radio at stluciemets.com.

Check out the St. Lucie Mets Statistics

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Florida State League Stories from September 8, 2025


The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.

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