The Mets were still within striking distance when Carlos Mendoza decided to call to the bullpen in the fourth inning for right-hander Adam Ottavino.

The Phillies gave a beating to the Mets Friday night, putting up 12 runs, to clinch a postseason berth. There was no rushing the field at the final out, there were no champagne showers — because the job was not finished.

When a weird fourth inning devolved into an ugly Mets loss Friday night, 12-2, to the Phillies, David Stearns’ words from hours prior proved prescient. He was speaking about this stage of the baseball calendar — the postseason push — and the run the Mets have been on lately when he acknowledged the reality: Sometimes,