For the Mets, Groundhog Day comes in September, the latter half of September, to be specific. Unless they alter the course of their season in the next week to 10 days, the Mets will be sentenced to having the same nightmares every year at this time. In the Bill Murray movie, the same events occur at the same time every day. With the Mets, the same events occur at the same time every year.

Santayana might have said he who cannot learn from history is doomed to repeat it, but the Mets have learned the excruciatingly painful effect of their history; they just can’t seem to do anything about it.

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In the end, Ned Yost was swept out of the manager’s office in Milwaukee because his team spent the first half of this month being swept by the Mets and the Phillies.

Those two series were critical for the Brewers because they were scrambling to hold onto their wild-card lead, and either the Phillies or the Mets figured to be a primary contender for the playoff spot.

With their lead shrinking, the Brewers reminded their fans and their executives of their collapse last year. Oh, reminds you of the Mets, does it?

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Their alarm clocks apparently didn’t go off as set last March 31. The jingle-jangle of the clocks, the tintinnabulation of the season-opening bells, went unheard by players on the Houston Astros and the Toronto Blue Jays. They didn’t wake up until just before the All-Star break.

Both teams only wish this were mid-season and not end-of-season. Then they might have a chance to win a division title or at least a wild card. That’s how well the Astros and the Blue Jays have been playing. In their view, half a season may be better than none, but it’s only a consolation, and they wanted more.

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