As Game 4 of the National League Championship Series wound down to its inevitable conclusion on Wednesday night at Wrigley Field, Mets manager Terry Collins began thinking about his late mother and father.

Where will the search for a manager lead Dodgers president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman?

Don Mattingly and the Dodgers have had a “mutual parting of the ways,” according to a baseball source, in the most dramatic of moves to complete the first year of president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman, who inherited Mattingly from the Ned Colletti regime.

Rangers infielder Jurickson Profar, who has missed two seasons because of a torn muscle in his right shoulder, has been activated off the 60-day disabled list and will play in the Arizona Fall League.

The Mets finished off a National League Championship Series sweep of the Cubs with an 8-3 win Wednesday at Wrigley Field, capturing the fifth pennant in franchise history.

Don Mattingly and the Dodgers parted ways Thursday, and Joe Frisaro of MLB.com reported that the Marlins will have interest in speaking with him.

After 13 big league seasons and 153 career wins, Dan Haren is hanging up his spikes for good.

The oversized bottle of champagne was on ice in Terry Collins’ office. Eventually, it made its way into the hands of chief operating officer Jeff Wilpon, who hoisted it above his head to raucous cheers. The Mets had beaten the Cubs, 8-3, in National League Championship Series Game 4. They were headed to the World Series. They were partying.

For the fourth time in as many games in the National League Championship Series, the Mets tallied first, and they didn’t let up, posting an 8-3 victory over the Cubs on Wednesday night at Wrigley Field to complete a sweep and reach the World Series for the first time since 2000. New York will face the winner of the Royals-Blue Jays American League Championship Series, which the Royals lead, 3-2.

Long after the game was over, a couple thousand fans stood cheering behind the Mets’ dugout at Wrigley Field and broke into the standard “MVP, MVP,” chant as Daniel Murphy rejoined the group celebrating on the field. Murphy had just hit a two-run homer in the eighth inning of his club’s 8-3 victory in Game 4 of the National League Championship Series, punctuating the sweep of the Cubs and the fifth NL pennant in franchise history.

Lucas Duda’s five-RBI night propelled the Mets to an 8-3 victory that swept the Cubs out of the National League Championship Series on Wednesday. Duda’s breakout night came quickly, too, with a first-inning three-run home run and a second-inning two-run double keying a quick six-run lead for the Mets. The performance was a record-reaching one, as Duda tied a Mets record for most RBIs in a postseason game.

Queens is in a dream. From LaGuardia Airport to JFK, the entire city is buzzing: The Mets are in the World Series.

Here’s a closer look at each of those key events from Wednesday’s postseason action, courtesy of Statcast.

A few minutes after the final out at Wrigley Field on Wednesday night, the grounds crew raised a flag from the center-field mast, and it was saddest of sights for loyal, lifelong fans. But it’s safe to say, never has losing felt this good for the North Siders.

They waited nearly five minutes following the final out to process their 8-3 loss to the Mets on Wednesday night, and once they were done, the Cubs walked out of the dugout. They turned toward the third-base side of Wrigley Field where a gathering of fans had formed, and then they tipped their caps.

Here are the top GIFs from Wednesday’s postseason action, which saw the Mets sweep the Cubs to advance to the World Series and the Blue Jays beat the Royals to force a Game 6 in the ALCS, courtesy of @MLBGIFs.

If the New York Mets continue to pitch like this, the National League pennant is not all they are going to win. Who can stop the parade of flamethrowers? Who can even hit them enough to make a difference?