Collins resigns as Mets manager

New York Mets manager Terry Collins resigned after the team’s final game this season.

“It’s baseball,” Collins said pregame, before word of his departure spread. “I’ve spent my whole life in it. There’s good days, bad days, good years and bad years. You have to be able to deal with them all. You can’t just ride the wave all the time. You have to move on.”

When Collins and Phillies manager Pete Mackanin exchanged lineup cards at home plate, the two men hugged before walking away.

It was announced Friday that Mackanin would not return as Phillies manager in 2018. Instead, he will transfer to a front office role as senior adviser to general manager Matt Klentak.

The 68-year-old Collins, the oldest manager in the majors, had said he had no plans to retire after this season and would like to keep working until age 70 — even if that meant somewhere else in baseball.

His two-year contract was set to expire after this year. The Mets have long been expected to make significant changes following a drastically disappointing season derailed by injuries and underperformance.

The New York Post reported last Wednesday that longtime pitching coach Dan Warthen, who predates even Collins on the staff, is likely to be let go. And in the past few days, things turned particularly ugly amid anonymously sourced reports of sniping by players and friction between Collins and the front office — partly over how he’s handled the bullpen.

“Terry’s a great person. He’s helped me out a lot through my baseball career,” catcher Travis d’Arnaud said.