It could have been the night it all was over.

Alas, a late Philly rally over the Braves in their opener of their twin bill dashed the hopes of the Mets clinching the NL East on Wednesday, and the Phils carried the momentum into the nightcap. All the sweep did was delay the inevitable, of course.

Carlos Delgado resumed his role as Captain Clutch, forcing extra innings in Miami, then the Mets let the Marlins do the rest, and their sloppy play led to a 7-4 NY victory.

The win eliminated the Marlins from division contention, while it dropped the Mets’ magic number to clinch the division over the Phillies — the lone rival still in play — to just …

2.

A magic number to this Mets fan, certainly: Old schoolers would cite Marvelous Marv, but for me, it’s all about the greatest manager this franchise has seen: Bobby V.

With the win, the 2006 club became the 10th Mets team to reach 90 wins.