With the Mets’ ace on the mound; with the specter of the Phillies’ ace set to take the mound Sunday; with a three-game showdown looming in opposition to the hanging-around Braves; and with a sellout, energized crowd available, Saturday’s Mets sport technically occurred on Sept. 21 however had the load and feeling of October.
It was not simply the environment, although, that appeared worthy of the postseason: The Mets are taking part in like a playoff workforce.
In what might need been the rowdiest afternoon in Queens this season, Sean Manaea was dominant and his offense loud sufficient, a three-run seventh inning making the distinction in a 6-3 win over the Phillies in entrance of 44,152 at Citi Discipline.
The Mets (86-69) awaited the end of the Braves’ sport in Miami and can end this collection in opposition to Zack Wheeler earlier than their season could also be determined starting Tuesday in Atlanta.
Carlos Mendoza’s group will enter its most important showdown of the season having at worst cut up a collection with the NL East-best Phillies.
Luisangel Acuña launched his third homer in simply his eighth big-league sport and Francisco Alvarez smoked his fifth dinger in his previous 9 video games.
However the tied sport was determined within the seventh, when a Mets workforce that had left too many on base lastly capitalized on its alternatives.
Towards dominant righty Orion Kerkering, the Mets mounted a menace with a stroll to Starling Marte and Pete Alonso (who had one hit however reached base 5 occasions) getting drilled.
With one out, Brandon Nimmo looped a single into left subject and screamed to his dugout with pleasure and, instantly, with a lead.
That lead grew, two batters later Alvarez coming via for a second time on the day with an outfielder-splitting double into left-center that scored two.
The Phillies scored as soon as within the eighth in opposition to Reed Garrett earlier than Edwin Diaz entered with a runner on first and Kyle Schwarber on the plate.
Diaz struck out the potential tying run and — after an Alonso bloop, RBI single added some insurance coverage within the backside of the eighth — Diaz shut down the Phillies within the ninth.
The Mets and Phillies traded leads via the primary 5 innings.
Schwarber’s house run on the second pitch of the sport put the Mets in a gap.
Residence runs by Alvarez and Acuna within the second inning put the Mets forward earlier than Nick Castellanos caught out his bat and pulled a solo shot over the left-field wall within the fifth to tie the sport at 2-2, setting the stage for the decisive seventh.
Even with out Francisco Lindor, the Mets appear to be constantly discovering a solution to escape these shut video games. Simply as importantly, they’ve discovered an ace.
Manaea was glorious once more in seven-plus innings through which he was charged with three runs on three hits (two of them homers) with out a stroll and with six strikeouts.
In 11 video games since July 30, the lefty has solely allowed as many as 4 runs as soon as and has pitched to a 2.50 ERA.
He was environment friendly, needing simply 89 pitches to get into the eighth inning.
After Manaea allowed a leadoff single to J.T. Realmuto, the fifth-largest crowd in Citi Discipline historical past gave him a standing ovation, Manaea returning the gesture with a tipped cap and a blown kiss.
The Mets’ pitching and late-game offense ensured they might not bemoan the earlier missed alternatives, together with a bounce that went the Phillies’ manner within the sixth.
With Harrison Bader on first and two outs, Acuña despatched a bloop down the right-field line that was simply out of the attain of a sliding Castellanos.
With Castellanos out of the play and heart fielder Johan Rojas nowhere close to, the ball caromed off the filth and into the seats for a grounds-rule double that saved Acuña at second, Bader at third and the sport tied.
If the ball stayed on the sector, at the very least one run would have scored and the speedy Acuña might need raced to an inside-the-park homer.
As an alternative, Jose Iglesias stepped up and grounded again to Jose Ruiz, who knocked the ball down, recovered and threw him out to flee.
Manaea, Diaz and a few necessary swings made certain the bounce was forgotten.
