NEW YORK — Standing on the Citi Field turf after one other banner win, Brandon Nimmo gazed up into the gang, tilted his head towards a microphone and implored followers to return to the ballpark this weekend. He requested them to get rowdy, to be loud. The Mets had simply accomplished a 10-0 victory and a sequence sweep of the Nationals, permitting them to take care of a two-game lead over the Braves within the National League Wild Card race.
New York is tied with Arizona — however holds the tiebreaker over the D-backs — for the second Wild Card spot.
October baseball is in clear view for a Mets crew that’s saved a few of its best work for mid-September. They comprehend it. They really feel it. They need as a lot assist as attainable for his or her ultimate push.
“I’m pretty much convinced now, we’re not in the regular season anymore,” Nimmo stated. “We’re in playoff baseball. Every win is extremely important. It decides whether we keep playing or not.”
If the Mets proceed performing like this, they may preserve enjoying — plain and easy. A little bit greater than 23 minutes handed from the time DJ Herz threw his first pitch of the fourth inning Wednesday to the time a big crowd rose in respectful ovation. As far as statements go, this wasn’t a prolonged one. But it was unmistakably clear.
The Mets, who way back sprung out of their coffins to ascertain themselves as authentic NL Wild Card contenders, demonstrated with a nine-run fourth inning that they're able to greater than merely a playoff berth. They are a fireball rising hotter at simply the fitting time. Over the span of these 23 minutes, New York despatched a dozen males to the plate, rapped out seven hits and scored 9 occasions in its most explosive half-inning of the season. In the dugout, the Mets impelled their “OMG” signal into extra time work.
Nimmo, who started the fourth-inning rally with a leadoff stroll, additionally supplied its most dramatic blow with a three-run homer to cap the scoring. In between, Tyrone Taylor hit an RBI double, Mark Vientos and Starling Marte every had a two-run hit and Luisangel Acuña plated a run for the second consecutive evening.
It was an extravagant quantity of assist for Jose Quintana, who threw seven shutout innings to increase his scoreless streak to 22 2/3 and enhance his ERA to 0.28 over his previous 5 begins.
“I’m really proud of this group,” Quintana stated.
How might he not be? For the higher a part of 4 months, most all the things has gone proper for the Mets. Before Wednesday’s recreation, proprietor Steve Cohen stood on the sector and watched batting follow, pleased with what his crew had achieved. Cohen, who's taking a step again from the each day buying and selling operations of his hedge fund, plans to journey to Atlanta and Milwaukee subsequent week to be with the Mets for his or her most impactful video games. He intends to be current if his crew clinches a playoff berth.
As lately as June, that appeared like an extended shot for a bunch that started the yr 0-5 — and almost misplaced its sixth recreation as effectively — then was 11 video games beneath .500 by the top of May. But Cohen all the time believed within the expertise of this roster. So did supervisor Carlos Mendoza, who implored his gamers again in late spring to “trust the process” and “continue to find ways to get better.”
“And they did it. I’m proud of them,” Mendoza stated Wednesday afternoon. “But look, we haven’t done anything. Yeah, it’s a good feeling when you come to the ballpark this time of year and you’re playing for something special. But we haven’t done anything.”
Indeed, regardless of their catbird perch, New York has but to clinch a playoff spot. The membership's finest participant, Francisco Lindor, stays sidelined with a lower-back harm, and the Mets do not know if he’ll be out there for the beginning of their season-defining gauntlet: An upcoming 10-game stretch in opposition to two first-place groups and — cue the dramatic piano chords — an Atlanta membership that has lengthy been their tormentor. Any slip now might value the Mets dearly.
That stretch begins Thursday in opposition to the Phillies within the first of 4 remaining dwelling video games at Citi Field. It’s technically attainable these may very well be the ultimate 4 baseball video games in Queens this season.
“I’m not ready to call it our last homestand,” Mendoza stated. “I don’t think anybody is ready to call it that.”
