By Tim Britton, Will Sammon and Matt Gelb
NEW YORK — Of course, it was Francisco Lindor.
Lindor’s sixth-inning grand slam sent Citi Field into a frenzy and propelled the New York Mets to a 4-1 series-clinching win over the rival Philadelphia Phillies. New York advances to the National League Championship Series for the first time since 2015.
Despite creating chance after chance in Wednesday’s Game 4, the Mets still trailed by a run into the sixth inning. With the bases loaded and one out, Philadelphia turned to closer Carlos Estévez, hoping to escape one more jam in a 1-0 game. Instead, Lindor turned on Estévez’s 99 mph fastball on the outer half and deposited it into the Phillies’ bullpen in right field — a fitting landing spot, given how thoroughly the Mets had targeted that ’pen throughout the series.
The Mets, who needed one win the day after the end of the regular season to even make the playoffs, will move on to a seven-game series with either the Los Angeles Dodgers or San Diego Padres. That series will start Sunday in Southern California.
FRANCISCO LINDOR. GRAND SLAM. #NLDS pic.twitter.com/CdKuEVOfT3
— MLB (@MLB) October 9, 2024
Francisco Lindor’s grand slam was only fitting
The sellout crowd greeted Lindor with chants of “M-V-P!” The fans did their part, rising to the occasion — even singing along to “My Girl,” Lindor’s walkup tune — to set the stage. Then Lindor delivered with the latest version of the biggest hit of the Mets’ season.
With the bases loaded and one out in the sixth inning, Lindor crushed a belt-high fastball from Estévez for a grand slam to give the Mets a 4-1 lead.
Citi Field may never have been louder. The place erupted.
It was only fitting that Lindor came through with the hit that sent the Mets to the NLCS.
For much of the season, Lindor carried the Mets. Then his back acted up, and he missed a handful of games in late September. When he returned for the final steps of the playoff push, Lindor picked up right where he left off. His home run in the doubleheader against the Atlanta Braves on the final day of the team’s regular season helped send the Mets to the playoffs.
Up until Wednesday, the one thing missing from Lindor’s postseason was a huge hit. He had done well, often setting the table for moments from others like Pete Alonso. It felt inevitable that soon enough, Lindor was going to have his Mets postseason moment, too.
David Peterson came up huge
Heading into the game, Mets manager Carlos Mendoza wasn’t entirely sure how he’d end up deploying lefty David Peterson, a solid starting pitcher moonlighting this postseason as an ace reliever. Maybe he’d piggyback starter Jose Quintana. Maybe he’d enter later in a high-leverage spot. Maybe a combination. The game would tell him, Mendoza figured.
In the sixth inning, Mendoza turned to Peterson, who entered with two outs and two on with left-handed batter Bryson Stott at the plate. Peterson retired Stott on just three pitches to end the threat. He then pitched two more scoreless innings, limiting the Phillies’ top five batters to just a single.
Quintana, who kept the Mets in the game through five innings, and Reed Garrett, who was the Mets’ first reliever to appear in the game and recorded the first two outs in the sixth, deserve credit, too. But it’s Peterson who stands out the most after excelling in an unfamiliar role.
Jeff Hoffman and the Phillies’ bullpen falter again
Jeff Hoffman warmed up in the second inning. He started throwing again in the third inning. Then, in the fifth inning, the Phillies called to the bullpen one more time. Hoffman warmed up and entered in a high-stress situation — runners on first and second with one out. He stranded both runners there with only seven pitches.
The Phillies asked him for more.
Hoffman was one of the club’s best relievers all season. He made his first All-Star team. He will score a hefty multi-year contract as a free agent this winter. But he had pitched multiple innings in a game only four times during the season. He had never warmed up three times before doing it, like he did Wednesday.
There was no action in the bullpen when the sixth inning began. Hoffman permitted a leadoff single to J.D. Martinez, then fired a wild pitch that moved him to second base. The Phillies still didn’t have anyone warming. Hoffman hit Starling Marte with a 2-2 slider. Finally, Estévez started to throw in the bullpen.
Hoffman walked Tyrone Taylor, who has a career .296 on-base percentage, to load the bases. He induced a groundout from Francisco Alvarez. That’s when Phillies manager Rob Thomson took the ball from Hoffman. But the Phillies had tempted fate by pushing Hoffman. They paid when Lindor took a mighty swing against Estévez.
The Phillies had a robust bullpen all season. They expected it to be a strength in October. Their relievers permitted *XX [16] runs in this four-game series.
Ranger Suárez does his best Houdini act
The Phillies were always optimistic about Ranger Suárez elevating his game once October arrived. He carried a 1.62 postseason ERA into Wednesday’s start. He had a penchant for the bigger moments; Suárez threw the pitch that clinched the 2022 National League pennant.
But they had no idea what to expect in Game 4.
Suárez has not inspired confidence for months. He needed 30 pitches to record the first three outs Wednesday against the Mets. Somehow, he emerged unscathed. The Mets loaded the bases again in the second inning and failed to score. Suárez breezed through the third and fourth innings. The first two Mets reached in the fifth before a Brandon Nimmo strikeout – then Hoffman entered and stranded them both for Suárez.
It was a remarkable escape act.
Suárez featured maybe the best curveball he’s ever thrown. He threw 30 curves and registered six strikeouts with the pitch. Those 30 curveballs were tied for the most he’s ever thrown in a start.
He found a way to make it through 4 1/3 scoreless innings.
“You know, what happens in September stays in September,” Suárez said a day before Game 4. “It’s time to turn the page. I just forget about it. I’m not thinking about it too much. We’re in October now so it’s a different atmosphere, a different vibe.”
(Photo of Francisco Lindor: Luke Hales / Getty Images)
