The New York Mets typically have one or two long West Coast road trips a season. It’s bound to happen with every team playing everyone in modern baseball.
With all that travel, the schedule typically offers some relief in rest days between cities. However, the blue and orange ran into some bad luck as the May 8th matchup against the St. Louis Cardinals was postponed due to inclement weather.
As a result, the Mets road trip, originally scheduled to be to Los Angeles, Colorado, and Seattle, had a stop at St. Louis added in, eliminating the off day and resulting in the total travel distance being just north of 8,200 miles.
While the blue and orange would have likely preferred the off day and less traveling, the Mets starter against St. Louis, who would have been on just two days rest when the game was initially scheduled to take place, took advantage of the opportunity and made history.
Sean Manaea joins elite Mets franchise company
Sean Manaea pitched seven scoreless innings against the Cardinals, allowing six hits and no walks while striking out 10 in a 6-0 Mets victory. The 32-year-old’s gem came off the back of a start against the Minnesota Twins, where he also threw seven scoreless innings and struck out 11.
According to Jonathan Baron of the Meet At The Apple podcast, Manaea is now just one of three pitchers in franchise history to pitch seven-plus innings scoreless innings in back-to-back starts while striking out 10 or more batters, joining Tom Seaver and Dwight Gooden.
The Indiana native’s resurgence in 2024 has been one of the critical reasons for the Mets’ success this season. The left-hander has pitched 120 innings across 22 starts to a 3.30 ERA with a 1.183 WHIP while striking out 122 batters. The blue and orange are 15-7 when Manaea takes the bump and 7-1 since June 20.
The 32-year-old will look to continue his strong campaign in his next scheduled start against the Seattle Mariners this Saturday.
