The New York Mets appear to be the team of destiny. The squad that everybody thought wouldn’t compete until at least 2025 is competing at the highest level. After beating the mighty Philadelphia Phillies on Tuesday, the Mets are just one win away from the National League Championship Series.
The Mets are set to put Jose Quintana on the mound as they attempt to close out the Phillies
It seems like yesterday when everybody was mocking the Mets for going into last season with Justin Verlander, Max Scherzer, and many other injury-prone veterans on their roster. After a few months of savvy trades, smart acquisitions, and prioritizing the farm, not to mention trusting the youth, New York is close to making history.
Of course, they aren’t quite in the NLCS yet. To do that, they have to beat the Phillies, one of the best teams in baseball all year long, one more time. It’s much easier said than done, though.
To do that, the Mets will send veteran lefty Jose Quintana to the mound on Wednesday afternoon’s Game 4. The southpaw was brilliant in his most recent outing, in the NL Wild Card round against the Milwaukee Brewers, with six scoreless innings.
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The Mets are relying on Quintana and their offensive stars
In the regular season, Quintana posted a solid 3.75 ERA in 170.1 innings to bring some much-needed stability to the rotation. On Wednesday, all the Mets’ hopes will be deposited in his left arm because one win will be enough to advance to the last four teams standing for the first time since 2015.
That year, they swept the Chicago Cubs in the NLCS and played in the World Series, but lost to the Kansas City Royals.
Quintana won’t be alone in his quest, though. He will be backed by a red-hot offense led by the powerful Pete Alonso (two homers and three walks in the last two against the Phillies) and all-around star Francisco Lindor (he has hit safely in each of the Mets’ six postseason games so far). Mark Vientos is also in a groove, and Jesse Winker and Brandon Nimmo are worthy of being mentioned, too.
This is a solid, underrated group of hitters capable of taking the organization to uncharted territory in recent seasons. The Mets can make history with one more win on Wednesday at Citi Field.
