The New York Mets took down the NL Central champions, the Milwaukee Brewers, in three games in the Wild Card Round. They also took Game 1 of the Division Series against the Philadelphia Phillies on Saturday, and were awfully close to winning the second one on Sunday before Nick Castellanos walked them off.
Behind all those clutch wins and inspired play, the Mets have had one key performer, and his name is Mark Vientos, and he didn’t even enter the season as a regular. With a lot of hard work and hard contact, Vientos took over third base and is now an integral part of the lineup.
He left his mark in the series against Milwaukee and in the first two games against Philadelphia.
Vientos has been the Mets’ most impressive performer
In Game 1, he went 2-for-4 with a run and an RBI, driving in the first run of a five-spot that turned things around in the eighth inning.
On Sunday, Vientos went 3-for-4 with a couple of home runs, two runs scored, and four RBI. He almost won the game single-handedly (he actually tied it at six in the ninth inning with one of his blasts), but the Phillies went on to win in the bottom of the ninth. His postseason numbers so far are a thing of beauty.
“Mark Vientos’ first five postseason games with the Mets: .400 AVG (8-for-20), 2 HR, 7 RBI, 5 R,” SNY Mets wrote on X.
Seven RBIs in five postseason games put Vientos in the running for most valuable Mets player in October so far. If they are going to eliminate the Phillies, the Mets will need everything Vientos has been doing and then some. He has been magnificent, and a big reason why the series is going back to New York tied.
