Sean Manaea’s Phillies mastery has Mets one win away from NLCS

Orange rally towels — of t🔥he same shade as Pete Alonso’s Playoff Pumpkin — twirled throughout Citi Field on Tuesday as Sean Manaea departed the mound in the eighth inning. 

The left-hander blew a kiss to the sky (direc🌌ted toward his Aunt Mabel, whom he learned had passed away earlier in the day) and disappeared into the first-base dugout.

The Mets ꩵwere rolling in large part because of Manaea, and the acknowledgement from the sellout crowd of 44,093 was warranted following one of his best performances yet with the team and certainly on the b🧔iggest stage. 

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Manaea mastered the Phillies with one run allowed over seven innings, carrying the Mets to a 7-2 victory ▨in Game 3 of the NLDS.

One victory separates the Mets from the National League Championship Series, and ther🐲e are two ๊roads to arrive there. 

The easy road would enta꧋il beating the Phillies in Game 4 on Wednesday and enjoying downtime before heading to the west coast t🉐o face the Padres or Dodgers.

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The harder꧅ route means losing Wednesday and needing to win a Game 5 back in Philadelphia.

The Mets have never clinched a postseason berth or series at home𒐪 in the 16 seaso𒐪ns of Citi Field’s existence. 

“We wꦯant to be able to go out there and celebrate💧 and win,” Starling Marte said. 

Manaea allowed only three hits 🅠and struck out six with two walks and two hit batters over s🅺even-plus innings and 91 pitches.

It was the best outing by a Mets starting pitcher this💙 postseason and alleviated the pressure on a bullpe🍰n that was bloodied in a Game 2 loss on Sunday. 

“I haven’t had the most amazing career,” Manaea said. “But through the ups and downs an🐟d through the hardships, that’s what makes games like this mean so much. It’s part of the work I’ve been able to do, not just myself, the whole team.” 

Manager Carlos Mendoza allowed Manaea to return t𓆏o the mound fꦉor the eighth after seven shutout innings.

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But after Edmundo Sosa reached on an ౠinfield single leading off the inning, Manaea was removed.

Phil Maton 🌸and Ryne Stanek combined to get three outs in the inning with two runs scoring. 

Alonso homered leading off the second to produce the game’s first run.

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Alonso’s blast was his six🐽th in 51 career at-bats against Aaron Nola, his most facing any pitcher, and his third in four games beginning with Thursday’s go-ahead shot in Milwaukee that helped the Mets clinch the NL Wild Card Series. 

Jesse Winker’s homer with two outs in the fourth gave the Mets a 2-0 leadꦫ. In his previous at-bat, Winker just missed clearing the right-field fence, with Nick Castellanos racing to the wall for the catch.

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Bu🍎t in the🎀 fourth, Winker left no doubt after jumping on a 2-1 fastball. 

The♑ Phillies threatened against Manaea in the third: Sosa was plunked and Trea Turner delivered a two-out single.

But♎ Manaea escaped the threat by getting Bryce Harper on a comebacker. 

Manaea got defensive help in the fourth, when Tyrone Taylor threw out Alec Bohm🌸 attempting to stretch a single into a double. 

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Manaea celebrated𒁃 as he left the mound in the sixth, after Castellanos’ line drive to Jose Iglesias became an inning-endiඣng double play.

Manaea walked Kyle Schwarber and Turner in succession to begin the inning, but struck out Harper before Schwarber was caught off second🦂 on Castellanos’ liner. 

Mendoza said he𒀰 considered removing Manaea after the two walks.&n💙bsp;

“But then he got Harper there, I thought he had his momentum back.” Mendoza said. “I h🧸ave always liked his presence and especially today, his demeanor on the mound. He was always on the attack, from the first pitch.”&nꦯbsp;

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Marte stroked a two-run single in theꦅ sixth꧂ that widened the gap to 4-0.

Mark Vientos singled leading off th🅷e inning and Brandon Nimmo and Alonso walked in succession to ౠload the bases, ending Nola’s outing.

Orion Kerkering♒ enterꦗed and got two outs without a run scoring, but Marte delivered. 

Manaea res🎃ponded by retiring ♛the side in order in the seventh, including a strikeout of Austin Hays to end the inning. 

“He trusted his stuff,” Mendoza📖 said. “He trusted the game plan and didn’t back a꧂way from it.” 

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Iglesias gave the Met🥀s a cushion by🧸 swatting a two-run single in the bottom of the inning that extended the lead to 6-0.

Vientos singled in the inning and Nimmo♛ and Alonso each walked to load the ba🎃ses. 

“Wh👍en you put the ball in play good things happen and it shows there for Marte, it shows there for me,” Iglesias said. “༺The whole team did a great job competing that inning. It was pretty special.”