NEW YORK — The amazin’ ride continues for the New York Mets.
Francisco Lindor hit the go-ahead grand slam in the sixth inning Wednesday for the Mets, who beat the Philadelphia Phillies 4-1 to win their National League Division Series three games to one.
Lindor’s homer was just the latest dramatic moment for the surging Mets, who will face either the Los Angeles Dodgers or San Diego Padres in the NL Championship Series beginning Sunday on the road in a best-of-seven series.
“Theres no doubt that we will refocus and get ready for the CS,” Mets outfielder Brandon Nimmo said in a champagne-soaked locker room. “But we’re going to enjoy every second of this. And that moment out there is what we’ve been working for for a long time now.”
The Mets opened the season 0-5, were 11 games under .500 in early June and didn’t clinch the NL’s sixth seed until Sept. 30, when Lindor hit the go-ahead, two-run ninth-inning homer in the 8-7 win over the Braves in the first game of a doubleheader played the day after the regular season was scheduled to end.
Three days later, New York was two outs away from being eliminated by the Milwaukee Brewers in Game 3 of an NL wild-card series when Pete Alonso hit the go-ahead three-run homer in a 4-2 win.
“I think if you were to put the last nine days in a movie, you would say ‘Yeah, there’s no way that happens in real life. That’s a fairy tale,'” Nimmo said. “But this is real life and we’re enjoying the heck out of it. And the story is not over and we know that. But we’re going to enjoy every second of it.”
The season-ending loss represents the latest October disappointment for the NL East-winning Phillies, who reached the World Series as the No. 6 seed in 2022 but lost in the NLCS last year before being eliminated in their first playoff series this year.
“I don’t like losing a series, I want to win a World Series,” Phillies manager Rob Thomson said, “But anything can happen in a short series. They pitched, their offense (performed) really well. They got to our bullpen. But I don’t see us going backwards.”
Lindor’s grand slam came after five frustrating innings for the Mets, who left the bases loaded in the first and second against left-hander Ranger Suarez and also failed to score against Suarez and right-hander Jeff Hoffman (1-2) after putting two on with no outs in the fifth.
The Mets again loaded the bases with no outs in the sixth against Hoffman, who exited after Francisco Alvarez’s grounder forced J.D. Martinez at home. But Lindor homered beyond the right-center-field fence on the fourth pitch from closer Carlos Estevez for the second postseason grand slam in team history.
Starling Marte, on third base, did a joyful jig/dance as he jogged toward home. Lindor showed no emotion rounding the bases as the crowd of 44,103 roared and shook Citi Field.
“I’m enjoying the moment, I’m living in the moment,” a smiling Lindor said as he sat at the podium with his daughter. “A lot of people are asking me why I’m not reacting to the home runs. I am reacting, you know? I’m celebrating inside.”
David Peterson (1-0), the Mets’ third pitcher on Wednesday, earned the win with 2 1/3 scoreless innings. Edwin Diaz notched the save by working around a pair of walks in the ninth to unleash a celebration that spilled on to the field more than 90 minutes after the final pitch.
“We’ve been through a lot,” Mets manager Carlos Mendoza said, “And this is not it. We’ve got to continue to ride the wave. We’ve got to continue to believe.”
New York starter Jose Quintana gave up an unearned run over five-plus innings, allowing two hits and two walks with six strikeouts.
The Phillies scored their lone run in the fourth, when Bryce Harper raced home from third on a fielding error by third baseman Mark Vientos.
Suarez tossed 4 1/3 scoreless innings despite allowing five hits and four walks. He struck out eight.
–Jerry Beach, Field Level Media
