The New York Mets are one win away from taking out their rivals, the Philadelphia Phillies, in the NLDS, and shortstop Francisco Lindor is having the time of his life.
Moments after the Mets' 7-2 win in Game 3, Lindor caught up with FOX's Tom Verducci and lauded his team's approach.
“Nobody’s trying to be bigger than the moment,” he said. “Everybody’s passing the baton, everybody’s enjoying the process, everybody’s in the moment. This is a great moment that we’re in right now. We just have to keep our heads down and keep working.”
The Phillies finished the regular season with 95 wins, the second-most in baseball, earning a first-round bye. The Mets, however, scored five runs in the eighth inning of Game 1 to stun the Phillies in Philadelphia and, after a Game 2 loss, never trailed in Game 3.
If the Mets win on Wednesday, it will be the first time they have clinched a postseason series at home since Citi Field opened in 2009.
“We have a great opportunity in our hands tomorrow, but at the end of the day, we have to come on out and give it everything we've got,” Lindor added.
Great as the opportunity may be, the Mets will have their work cut out for them against Phillies starting pitcher and postseason extraordinaire Ranger Suarez. In nine career postseason appearances, Suarez has a 1.62 ERA and 0.900 WHIP. He's also fared well against the Mets this year, pitching to a 2.30 ERA in three starts.
Jose Quintana gets the ball as the Mets look to clinch
While Suarez will provide a formidable opponent for New York, the Mets will counter with Jose Quintana. Spending the bulk of his career with the White Sox and Cubs means Quintana doesn't have a ton of postseason experience, but when he's had his chance, the 35-year-old has shined in big games.
Quintana has made five postseason starts in his career, including the decisive Game 3 against the Brewers in the Wild Card Series this year. He threw six shutout innings in that game, allowing four hits.
“At this point every game is Game 7 for me and for all my teammates,” Quintana told the media on Tuesday. “Every play, every game matters a lot. It’s going to be a privilege to get that chance [to pitch Game 4].”
Quintana has faced the Phillies three times already in 2024. He has a 2.81 ERA across 16 innings in those starts.
It has been a tale of two seasons for Quintana. Over his first 13 starts, he had a 5.29 ERA with opponents hitting for an .811 OPS against him. Over his last 18, however, he has a 2.77 ERA with a .640 opponent OPS.