2024 MLB Playoffs: Sean Manaea delivers 7 sparkling innings to lead Mets to victory over Phillies, 2-1 lead in NLDS

NEW YORK – The change fell toward home plate. Bryce Harper’s eyes widened. One district held its breath. The game, the series and the great seasons of two teams were at stake.

For Mets hurler Sean Manaea, it was a particularly bold pitch choice given the circumstances. His club had two runs ahead in the sixth inning and eventually scored a 7-2 win in NLDS Game 3. Two Phillies remained on base. There were no outs. The most impressive playoff player in MLB history was waiting 60 feet, 6 inches away.

Both men knew that one bad throw, one big swing and the trajectory of this dazzling streak would be reversed once again.

Changes rely on tricks. Movement also helps, but in order for the change of pace to be successful, a pitcher must mimic the arm speed of a fastball. If the pitch works, the batter mistakenly reads a heater from the hand and begins to spin forward prematurely, his swing passing through the zone long before the baseball.

But the risk is great. A dead changeup is essentially a batting practice fastball that hitters like Harper turn into souvenirs. That’s largely why the Phillies’ first baseman, a left-handed swinger, only saw five first-pitch changes from left-handed pitchers in the regular season. False players tend to attack Harper with a barrage of fastballs and sliders.

Manaea only made one left-to-left switch this year after the All-Star break. Coincidentally, this was also directed at Harper.

Before this wave of traffic, Manaea had been cruising. A few hard hit balls, but nothing scary. Two solo home runs from Jesse Winker and Pete Alonso gave the Mets a strong 2-0 lead. The Phillies hitters, who had difficulty adjusting to the southpaw’s shifting arm angle, managed just two hits in five innings.

But a few walks from Manaea early on the sixth day raised the stakes.

Because opposite the Samoan southpaw was Harper, the epitome of October Clutch, the owner of the highest playoff OPS in MLB history. Mets pitching coach Jeremy Hefner, understanding the moment, jumped out of the dugout for a visit that would prove pivotal.

Two days earlier, Harper had reminded the baseball world of his postseason loyalty for the umpteenth time in his career. The Mets were the unfortunate victims as Harper’s defibrillating two-run moon shot in Game 2 gave the Phillies an unforgettable series-leveling victory.

As Hefner, Manaea and catcher Francisco Alvarez conferred with closed mouths and vigorously nodding heads, their target streaked past home plate. Harper tightened his bright red batting gloves a few times before reaching down to scoop out a clump of dirt in the left-handed batter’s box. Half a minute later, Hefner left, his contribution done, an important piece of advice passed on: Manaea would give Harper a change on the first pitch.

The Mets returned to their positions. Harper dug his cleats into the manicured clay. An eager crowd rose. Manaea, cheeks flushed from exertion, glistened with sweat under the stadium lights.

He took a deep breath and prepared himself for battle.

It wasn’t the first time these two competed against each other in October.

Before rekindling his career with the San Francisco Giants and New York Mets, Manaea was a disappointing emergency option for the 2022 San Diego Padres. In Game 4 of this year’s NLCS in Philadelphia, Manaea was called upon to overturn a 6-4 Padres lead to defend. Instead, he was bombarded into oblivion. The Phillies hit him for five runs over just one inning and one third. Harper landed the knockout blow, an RBI double on a zipless sinker.

After Tuesday’s game, Manaea described that day as “rock bottom.”

But the silver lining of failure is the opportunity for change, and Manaea used that dark night in Philly to change things. He immediately emailed Driveline, the private high-tech pitching development company, asking for help. It was the first step on his way back to dominance. This winter led to an encouraging 2023 with San Francisco, where he pitched more than 115 solid innings.

But this year, in his first season with New York, Manaea has emerged as the best pitcher for the sport’s finest traveling circus. He changed his release point and pitch mix midway through the season with great success. The sheer ferocity of the 2024 Mets has somewhat overshadowed Manaea’s brilliant second half, but in his last 20 starts, the left-hander posted a 3.05 ERA in 121 innings. He will opt out of his contract this winter to become a free agent and secure a well-deserved payday.

Manaea had none of that in mind on Monday. Especially when Harper, intent on hitting a baseball into Long Island Sound, struck out on Manaea’s changeup on the first pitch and missed.

Strike one.

At this point neither the attack nor the game had been won. But this change changed the nature of the showdown and with it the inning and the game.

“That pitch changed the whole swing,” Alvarez, the catcher, told Yahoo Sports after the game. Hefner, the pitching coach, confirmed that the trio agreed on the plan of attack during their visit to the mound.

By throwing a switch to Harper, Manaea thwarted his opponent. Harper suddenly had to think about three pitches instead of two. This unease and indecision was bubbling. Harper sniffed Manaea’s next two offerings, both of which swept off the plate.

Strike two. Strike three.

The next batter, Nick Castellanos, hit a double play to end the inning and the threat. Manaea came back and posted a scoreless seventh. He came out again for the eighth time but was removed after allowing a leadoff infield single to Edmundo Sosa. Mets manager Carlos Mendoza slowly stalked to the mound. Citi Field, which thoroughly enjoyed its first playoff game in October of this year, has gotten back on its feet. Manaea, who finished the night with a brilliant performance – 7 IP, 1 ER, 3 H, 6 K – tipped his cap to the enthusiastic crowd.

“The ups and downs and the hardships are what make games like this so important,” a grateful Manaea said after the game. “It’s part of the work that I’ve been able to do – not just myself, but the whole team. Everyone I’ve worked with has just put so much time and effort into it. Achieving results like this is an incredible feeling.”

Manaea said he took no particular joy in avenging his 2022 performance against the Phillies. For him, the opponent was less important than the results, less important than the journey. He’s gone through so many changes that he didn’t even see his final playoff match with Harper. It wasn’t a relevant data point.

“The thing about it is that I’m not the same pitcher I was back then,” he said.

On Wednesday, Manaea will watch from the dugout as his Mets teammates try to close out the series against Philadelphia. A win will send this blue-and-orange parade to the franchise’s first NLCS since 2015 and give Manaea, whose star is rising with every brilliant start, even more opportunity for change and change.