QUEENS, NY — Two years ago on an October night in Philadelphia, Sean Manaea had finally had enough.
Called in from the bullpen in the fourth inning to try and help his former team, the San Diego Padres, hold a 4-3 lead, the veteran southpaw was tagged for five runs on four hits by the Phillies in just 1.1 innings of work. That night, he emailed Driveline — an analytics-based performance training center — to revamp his mechanics and his arsenal.
“That moment for me was rock bottom, pretty much,” Manaea said. “That was the night I emailed Driveline. I was like, ‘Alright, something’s gotta change, and we gotta fix something here.’ To
He developed a sweeper and changed the way he delivered the ball; a work in progress that was not immediately a hit. Last season with the San Francisco Giants, he was demoted to the bullpen before working his way back to the starting rotation thanks to that new pitch.
True to form, Mets president of baseball operations David Stearns took a chance and added Manaea to a rotation of other reclamation projects — most notably Luis Severino.
It has paid off remarkably, especially on Tuesday night in Game 3 of the NLDS at Citi Field. Nearly two years after his rock-bottom moment, Manaea had one of, if not the best night of his nine-year career. And it happened to be against none other than the Phillies.
The 32-year-old went seven innings plus one batter in the eighth — a career postseason high — and allowed just a single run on three hits with three strikeouts and two walks as the Mets took a 2-1 series lead with a 7-2 victory.
“To be as low as I was there and to be here now, it’s such an incredible feeling to be able to persevere through all that,” Manaea said. “I’m super proud of myself for that.”
Mets thump Phillies 7-2 in NLDS Game 3 to take 2-1 series lead behind Manaea’s gem, clicking offense
He was also pitching with a heavy heart as he found out just hours before the game that his Aunt Mabel had passed: “That game was for her.”
Manaea did not yield his first hit of the night until the third inning, retiring 15 of the first 18 batters he faced through the fifth inning. But he ran into trouble in the sixth with his side up 2-0.
In his third time through the Phillies’ lineup, he walked Kyle Schwarber and Trea Turner to lead off the frame to set up a pivotal matchup with two-time MVP Bryce Harper. Manaea won the battle, getting Harper to whiff at his steady diet of sweepers before getting Nick Castellanos to line out into an inning-ending double play.
Manaea, who is reserved more often than not, writhed in satisfaction as he left the mound — pumping his fists while screaming toward the heavens.
“When he needed to make pitches, he did,” Mets manager Carlos Mendoza said. “It was a different look today even though we’ve seen it the whole year, but his mound presence, his demeanor, there was something different about it today. I’m just proud of him.”
There certainly was an aura of confidence surrounding the southpaw. Despite this being the biggest start of his life, no moment seemed too big for him, especially in a raucous Citi Field that had not seen an NLDS game in nine years.
“I was just working on my breath,” Manaea said, explaining how the big stage did not blow him off course. “Those moments are huge, and I don’t need to use up the energy by myself. So it’s really just using what I have and using that moment to focus and execute. I think I’ve been doing a pretty good job of that…
“I know the defense behind me is incredible and we can do incredible things so I just have to trust that.”
While this could be the benchmark performance of his season, Manaea has been the Mets’ big man for the big occasion all year. He pitched a career-high 181.2 innings with a career-best 3.47 ERA to go with 184 strikeouts and a 1.084 WHIP, fueled by a second-half surge that saw him go 8-2 with a 2.70 ERA in 17 starts from June 26 to Sept. 21.
“I haven’t had the most amazing career, but through the ups and downs and the hardships, that’s what makes games like this mean so much,” Manaea said. “I’m proud of the work I’ve been able to do. Not just myself but the whole team, everybody I’ve been working with — you put so much time and effort into it, and to have results like this is an unbelievable thing.”
One more positive result for the Mets could translate into one of the more unbelievable things Major League Baseball will see this year: New York could head to the NLCS with a win on Wednesday.
For more on the Mets and Sean Manaea, visit AMNY.com
