NEW YORK Turning to face the audience that he had been advocating for a few days prior, Brandon Nimmo saw that it was the fifth-largest regular season gathering in the stadium’s history and that they had filled every seat. He had just scored the game-winning run with a single. Everyone then witnessed the excitement go through Nimmo as he enthusiastically gave himself a hearty shout in the dugout and made the club’s celebratory hit gesture for his teammates.
“It felt unbelievable today, the energy, the atmosphere, the whole stadium was packed and they were all into it,” Nimmo said. “I alluded to it beforehand, that we were going to have playoff baseball here, and that’s what it felt like.”
A 44,152 attendance was declared. Observed the New York Mets defeat the Philadelphia Phillies 6-3 on Saturday to keep a two-game lead in the race for the last postseason slot. There are still seven games to play. One stayed at home. Sunday night is expected to draw a sizable audience, potentially a second consecutive sellout. The Mets are in the lead. They have been in the heat since June. The stands should naturally be crowded.
In addition, Pete Alonso, a cornerstone of the team and a potential free agent, may play his final home game at Citi Field.
“It’s not going to be his last game here,” Mets manager Carlos Mendoza said. “We’re expecting to be back here this year and play more games here.”
Confidence.
It’s not just coming from the skipper.
The Mets are brimming with confidence after winning six of their last eight games following the injury to their MVP candidate, Francisco Lindor, in the back.
And why should not they be, given this run of play and the way they recovered on Saturday following a crushing defeat the previous evening?
According to Mendoza, Lindor’s best chance appears to be a return on Tuesday when the Mets begin their series against the Atlanta Braves. Among other baseball activities, Lindor fielded ground balls and batted from both sides during batting practice. On Saturday, Lindor reported feeling better than he had the day before. Though nobody is exactly offering assurances, it sounds like progress.
In a similar vein, Kodai Senga’s situation appeared positive despite the lack of an official strategy. Senga has only made one start this season. In a one-inning rehab start with Triple-A Syracuse, which scored eight runs in a lengthy bottom half of the inning, Senga threw 15 pitches (eight strikes), gave up one walk, and had two strikeouts. Senga is anticipated to make a brief appearance if and when he is cleared to return from the injured list the following week.
Remind yourself: That is the best pitcher and player for the Mets.
Yet they’re still mostly winning games.
“He’s a huge part of this team, but everyone has kind of stepped up around him and has been able to contribute,” Nimmo said of the club’s success without Lindor.
Nimmo then brought up Luisangel Acuña, who was only called up last week but has done a fantastic job filling in at shortstop. Acuña hit his third home run of the season on Saturday. He is also a skilled shortstop player. All of this from a man who claimed he was not planning on joining the Mets during the September playoff run.
“You don’t get that every day,” Nimmo said.
Nimmo might have listed more players. He had the option to bring up Sean Manaea, who had another fantastic start on Saturday that included seven innings, three runs, three hits, and six strikeouts. Or Edwin Díaz, who went through the top of the Phillies hitting order to record the final four outs. perhaps a few other people.
They are an assured group. Francisco Alvarez is also arguably the team’s most confident player. “The Best” is permanently inked on his neck. He swaggers over to the batter’s box instead of walking there. Wearing stylish sunglasses on top of his head, he arrived at his postgame news conference. Veterans such as Nimmo remarked that from the beginning, Alvarez exuded confidence.
“He loves the big moments,” Nimmo said. “He’s almost foaming at the mouth to get up there.”
Alvarez has now started to perform well in key moments. It was troubling coming from Alvarez that he admitted he did not feel powerful a few weeks into what he called the worst slump of his short career. The situation has evolved. Alvarez persisted in working with instructors to enhance his hip usage and timing. Alvarez has blasted five home runs in his previous thirty plate appearances, including a solo shot on Saturday in the second inning that tied the game at one. Later, in the seventh inning, he added a two-run double to make the score 5-2.
“I feel very good,” Alvarez said of his level of confidence. “I feel more powerful.”
Like Nimmo did earlier in the inning, Alvarez jumped a few inches off the ground to celebrate his double at second base, capitalizing on the moment.
They want more of them. They expect more of them.
“I’ve been here a while now; I want to see winning baseball, I want to see playoffs,” Nimmo said. “It was just a culmination of where we’re at, in my career, in this season, and it was a big moment. And I love that.”
(Photo of Brandon Nimmo: Jim McIsaac / Getty Images)
