Article content
NEW YORK — Francisco Lindor hit a grand slam in the sixth inning, his final hit in an extraordinary season full of them, and the New York Mets reached the National League Championship Series with a 4-1 victory over the Philadelphia Phillies on Wednesday.
Article content
Edwin Diaz struck out Kyle Schwarber with two runners on board to end it as New York defeated the rival Phillies in Game 4 of their best-of-five Division series, winning 3–1 to end a home postseason series for the first time in 24 years.
Immediately following, in a noisy clubhouse, the Mets' first champagne-soaked clinching celebration in Citi Field's 16-season history.
After three days of rest, New York will open the best-of-seven NLCS on Sunday at either the San Diego Padres or the Los Angeles Dodgers. San Diego held a 2-1 lead in its NLDS heading into Game 4 on Wednesday night.
For the NL East champion Phillies, who won 95 games and finished six ahead of the wild-card Mets during the regular season, it was a bitter exit early in the playoffs and a disappointing setback after they advanced to the 2022 World Series and beyond. lost Games 6 and 7 of the 2023 NLCS at home to Arizona.
Article content
After falling short again in October, Bryce Harper and the Phillies are still looking for the franchise's third championship.
Perhaps overeager with so much at stake, the Mets left the bases loaded in the first and second and stranded eight runners total in the first five innings.
They put three runners on again in the sixth, this time with no one out, before No. 9 hitter Francisco Alvarez struck hard at the plate against All-Star reliever Jeff Hoffman.
With the season on the line, Phillies manager Rob Thomson called up closer Carlos Estevez to face Lindor, who hit a 99 mph 2-1 fastball into the Philadelphia bullpen in right center, giving New York a lead of 4 to 1 and sending the sellout crowd of 44,103 into a delirious, bouncing, throbbing frenzy.
Article content
With his first home run of these playoffs, Lindor joined Shane Victorino and Hall of Fame slugger Jim Thome as the only major leaguers with two postseason grand slams. The star shortstop also connected with Cleveland at Yankee Stadium in Game 2 of the 2017 AL Division Series.
Edgardo Alfonzo hit the only other postseason slam in Mets history, during the 1999 Division Series in Arizona.
This left fans again chanting “MVP! MVP!” when Lindor disappeared into the dugout and again when he took his place on defense in the seventh.
Tuesday's Game 3 was Lindor's first opportunity to play at Citi Field since Sept. 8 after missing time down the stretch with a back injury.
But few players, if any, have been as valuable to their team this year as Lindor, who provided a remarkable series of big hits and critical contributions as the Mets rebounded from a 24-35 start to their first NLCS since losing in the World Series. 2015. Series for Kansas City.
Share this article on your social network
