PHILADELPHIA — Francisco Lindor and Pete Alonso are the biggest names and biggest stars on Queen's team. These are 1 and 1A in the list of orange and blue luminaries.
But now the kid, Mark Vientos, is the star. There is no denying or doubting that.
The kid who always thought he could rake is doing great on the biggest stage. And if he had a little more help, the Mets could have gone home with an advantage instead of a tie in each game after Philadelphia's 7-6 walk-off victory on Sunday.
Vientos hit two game-winning two-run home runs, including one to tie the game in the ninth inning. He also had a double and a walk in five at-bats, but if the Mets had held out, it could have been called the best performance in Mets history. Vientos was heroic in the Mets' late game days, but this time the Phillies beat the Mets on their own game and rallied three times late in the game to tie the division series.
Vientos — the kid who was demoted to Syracuse not once but twice this year and never complained — now feels unstoppable. He's the best asset the Mets have right now.
“I'm focused. I'm focused on getting the job done and doing whatever I can to help the team,” Vientos said.
There's no question that the Phillies (and the other teams scheduled to play in October) should plan on who they'll play. That's Vientos, a young man with a magical bat who looks like he has the potential to lead the Mets into late October.
In the first two games played in dim light, other batters had trouble seeing from the beginning. This child who is supposed to have super vision is not.
At this moment, the moment can overwhelm the child, but he makes it his own. Vientos appears to be enjoying the spotlight. That's the best player to have in New York.
Rob Thomson, the talented Phillies manager, assisted on Vientos' second shot. Thomson started left-hander Matt Stram at the top of the Mets lineup when one of the two right-handers would be more appropriate: Jeff Hoffman, who relieved Stram, or closer Carlos Estevez, who pitched eight innings. I tried to end the match.
Not only is Lindor a good right-handed hitter, but Vientos is deadly to left-handed hitters, as Phillies' Game 2 starter Christopher Sanchez learned by allowing Vientos his first two extra-base hits. But really, don't blame Thomson too much. Kudos to the Mets for their usual rally at the end of the game.
No matter what opposing teams try, Vientos, one of the Mets' few key players to start the year in Triple-A, appears to be floating until October.
“It was a hell of a game. Both teams battled, and I'm excited to get back to Citi Field,” Vientos said.
He said it was “surreal.” But if it can't be called surreal, at least it's surprising. Both for us and for them.
Vientos had a great performance in Port St. Lucie in the spring and deserved to be selected for the team, but he would have a tough time beating out the generally highly rated Brett Batty. It still looked like he would be on the team, but then the team acquired veteran stabilizer JD Martinez, his buddy and hitting partner from South Florida, and suddenly he was headed to Syracuse. He briefly appeared and hit the winning home run, but was ejected again. He handled it all beautifully.
The Mets' hitting coach deserves credit for helping him grow this much. So is Phillies star Bryce Harper. He offered words of wisdom in a conversation at first base earlier this year.
The Phillies know their baseball, and you didn't think they would leave so quietly, did you?
No, neither did I.
The Phillies are too good to have a full postseason run. So their late come-from-behind victory, beating the Mets on their own field, is no surprise.
The Mets return to Queens feeling generally confident. However, one concern for the Mets is star reliever Edwin Diaz. This guy they called “Sugar” for obvious reasons (he's really nice) left a bad aftertaste after the Phillies scored three against him to take the lead, before Vientos tied it. left behind.
You can't blame Diaz too badly for Harper, a hero every October, starting eighth with the Phillies. The Mets held a one-run lead, but just two innings earlier, Harper hit a home run to decide the game. But Nick Castellanos' single and Bryson Stott's powerful triple down the right field line put the Phillies ahead. After one inning, Castellanos won the game on walks from Tyler Megill to Trea Turner to Harper.
Castellanos had a good game collecting three hits. However, he was not a good fit for Vientos. For now, no one can.
