With the Mets ace on the mound and possibly the Phillies ace on the mound Sunday, a three-game series against the tenacious Braves looming, and a sold-out, enthusiastic crowd in attendance, Saturday's game against the Mets technically took place on Sept. 21, but it had the weight and atmosphere of October.
But it's not just the atmosphere that's fitting for the postseason: The Mets are playing like a playoff team.
On what may have been the raucous afternoon in Queens this season, Sean Manaea pitched dominantly and the offense thrived, scoring three runs in the seventh inning to beat the Phillies 6-3 in front of a crowd of 44,152 at Citi Field.
The Mets (86-69) will wait until the end of their game against the Braves in Miami and then finish up their series with Zack Wheeler before hosting Atlanta on Tuesday in what could be a season-deciding match.
Manager Carlos Mendoza's team is in what is at worst a draw in their series against the National League East leaders, the Philadelphia Phillies, heading into the most important showdown of the season.
Luis Ángel Acuña hit his third home run in his eighth major league game, while Francisco Alvarez hit his fifth home run in his last nine games.
But the game was tied in the seventh inning, when the Mets, with plenty of men on base, finally took advantage.
Against the dominant right-hander Orion Kerkering, the Mets posed a threat, walking Starling Marte and striking out Pete Alonso (who only got one hit but reached base five times).
With one out, Brandon Nimmo singled to left field and erupted in jubilant screams toward the dugout, suddenly giving them the lead.
The lead grew, and two batters later, Alvarez scored his second run of the day with a double to left-center field that got past the outfielder, making the score two.
The Phillies got one back in the eighth against Reid Garrett, but then Edwin Diaz came on to pitch with a runner on first base and Kyle Schwarber at home plate.
Diaz struck out a runner who could have tied the game, added another run on a slow single by Alonso in the bottom of the eighth, and then held the Phillies in check in the ninth.
The Mets and Phillies traded the lead through the first five innings.
Schwarber's second-pitch home run put the Mets in a tight spot.
Home runs from Alvarez and Acuna in the second inning gave the Mets the lead, but in the fifth inning, Nick Castellanos came out with a solo home run over the left field fence to tie the game at 2-2 and set the stage for a crucial seventh inning.
Even without Francisco Lindor, the Mets always seem to find a way to get out of those close games, and just as importantly, they've found an ace.
Manaea again pitched well, allowing just three runs over seven innings with just three hits (two of which were home runs), no walks and six strikeouts.
In 11 games since July 30, the left-hander has allowed four runs just once and posted a 2.50 ERA.
He was efficient, needing just 89 pitches through the eighth inning.
After Manaea allowed a leadoff single to JT Realmuto, the fifth-largest crowd in Citi Field history gave Manaea a standing ovation, to which he responded by tipping his hat and blowing a kiss.
The Mets' pitching and late-game offense meant they had no regrets about missed opportunities, including a sixth-inning bounce that worked in the Phillies' favor.
With Harrison Bader on first base and two outs, Acuña hit a fly down the right field line, just out of reach of a sliding Castellanos.
With Castellanos out of the play and center fielder Johan Rojas not nearby, the ball bounced off the dirt and into the stands for a ground-rule double, leaving Acuña on second and Bader on third base and tying the game.
If the ball had stayed on the field, at least one run would have been scored and the speedy Acuna could have hit an inside-the-park home run.
Instead, Jose Iglesias stepped up and gave the ball back to Jose Luis, who knocked it down, retrieved it, and got Iglesias out to escape.
Manaea, Diaz and some key swings made bounce a thing of the past.
