Inspired Manaea, Alonso push Mets to Game 3 win
-
Jorge Castillo, ESPN Staff Writer
NEW YORK — When his brilliant performance was finally over Tuesday, Sean Manaea gave the ball to his manager, said a few words to his infielders and began a different walk off the mound.
The crowd showered him with cheers, delighted with his dominance in the most important game of the wondrous 2024 New York Mets‘ season. His mind was elsewhere. He took a deep breath. He clapped his glove, tipped his hat to the adoring fans and blew two kisses. One toward them and one toward the sky.
“That was for my Aunt Mabel,” Manaea said. “Just got a message that she had passed away early this morning. And, yeah, so that game was for her.”
What he dedicated to her, given the context, was the best outing of his major league career in the Mets’ 7-2 win over the Philadelphia Phillies in Game 3 of the National League Division Series. The 32-year-old left-hander pitched into the eighth inning, affording the Mets much-needed length to spare a taxed bullpen. He held the Phillies, a star-studded group familiar with October intensity, to three hits and two walks with 91 pitches. The only run charged to him scored after he exited.
The start, combined with two early blasts and more late-inning magic, gave the Mets a 2-1 lead in the best-of-five series. The Mets can eliminate their division rival Phillies and advance to the National League Championship Series with a win in Game 4 on Wednesday.
“We’ve got to stay humble,” Mets manager Carlos Mendoza said. “We’ve got to come back tomorrow. We have to prepare, we go about our business pregame, and then we’ve got to go out there, we got to compete and we’ve got to go out there and execute. We’ll see what happens.”
The Mets had gone 16 days without a home game before Tuesday. They left for the road unsure if they would return in 2024 after beating the Phillies on Sept. 22, commencing a whirlwind stretch that took them from the regular season to the playoffs, from Atlanta to Milwaukee, back to Atlanta, back to Milwaukee and, finally, to Philadelphia to begin this series Saturday.
Citi Field was ready for their homecoming. A raucous sellout crowd welcomed them for the franchise’s first divisional round game since 2015. Seymour Weiner, a World War II veteran who became an internet sensation after being honored at a game in April, wished the team well in a message played on the videoboard. Grimace, the purple McDonald’s mascot and team good luck charm since throwing out the first pitch June 12, took the 7 train to the game and was introduced holding a pumpkin — a recent source of inspiration for first baseman Pete Alonso.
The place erupted when Alonso blasted a first-pitch fastball from Aaron Nola, an old nemesis going back to their college days as SEC foes, to right field for a solo home run in the second inning. It was Alonso’s third postseason home run. All have been to the opposite field after he hit just four of his 34 homers in the regular season the other way.
“It’s more so just hitting the ball where it’s pitched and hitting the ball on the sweet spot of the bat,” Alonso said. “That’s pretty much all I’m trying to do every single AB.”
Jesse Winker doubled the Mets’ lead by launching a fastball from Nola to the second deck down the right-field line. New York tacked on two runs in the sixth, two in the seventh and another in the eighth to give the bullpen ample cushion after Manaea departed.
Manaea’s outing was not without turbulence. It surfaced in the sixth inning in the form of two walks to the top of the Phillies’ lineup to begin the frame, bringing up two-time MVP Bryce Harper and giving his manager a difficult decision. At that point, Mendoza was leaning toward removing Manaea after he faced Harper, a left-handed hitter, to avoid having him pitch to the right-handed Nick Castellanos for a third time.
Then Manaea started attacking again. He struck out Harper on three pitches — a rare left-on-left changeup and two sweepers. The rebound persuaded Mendoza to stick with him.
“Once he got Harper there,” Mendoza said, “I thought he had momentum back.”
Manaea didn’t stop attacking, jumping ahead 0-2 as Castellanos fouled off two pitches. Castellanos lined the third, a changeup out of the strike zone, to second baseman Jose Iglesias, who flipped the ball to shortstop Francisco Lindor at second base for a game-changing, inning-ending double play. Manaea unleashed two roars as Citi Field exploded around him.
“He was on the attack,” Mendoza said. “It was a different look today. … His mound presence, his demeanor, like there was something different about him today. I’m just proud of him.”
Manaea, whose midseason shift to a lower arm slot has netted rousing success before he hits free agency this winter, exacted some revenge with Tuesday’s outing. Two years ago, pitching for the San Diego Padres, the Phillies tagged him for five runs in 1⅓ innings out of the bullpen in Game 4 of the NLDS. The appearance concluded the worst season of his career. Desperate for answers, he emailed Driveline Baseball, the popular data-driven player development organization, that night.
“That moment for me was rock bottom pretty much,” Manaea said.
On Tuesday, he was at his peak on a day he will never forget.
EDMONTON, Alberta — The Oilers switched goaltenders for Game 3 of their second-round playoff series against the Golden Knights, with Stuart Skinner replacing Calvin Pickard for Saturday night.
Pickard, who took over as Edmonton’s starter during a first-round series against the Los Angeles Kings, was day-to-day, Oilers coach Kris Knoblauch said.
Pickard was stellar in Edmonton’s 5-4 overtime win in Game 2 with 28 saves, but he appeared uncomfortable in the third period and was seen shaking out his left leg.
He replaced regular-season starter Skinner when the Oilers trailed the Kings 2-0 in the first round. Edmonton won six in a row with Pickard in net and took a 2-0 series lead home from Las Vegas to Rogers Place. Skinner is 19-17 in career playoff games with the Oilers.
Also on Saturday, Golden Knights coach Bruce Cassidy told reporters that defenseman Brayden McNabb and forward Brandon Saad are both out of the lineup and considered day-to-day.
McNabb exited Game 2 after receiving a check to the boards by Oilers forward Viktor Arvidsson in overtime. Saad is being held out with an undisclosed ailment.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
The second-round series of the 2025 Stanley Cup playoffs have entered the “venue change” stage, where the previous visitors are now playing host.
The Carolina Hurricanes headed back to the Lenovo Center with a 1-1 series against the Washington Capitals, and they’ll pick up hostilities at 6 p.m. ET Saturday. The Edmonton Oilers traveled back to Rogers Place holding a 2-0 lead over the Vegas Golden Knights; Game 3 of that series is 9 p.m. ET Saturday.
What will the series tally be in Caps-Canes when it heads back to D.C. — and will the Knights win at least one in Alberta so they even see a Game 5 back in Las Vegas?
Read on for game previews with statistical insights from ESPN Research, a recap of what went down in Friday’s games and the three stars of Friday from Arda Öcal.
Matchup notes
Washington Capitals at Carolina Hurricanes
Game 3 | 6 p.m. ET | TNT
With the Canes and Capitals tied up 1-1 heading to Raleigh for Games 3 and 4, ESPN BET has Carolina as the -215 series favorite. Washington is +180 to win the series.
Capitals defenseman John Carlson scored a power-play goal in Game 2, his 13th career playoff power-play goal, which breaks a tie with Brian Leetch for third for such goals by an American-born defenseman. He still trails Chris Chelios (14) and Brian Rafalski (17).
For the first time in his postseason career, Tom Wilson reached all of these thresholds: 2 points, 3 shots on goal, 2 hits and 2 blocked shots. His seven points this season is the most he has had in a playoff run since the Cup-winning year of 2018 (15).
The Hurricanes have not held an in-game lead since Game 4 of the first round against the Devils. They won the series in Game 5 in a double-overtime game, then won Game 1 of this series 2-1 in OT after trailing 1-0. Since that lead in Game 4 of the first round, they have trailed for 89:28 and been tied for 117:55.
Among qualified goaltenders this postseason, Frederik Andersen leads by a wide margin in goals-against average (1.55), and is second in save percentage, at .930. The netminder ahead of him in SV%? Washington’s Logan Thompson.
Vegas Golden Knights at Edmonton Oilers
Game 3 | 9 p.m. ET | TNT
Following two wins by the Oilers in Vegas, ESPN BET now lists Edmonton as the -550 favorites to win this series, with the Golden Knights at +380. Edmonton is also the current favorite to win the Cup, at +300, narrowly ahead of the Stars, at +325. Vegas is now +1800, the longest odds of any team remaining in the playoffs.
Leon Draisaitl and Connor McDavid combined to score the game-winning OT goal in Game 2. It was the second OT goal this postseason for Draisaitl, and he is now tied for the most such goals in a single postseason in Oilers history with Esa Tikkanen in 1991.
McDavid is second among playoff scorers with 14 points through eight games, trailing only Mikko Rantanen‘s 15. McDavid’s 1.75 points per game this postseason is ahead of his rate in playoff seasons past (1.58) and well ahead of his rate during last year’s run to the Stanley Cup Final (1.36).
Victor Olofsson had two goals and an assist in a losing effort in Game 2. Both goals were on the power play, and he joins Jack Eichel as the only players in Knights history with multiple power-play goals in a single playoff game.
Speaking of Eichel, he finished with three assists, joining Shea Theodore and William Karlsson as the only players in Knights history with two three-assist playoff games on their résumé.
Öcal’s three stars from Friday
After a rough first round against the Blues, Hellebuyck shut out the Stars in Game 2. He made 21 saves en route to the fourth clean sheet of his postseason career.
Ehlers had his second career multigoal game and added an assist in a big Game 2 effort that tied Winnipeg’s series with Dallas 1-1.
The former Bruin continues to haunt the Maple Leafs, this time with the overtime winner to get the Panthers on the series board at 2-1. It was his fourth career playoff OT goal, and he extended his own NHL record for most consecutive postseasons with a game-winning goal (nine).
Friday’s recaps
Florida Panthers 5, Toronto Maple Leafs 4 (OT)
TOR leads 2-1 | Game 4 Sunday
Toronto entered with a 2-0 series lead and got out to a 2-0 start in the game as well, with goals from Matthew Knies and John Tavares, before Aleksander Barkov drew the Panthers back to within a goal with his third goal of the postseason. Tavares added a power-play tally at 2:52 of the second period on a slick deflection, before the Panthers ripped off two goals in quick succession to tie the score. The first was thanks to Sam Reinhart poking the puck in during a wild scramble in the Leafs’ crease, the second after a superb pass from Sam Bennett to Carter Verhaeghe. Jonah Gadjovich put the home squad up 4-3, but Morgan Rielly tied things up midway through the third. It took until the final five minutes of the first OT, but Brad Marchand came through with another game-winning goal. Full recap.
1:30
Brad Marchand’s OT winner sparks pandemonium from Panthers crowd
Brad Marchand scores a massive overtime goal to deliver the Panthers a 5-4 win over the Maple Leafs.
Winnipeg Jets 4, Dallas Stars 0
Series tied 1-1 | Game 3 Sunday
If this is the kind of goaltending the Jets will now get from Connor Hellebuyck, the Stars (and the rest of the NHL) are in trouble. Hellebuyck stopped all 21 shots sent on the Jets’ goal en route to his fourth career postseason shutout. On the offensive side, Gabriel Vilardi and Nikolaj Ehlers got the party started in the first. Adam Lowry added his fourth goal of the postseason in the second, and that 3-0 lead stood until 16:20 of the third, when Ehlers capped off the festivities with an empty-net goal. Full recap.
0:26
Nikolaj Ehlers rolls in an empty-net goal for Winnipeg
Nikolaj Ehlers scores his second goal of the game to pad the Jets’ lead late in the third period vs. the Stars.
-
Sports3 years ago‘Storybook stuff’: Inside the night Bryce Harper sent the Phillies to the World Series
-
Sports1 year agoStory injured on diving stop, exits Red Sox game
-
Sports2 years agoGame 1 of WS least-watched in recorded history
-
Sports2 years agoMLB Rank 2023: Ranking baseball’s top 100 players
-
Sports4 years ago
Team Europe easily wins 4th straight Laver Cup
-
Environment2 years agoJapan and South Korea have a lot at stake in a free and open South China Sea
-
Environment2 years agoGame-changing Lectric XPedition launched as affordable electric cargo bike
-
Business3 years agoBank of England’s extraordinary response to government policy is almost unthinkable | Ed Conway