Francisco Lindor’s grand slam in the sixth inning propelled the New York Mets to a 4-1 victory over the Philadelphia Phillies, securing their place in the National League Championship Series on Wednesday. Edwin Diaz struck out Kyle Schwarber with two runners on base to seal the win, leading the Mets to triumph in Game 4 of their best-of-five division series. This victory marks the first time in 24 years that New York has completed a postseason series at home.
Following the game, the Mets celebrated their historic win with a champagne-soaked locker room celebration, the first of its kind in the 16-year history of Citi Field. Outfielder Brandon Nimmo expressed his excitement, stating, “This is the kind of stuff that I was dreaming about. This has been a long time coming. We wanted it so bad for our fan base.”
Returning to the field will be the Mets, who will open the NLCS on Sunday against either the San Diego Padres or Los Angeles Dodgers, with San Diego leading their series 2-1.
“Let’s keep this thing rolling!” Mets slugger Pete Alonso said to the excited fans remaining in the stands, after briefly stepping out of the clubhouse party. “So proud of this group. We’ve overcome so much.”
For the Phillies, who finished the regular season with 95 wins and six games ahead of the Mets, this early postseason exit is a disappointment, especially following their advance to the World Series in 2022. Manager Rob Thomson acknowledged the strong performance of his team despite the loss.
The Mets faced challenges early in the game, leaving the bases loaded twice in the first two innings and stranding eight runners in total before Lindor’s decisive swing. With a runner on base and no outs in the sixth, Lindor hit a towering 99 mph fastball from closer Carlos Estevez into the bullpen, igniting the crowd of 44,103 fans.
Lindor’s grand slam marked his first home run of the playoffs and positioned him alongside Shane Victorino and Jim Thome as the only players with two postseason grand slams in Major League history. Mets fans cheered “MVP! MVP!” as Lindor celebrated.
Mets starter Jose Quintana pitched effectively, allowing no earned runs over five-plus innings, while David Peterson contributed 2 1/3 scoreless innings. Although Diaz faced some difficulty in the ninth, walking his first two batters, he rebounded to record the first postseason save of his career.
The Phillies managed only one run in the game due to a fielding error, and their bullpen continued to struggle, causing concern for the team’s future.