Sean Manaea's 5 biggest NY Mets moments from 2024

Sean Manaea joined the New York Mets pitching staff as a reclamation project looking to get his career back on track. Fortunately for the Mets, Manaea emerged as a team leader, and had many big moments throughout the season.

7/30 vs MIN - 7 scoreless, 11 Ks

On July 25, Chris Sale dominated the Mets at Cifi Field. Sean Manaea decided to try mimicking Sale's low arm angle and throw more sidearm across his body. On July 30, Manaea tested his experiment, and sure enough he really started pitching like Chris Sale. Manaea pitched 7 scoreless innings against the Twins, striking out 11 batters. He only allowed 3 baserunners the entire game. The Mets accidentally found their ace.

8/5 vs STL - 7 scoreless, 10 Ks

Manaea proved that the adjustment from his last start was not a fluke, and followed up with another 7 scoreless innings and 10 strikeouts. For the rest of the season, Manaea continued to perform at a high level. Down the stretch, Manaea carried the Mets pitching staff with 9 QS over his last 12 starts. With Manaea on the mound, the Mets went 10-2 and was a key piece to the Mets improbable playoff run.

9/21 vs PHI - 7 inning QS

On September 21, the Mets were 2 games ahead of the Braves in the Wild Card standings and every game was a must-win to hold onto their playoff spot. Facing the Division winning Phillies, the Mets were playing one of the best teams in the league. With Manaea on the mound, he pitched 7 innings and gave up 3 runs, and the Mets won 6-3. The Mets would take 3/4 from the Phillies that series, which was a huge boost and insurance for their tough schedule against the Braves and Brewers to end the season.

10/8 NLDS Game 3 vs PHI

Game 3 of the NLDS at Citi Field was the biggest start of Manaea's career. With the series tied, the Mets were looking to jump ahead with their best pitcher. In front of the home crowd, in one of the biggest playoff games in that ballpark's history, the Mets went with Sean Manaea. Manaea electrified Citi Field. He pitched his usual 7 innings, giving up 1 run with 3 hits and 2 walks allowed. His energy on the mound propelled the Mets to a 7-2 victory over the Phillies. Manaea secured the Mets shifting the series momentum in their favor, taking a 2-1 lead before winning Game 4 and advancing to the NLCS.

10/14 NLCS Game 2 vs LAD

The Mets got blown out in Game 1 of the NLCS against the Dodgers, so the Mets needed to win Game 2 and not fall behind in the series. Manaea had the daunting task of taking the mound on the road against the best team in baseball. To begin his start, Manaea struck out Shohei Ohtani and Mookie Betts. Manaea pitched 4 scoreless innings to start the game, but gave up a solo HR to Max Muncy in the 5th. Manaea went out there for the 6th, but walked his first 2 batters. Facing Freddie Freeman, Manaea gets a DP ball to Jose Iglesias at 2B, but he couldn't field it cleanly, and everyone was safe. The Mets took Manaea out, but the Dodgers scored 2 runs and Manaea was on the hook for one of them. His final line looked worse than it actually was.

It was enough for the Mets to win 7-3 and give them their first victory of the NLCS. Manaea again delivered in the playoffs when the Mets needed him most, and gave the Mets a temporary jolt of optimism. But, the Mets fell down 3-2 in the series, and with their season on the line in Game 6, Manaea could not get the job done, giving up 5 runs in only 2 innings.

While the Mets could not overcome the eventual World Series winning Dodgers, Sean Manaea won 2 exciting playoff games and earned Cy Young votes. Sean Manaea emerged as a fan favorite and long term asset for the Mets starting pitching rotation in their quest for a World Series.