Bad news doesn’t tiptoe in; it barges in and upends everything. That’s how it arrived at Sean Manaea’s door. Just hours before what was probably the biggest game of his career, Sean’s mom, Talat, received a call that his beloved aunt Mabel had passed away. Imagine deciding whether to drop such news on someone about to pitch in the playoffs. “I didn’t know if I should tell him or not,” she shared. But she did, and Sean took that heartbreak straight to the field.
Instead of letting grief tear him down, Manaea transformed it into fuel. In Game 3 of the NLDS against the Philadelphia Phillies, he pitched his heart out, inning after inning, honoring Aunt Mabel with every strike. “That was for my aunt. Just got a message that she passed away early this morning. That game was for her,” Manaea said after dominating the Phillies with an emotional, career-defining seven innings. He let up just one run on three hits, striking out six and leading the Mets to a crucial 2-1 series lead. It was more than a game; it was a tribute.
For Manaea, this season has been about pushing through pain. Back in 2022, he endured a rough postseason against the Phillies, giving up five runs in just over one inning, a blow that led him to recalibrate with Driveline Baseball’s intense training program. But tragedy wasn’t done. That same year, his brother David passed away at age 59, leading him to don the No. 59 jersey with the Mets as a tribute. And now, just before his biggest game, his aunt Mabel was gone.
But if anyone thought Manaea would let sorrow take over, Game 3 proved otherwise. Every time he kissed his hand and pointed to the sky, you knew: that was for Aunt Mabel. The Phillies, meanwhile, couldn’t get anything going. Their offense was stuck in neutral, barely managing two runs, a sad echo of their inconsistencies this series. Even stars like Bryce Harper were held in check, and the team went a weak 2-for-7 with runners in scoring position.
The Mets, though, showed up in full force. Pete Alonso and Jesse Winker cranked out solo homers early on, while Starling Marte and Jose Iglesias stacked on two more runs late in the game. Francisco Lindor’s RBI gave the Mets a healthy lead, making it nearly impossible for the Phillies to claw back. As Philly’s offense fizzled, their playoff dreams now hang by a thread. If they don’t wake up their bats for Game 4, this could be the end of the road.
