MILWAUKEE – Mark Vientos hit a game-winning two-run single during a five-run outburst in the fifth inning as the tireless New York Mets continued their thrilling week by defeating the Milwaukee Brewers by 8 in the opening game of the NL Wild Card Series on Tuesday :4 defeated.

The Mets only secured a playoff spot when they overcame a three-run deficit to win the opening game of a makeup doubleheader in Atlanta on Monday, a day after the regular season was supposed to end.

Now they’re one win away from traveling to Philadelphia for an NL Division Series.

“I knew we were in a good place when we got on the plane,” manager Carlos Mendoza said. “We celebrated. When we left the clubhouse in Atlanta, you could tell straight away that our mentality was: next day, next game.”

Since Major League Baseball transitioned to the current postseason format of four best-of-three wild card series in 2022, the winner of Game 1 has advanced in each of the eight series. Only one of these eight series even made it to a winner-take-all third game.

Milwaukee has lost 10 of its last 11 playoff games, a streak that began with a Game 7 home loss to the Los Angeles Dodgers in the 2018 NL Championship Series.

Jesse Winker and pinch-hitter JD Martinez each drove in two runs for the Mets. Winker, who batted .199 with a .567 OPS for the Brewers last year before bouncing back this season, drew a chorus of boos every time he came to the plate. He also appeared to have a conversation with Milwaukee shortstop Willy Adames after hitting a two-run triple in the second.

Brice Turang went 3 for 4, Jackson Chourio was 2 for 4 and William Contreras had two RBI for the Brewers. According to MLB.com, the 20-year-old Chourio became the youngest player to score two goals in his playoff debut.

NL Central champion Milwaukee had gone 5-0 against the Mets this season before falling to them 5-0 in Sunday’s regular-season finale.

That left the Mets needing a win in the Atlanta doubleheader to reach the postseason, and they secured a spot by scoring all of their runs in the final two innings in an 8-7 victory over the rival Braves achieved.

New York was back on the field in Milwaukee just 22 hours after the Twin Bill – and the Mets showed similar tenacity on Tuesday.

“It’s hard to be tired when you’re playing playoff baseball,” Vientos said. “I had lots of energy. I know we’ve all done that. We were all excited and got the job done.”

After the Brewers took an early lead with two runs in the first inning, the Mets responded with three hits in the second inning. When the Brewers took the lead again with two runs in the fourth, the Mets responded quickly again, this time with five runs in the fifth.

Milwaukee had just taken a 4-3 lead when manager Pat Murphy removed Freddy Peralta, who threw 68 pitches and retired the last nine batters he faced, and turned to a relief corps that was second in the majors in bullpen ERA took place this season.

“It was emotional (68) pitches,” Murphy said. “What does he have, 20 left? He’s usually between 83 and 90 if he loses a little on his fastball. I didn’t want him to face those guys three times.”

The move backfired.

Starling Marte greeted Joel Payamps with a drive that a diving Chourio intercepted at the left field wall. Tyrone Taylor then doubled to left after Chourio misjudged a fly ball, causing the ball to bounce off his glove.

With two on and two outs, Jose Iglesias hit a hard grounder that first baseman Rhys Hoskins caught. But Iglesias dove headlong, beating Payamps with an infield single while Taylor raced from second to the tying run.

Payamps blamed himself afterward for believing the ball had been hit closer to first base than it actually was and then reacting too late.

“This is a routine play that I didn’t execute,” Paympas said through a translator. “It kind of went downhill from there.”

Aaron Ashby took over for Payamps but did not retire any of the five batters he faced.

After Brandon Nimmo reached on an infield single, Vientos hit a two-run single to right. Ashby threw a wild pitch and intentionally walked Pete Alonso to load the bases before Martinez, batting for Winker, delivered a two-run single to right.

“They’re tough hitters, man,” Ashby said. “They are two-strike players, putting the ball in play and making things happen. … I’m coming here in this inning to outsmart these guys. I wasn’t executing pitches the way I could.”

After that, the Brewers went down quietly. Chourio hit an RBI single in the fourth, but the Mets’ pitchers retired the next 17 batters to end the game.

New York starter Luis Severino recovered well from a shaky start. In the win, he allowed eight hits and four runs in six innings – three earned. José Buttó pitched two perfect innings and Ryne Stanek retired the team in the ninth inning.

“We are not satisfied,” Severino said. “We know the potential we have in this clubhouse and we want to go there and fight. We’re going to fight until the end, and hopefully that end will hopefully be winning the World Series.”

NEXT

LHP Sean Manaea (12-6, 3.47 ERA) will start for the Mets in Game 2, five days after allowing six runs (five earned) over 3 2/3 innings in an 8-4 loss to Milwaukee. Frankie Montas (7-11, 4.84) ​​will pitch for the Brewers.

——

AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/MLB