MILWAUKEE — There was a decent chance this would be Jose Quintana’s last start as a Met.
First he and then another pending free agent in Pete Alonso did everything they could to ensure it would not be.
The veteran lefty pitched better and longer than the Mets could have expected, keeping his team afloat.
They nearly drowned anyway before Alonso’s three-run homer in the ninth made the difference in a stunning 4-2 win over the Brewers at American Family Field on Thursday night.
“I’m really proud of this,” Quintana said before repeating, “I’m really proud of this.”
Quintana was probably the fourth-most trusted starter on the club, left behind by a top three that formed in Sean Manaea, Luis Severino and David Peterson.
But Quintana excelled to close the season — posting a 0.74 ERA in his final six regular season starts — to elevate his standing and get the ball in the year’s most important game.
And Quintana matched the moment.
He consistently pitched around traffic, recording just one 1-2-3 inning, but kept the Brewers scoreless for six impeccable, scoreless frames in which he allowed four hits and walked one.
It was less surprising that Quintana excelled and more surprising how long he excelled.
Rarely do pitchers in elimination games get left in for six innings, with managers eager to get to the bullpen and dreading a starting pitcher facing an order three times.
But with the Mets bullpen depleted and with Quintana rolling, Carlos Mendoza kept riding with Quintana, despite Jose Butto being warm.
Quintana had thrown 77 pitches and was set to face the heart of the lineup for a third time in the sixth inning.
“I never showed how many pitches I had already,” said Quintana, who never thought he would be taken out until he actually was taken out. “It never was a question.”
Mendoza’s faith paid off. William Contreras flew out, Willy Adames struck out, and Gary Sanchez swung through strike three.
Quintana, about as stoic as any pitcher in baseball, fist-pumped his way to the dugout.
“That was really cool,” Quintana said with a smile.
Less cool for Quintana were the back-to-back home runs Butto allowed in the seventh.
More cool was Alonso’s blast, which meant the biggest start of Quintana’s career did not go to waste and Quintana would don a Mets jersey again.
The 35-year-old has been about what the Mets expected he would be in his two years in Queens, owning a combined 3.70 ERA in 44 starts and being dependable when healthy.
He has never been flashy, and his fastball will never break radar guns, but he consistently keeps hitters off-balanced.
He will hit free agency but not just yet after his masterpiece.
“It means a lot. I’ve been in this position sometimes, but never like this,” said Quintana, pitching for a sixth time in the postseason. “Hopefully we get more chances like that.”
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