Mark Vientos saw to it that the Mets’ best starting pitching performance of the season meant something Sunday.
After beginning the game on the bench, Vientos entered as a pinch-hitter in the ninth inning and slugged a walk-off homer in the 11th that delivered the Mets a 4-2 victory at Citi Field, preventing a Cardinals three-game sweep.
The Mets, down to their last out, tied it on Harrison Bader’s RBI single before Vientos – who arrived Saturday when Starling Marte was placed on the bereavement list – cleared the fence in right-center against Matthew Liberatore to end it.
Reed Garrett, in his second inning of relief, surrendered a go-ahead single to Brendan Donovan in the top of the 11th, putting the Mets in jeopardy.
In the 10th inning, automatic runner Brandon Nimmo reached third on Francisco Lindor’s fly out and after Pete Alonso was intentionally walked, DJ Stewart hit into a double play.
The Mets had also wasted an opportunity in the eighth when Lindor and Alonso walked in succession to begin the inning, but Stewart, Tyrone Taylor and Jeff McNeil were retired in order.
Jose Quintana had the best outing by a Mets starting pitcher this season, limiting the Cardinals to one earned run on three hits with two strikeouts and one walk over eight innings. The left-hander became the first Mets pitcher this season to pitch into the seventh inning in a start.
The length and quality were needed by the Mets, who received subpar starts from Jose Butto and Adrian Houser in the first two games of this series.
Highlight-reel catches by Donovan in left field robbed the Mets of hits in the second, third and fourth innings.
In the second, Taylor’s shot at 111 mph was snagged by the diving Donovan in medium left field.
The next inning, Donovan dived on the warning track to deprive Tomas Nido of an extra-base hit.
In the fourth, Taylor hit a shot to the left-center gap that Donovan caught on the run to conclude the inning.
Michael Siani’s squeeze bunt in the fifth pushed across Masyn Winn with the game’s first run.
Winn doubled leading off the inning and advanced on a ground out before Siani’s bunt. Brett Baty mishandled the bunt, allowing Siani to reach first but he was left stranded at third after stealing second.
Quintana needed 26 pitches in the first inning, which included a walk to Paul Goldschmidt.
The lefty allowed a leadoff double to Lars Nootbar in the second before beginning a stretch of nine straight batters retired.
Baty’s bloop double in the fifth gave the Mets runners on second and third with one out after Bader’s single, but Lynn rebounded to strike out Nido before retiring Nimmo.
Lindor’s homer leading off the bottom of the sixth tied it 1-1.
The blast was Lindor’s fourth in his last nine games and occurred amid a 1-for-10 skid in this series. Lindor jumped on a full-count sinker from Lance Lynn and cleared the fence in left-center.
The Mets knocked out Lynn following a walk to Alonso and Stewart’s single, but Taylor, McNeil and Bader were retired in succession by Ryan Fernandez to keep the game tied.