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Phillies face Jose Quintana, an interesting figure in franchise playoff lore, in must-win Game 4

Jose Quintana will start Game 4 against the Phillies. (Photo by Gregory Fisher/Icon Sportswire)

NEW YORK — In their first postseason game under manager Rob Thomson, before the inning that changed it all, Jose Quintana locked down the Phillies. Starting for the St. Louis Cardinals in Game 1 of the 2022 Wild Card Series, the veteran left-hander silenced Philadelphia’s lineup for 5 1/3 scoreless innings in this core’s first taste of playoff baseball together.

Ultimately, the Phillies authored an unforgettable ninth-inning comeback as Cardinals closer Ryan Helsley melted down, leading to the win that began their incredible run to the National League pennant and jump-started the return of Red October in Philadelphia.

Quintana will have another crack at the Phillies in the postseason on Wednesday evening, searching for the win that escaped him with the Cardinals. Now a New York Met, he’ll start opposite Philadelphia’s Ranger Suárez in Game 4 of the National League Division Series at Citi Field with a chance to eliminate the Phillies in this best-of-five set.

He’ll take the mound with the memories of that previous matchup in the back of his mind.

“I remember, for sure, that start in St. Louis,” Quintana said. “It was a great game, and they have an almost similar lineup. I remember last time, and they are pretty good. I face these guys a lot, and, for sure, it was a challenge.”

A trade-deadline addition to the Cardinals rotation in 2022, Quintana earned the opening playoff start after he posted a 2.12 ERA in 12 starts to close out the season. He didn’t disappoint for St. Louis.

The lefty allowed just two hits and walked one batter on 75 pitches as he dueled Phillies ace Zack Wheeler. Quintana neutralized a leadoff double from Alec Bohm in the top of the fifth inning to keep Philadelphia off the board.

Behind Quintana’s effort, St. Louis jumped out to a late two-run lead and handed the ball to Helsley for the ninth. The Phillies responded with a six-run explosion that saw Jean Segura punch the go-ahead single into short right field on the way to a 6-3 victory at Busch Stadium.

Philadelphia won its first postseason game since 2011 on that day and started the momentum that rolled all the way until the World Series against the Houston Astros. After that playoff run, the Phillies signed star shortstop Trea Turner and made it back to the NL Championship Series in 2023. They won the NL East this year to set up this NLDS matchup against the division-rival Mets.

The pivotal ninth inning in St. Louis helped spark that entire sequence of events after Quintana put the Cardinals in position to take the first game of that best-of-three series. Who knows how it all might’ve played out for the Phillies if St. Louis held on?

“If I recall correctly, I thought he was really good,” Phillies manager Rob Thomson said of Quintana. “… Game 1 of that series, we came back late and won the game. He pitched very well.”

Following the 2022 season, Quintana left the Cardinals for New York, signing a two-year, $26 million deal in free agency. He made only 13 starts in his first season with the Mets due to injury, but bounced back in 2024 as the Opening Day starter and made 31 starts with a 3.75 ERA in 170 1/3 innings. The 13-year sinkerballer is still effective for many of the same reasons he was back in St. Louis.

“Well, he’s a command guy, too,” Thomson said. “And he can really keep you off balance. He’ll add, he’ll subtract, he’ll pitch north and south and east and west. He can really pitch.”

The Phillies have seen plenty of Quintana since he joined New York, and the 35-year-old has fared well. He’s pitched against Philadelphia five times over the past two regular seasons and the Mets have won four of those games. Quintana had a 2.81 ERA in 16 innings across three starts versus the Phillies this year and tossed seven scoreless at Citizens Bank Park on Sept. 13.

Quintana has found his stride to close out the season with a 0.72 ERA in four September starts. He also threw six shutout innings against the Brewers in the Mets’ Game 3 clincher in the Wild Card Series. The left-hander has come up huge for a taxed New York pitching staff.

“We’ve faced him all season, and they kind of do different things towards the end and in the playoffs,” said Phillies infielder Bryson Stott, who went hitless with a walk against Quintana in the 2022 Wild Card Series. “We just have to see what that different thing kind of is and go from there.”

The Phillies haven’t adjusted to that extra gear from Mets pitching so far in this series, a major reason they’re facing elimination in New York. The offense has struggled to string together solid at-bats outside of a late-inning surge in Philadelphia’s Game 2 win.

Two years ago, the Phillies failed to get to Quintana but still came out on top. They may not be so lucky if the lineup can’t do some damage this time around. Philadelphia will have its chance to keep its season alive against a familiar opponent in an electric atmosphere in Queens.

“It’s going to be a special game,” Quintana said. “Really good, again, to face them in the postseason. If you see, they always play for the postseason. So, yeah, really good.”