'Swaggy V,' the Mets answered in grand fashion to tie the NLCS

LOS ANGELES — From his perch in the on-deck circle at Dodger Stadium, Mark Vientos looked across the field, where opposing manager Dave Roberts was calling for an intentional walk to Francisco Lindor. Vientos adjusts his sunglasses and raises his eyebrows slightly, giving a subtle nod of his head. Then he put on his helmet, grabbed his bat and walked to the plate.

“For sure,” Vientos said, “I take it personally.”

The grand slam that followed not only gave the Mets a 7-3 victory over the Dodgers in Game 2 of the National League Championship Series, evening the series at one game apiece, but it also solidified Vientos' place at the top. October performer in franchise history. With 11 RBIs already this postseason, Vientos has matched Daniel Murphy's total from his historic 2015 playoff run. He is one shy of the Mets record of 12, which is shared by Curtis Granderson (2015) and John Olerud (1999).

And he's doing it in his first postseason at age 24, in a year where he didn't even make the Mets' Opening Day roster.

“He's just got South Florida pride,” teammate JD Martinez said. “He's got a little edge to him. He knows how to kill. He's not afraid at this point, and that's where it comes in. You have to play with that dog in you a little bit.”

Repeatedly this month, Vientos has played exactly that way. After Lindor snapped the Dodgers' record-tying 33-inning scoreless streak with a homer to lead off NLCS Game 2, the Mets rallied in the second inning on a hit, a walk and a Tyrone Taylor RBI double. Two batters later, Roberts elected to walk Lindor to load the bases with two outs.

“We had a chance to cut the losses,” Roberts said, noting that pitcher Landon Knack was able to get ahead in the count. “You get Vientos 1-2, and then he gets it 3-2, and then you make a mistake with your hitter. And it was a big hit, obviously.”

On the ninth pitch of the at-bat, Vientos caught a fastball hitting just 95.1 mph to blast a Statcast-projected 391 feet over the right-center fence. It was the Mets' second grand slam this month, and it came less than a week after Lindor's NLDS Game 4 shot, making them one of 13 teams to hit multiple slams in a postseason. It was just the fourth postseason grand slam of the century following an intentional walk.

“I use that as motivation,” Vientos said. “I'm like, 'OK, you want me, I'm going to show you. Whatever.'”

Two innings later, Vientos singled to complete his sixth multihit effort in nine playoff games. His total of 14 hits ranks ninth in a single postseason in Mets history.

That's hardly what many envisioned as Vientos spent most of three seasons trying and failing to establish himself at the Major League level. Yet since getting better in late May, he's been able to not only stay here, but begin his ascent to stardom.

“I mean, I definitely want to be there during that at-bat,” Vientos said. “I want them to walk into Lindor in those conditions. put me there And at that point it was, let me make the game easy, just get one run in, walk — whatever I can do to add another run to the score. Fortunately, I hit a bomb.”

The Mets didn't exactly cruise from there; The win still required five-plus effective innings from starting pitcher Shawn Mania, as well as relief from relievers Phil Matton in the sixth, Ryne Stanek in the seventh, and Edwin Diaz in both the eighth and ninth. But Vientos' slam gave the Mets enough of a cushion that even Los Angeles' most promising rallies didn't push the pressure to the max in Chavez Ravine.

It also added to the legend of a player nicknamed “Swaggy V” by teammates for rather obvious reasons. Much like Lindor, Vientos considers fashion a hobby. She loves bright accessories and flashy shoes. At home in New York, she has about a dozen pairs stacked in front of her locker.

Those who know Vientos well understand that the nickname is about more than just his fashion sense. It's an attitude that Vientos embodies.

“There's one thing Mark lacks, and that's confidence,” Lindor said. “But as a player he believes in himself. He does not back down from any challenge thrown his way. I am happy for him. He grew up. If he stays on this course, he's going to be a really good player.”