3 New York Mets to blame for falling flat in do-or-die Game 6 of the NLCS

The New York Mets deserve a lot of credit for getting as far as they did in the postseason. They were the underdog the whole way, and their team will only get stronger in the offseason.

That being said, there are players to blame for falling short against the Los Angeles Dodgers in Game 6. With everything on the line, win or go home, the Mets' offense and pitching faltered under pressure.

These are the three biggest players to blame...

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3. Sean Manaea

Sean Manaea recorded a 3.7 ERA in 181.2 IP, which was far and away a career year for him in 2024. After pitching well in the postseason, Manaea fell flat in Game 6 of the NLCS to LA, allowing five earned runs in just 2.0 innings pitched. It was his worst outing in recent memory, as the Dodgers made quick work of him after forcing him to throw 64 pitches over those two frames.

Although he threw five innings six days prior, Manaea's fall off of seven earned over the last seven innings came at the worst possible time for New York, as L.A. quickly grabbed the momentum early with the Mets facing an uphill climb the rest of the way.

After a career year, It's likely that Manaea opts out of his player option and just pitched his last game in a Mets uniform. It was not the farewell tour that Mets fans had in mind.

2. Ryne Stanek

In the bottom of the sixth, Ryne Stanek came in to throw gas on the fire after Jesse Winker failed to drive in a run with the bases loaded in the top half of the inning. With the formidable top of the order coming up for the Dodgers, Stanek walked Will Smith, saw Chris Taylor reach on a sacrifice bunt, and then gave up a run on a Shohei Ohtani base hit.

At this point, the Mets fell behind four runs, and with only nine outs to play with, Ohtani's single felt like a dagger.

Stanek has previously been one of the Mets' more dependable relievers of late, and it was a critical blow for him not to be on his game.

He, too, will head to free agency after an underwhelming year in which he recorded a 6.06 ERA in a Mets uniform after the trade deadline.

1. Carlos Mendoza

Team skipper Carlos Mendoza is the number one Met to blame for losing Game 6. Adding Jeff Mcneil to the lineup was a clueless decision, given that he was 0-for-6 going into Sunday. Jose Iglesias had been struggling offensively in the postseason but looked to be rebounding with a four-game hit streak and batting average of .267 in the NLCS.

The use of the bullpen was also atrocious for the Mendoza.

In a spot where you are desperate not to give up any more runs, Phil Maton, who had been struggling mightily, was used to relieve Manaea in the third inning and promptly gave up a two-run shot. After Maton's outing, the Mets struck for two runs, cutting the deficit to a more manageable three runs.

Maton's postseason ERA of 8.53 did not indicate someone in a spot you should be leaning on with all the pressures of an elimination game. Granted, that 8.53 is inflated due to his Game six6performance, but his seven earned runs in his past 5.2 innings is still a red flag that maybe you shouldn't put this guy in the game.