Phillies are in Mets Game 3 starter Sean Manaea's head, whether he wants to admit it or not

The New York Mets will host the Philadelphia Phillies for a pivotal Game 3 in Queens on Tuesday evening. Sean Manaea will take the mound in a matchup the Mets have every reason to feel good about. Few pitchers league-wide were more effective than Manaea over the final month of the campaign.

In 32 regular season starts for the Mets, Manaea posted a 3.47 ERA and 1.09 WHIP. He netted 184 K's in 181.2 innings, flummoxing hitters with his trademark sinkers and sweepers. The Mets' pitching staff has been extremely reliable of late, while the Phillies' offense has been extremely hit-or-miss.

So, what's all the hubbub about? Well, a dig beneath the surface does reveal more than a little cause for concern. You see, Manaea has a history with this Phillies team in the playoffs.

Manaea took the mound in relief for the San Diego Padres in Game 4 of the 2022 NLCS against Philadelphia. He gave up four hits (including a home run), two walks, and five runs in one-and-a-third innings. Rhys Hoskins, who hit the dinger, is no longer around. New York actually beat him in the Wild Card round. But, Nick Castellanos, Bryson Stott, and Bryce Harper were all central to that inning-and-change from hell, and those guys are still very much around for Philadelphia.

It can be hard to shake the feeling of such a disastrous inning on the postseason stage. The Padres went on to lose that game and the series, punching Philly's ticket to the World Series. Manaea is in new threads, in a new city, in a new role, but has anything really changed?

He'd sure like to think so.

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Sean Manaea claims he is ready to rumble ahead of Mets-Phillies Game 3

"It’s a thing of the past,” Manaea told reporters (h/t Mark W. Sanchez, New York Post). “It obviously wasn’t a very good outing for myself. The thing about it — I’m not the same pitcher I was then. They’re not the same they were then as well."

Sure, pal.

Only time will tell if Sean Manaea has actually moved past this. He has tallied literally hundreds of innings since that fateful dud, so it's probably not something he thinks about every day. But, with the Mets' season on the line in a game that could decide the direction of this series, it's clear that Manaea is at least thinking about it today. Folks won't let him forget until he puts it in the rearview mirror with a productive outing.

This game could prove integral to the narrative arc of Manaea's career. Either he gets revenge and puts New York in the driver's seat, or he falls short again against a team that becomes forever known as his bugaboo.

No pressure. None at all.

We are in an exciting Game 3. That much is for sure. There aren't two more entertaining teams left in the postseason and there's nothing better in October than a pivotal game with some underlying narratives to chew on.

Let's get this thing going already.