Former Chicago White Sox and Cubs starting pitcher José Quintana is nearing an incredible postseason record with the New York Mets. The veteran lefty got through five innings against the Philadelphia Phillies in Game 4 of the NLDS, keeping the Mets in the game after only allowing one unearned run. Francisco Lindor’s grand slam clinched the series for New York and now Quintana will have the opportunity to match a playoff record that hasn’t been touched since the 1960s.
At first glance this might not seem so dominant, but when you think about modern playoff baseball it speaks to Quintana’s consistency and the ability to shut down the team across from him. The 35-year-old has pitched 5+ innings while giving up ZERO earned runs in three straight postseason starts. There’s only one starting pitcher with a longer streak, Whitey Ford, who accomplished the feat in the early 1960s.
Quintana’s streak began during the 2022 postseason with the St. Louis Cardinals. The lefty did his part in Game 2 of the Wild Card series against the Phillies, pitching 5.2 shutout innings. Quintana only allowed two singles and a walk in his start before the Cardinals bullpen imploded in the ninth inning, when the Phillies scored six runs, erasing a 2-0 deficit en route to a 6-3 win and a spot in the next round.
Quintana was also instrumental in the Mets advancing past the Milwaukee Brewers in this year’s Wild Card round, tossing six shutout innings in the deciding Game 3. This time, it was Quintana’s teammates who rallied in the ninth, scoring four runs against Brewers’ closer Devin Williams to go on to the NLDS.
This will now be Quintana’s second trip to the NLCS, his first coming in 2017 with the Cubs. The left-hander’s playoff debut was pretty good too, as Quintana went 5.1 innings against the Washington Nationals in Game 3 of the NLDS at Wrigley Field. Quintana only gave up one unearned run in the Cubs’ 2-1 victory. He also made a relief appearance in Game 5 against the Nationals before he made two more starts in the NLCS against the Los Angeles Dodgers.
Cubs fans don’t have the best lasting memories of Quintana, who was fine, but underwhelming following the blockbuster trade in 2017 with the White Sox. The lefty ended his Cubs career with a 4.24 ERA in 439.2 innings. He went five innings and gave up two runs on two hits in Game 1 of the 2017 NLCS, but his final postseason start with the Cubs was a disaster as Quintana only lasted two innings after allowing six runs in a blowout 11-1 loss that sent the Dodgers to the World Series.
I understood the angst some Cubs fans had toward Quintana and while he didn’t live up to the expectations following his acquisition I do feel that his reputation skewed a bit too negatively. Now, Quintana is still proving to be a dependable starter and is stepping up in the biggest spots for the Mets.
