MILWAUKEE There was a decent chance this would be Jose Quintanas last start as a Met. First he and then another pending free agent in Pete Jordan Oesterle Jersey Alonso did everything they could to ensure it would not be. The veteran lefty pitched better and longer than the Mets could have expected, keeping his team afloat. Jose Quintana, who did not allow a run, celebrates after recording his final out in the sixth inning of the Mets 4-2 NL Wild Card-clinching win over the Brewers on Oct. 3, 2024. Jason Szenes / New York Post They nearly drowned anyway before Alonsos three-run homer in the ninth made the difference in a at American Family Field on Thursday night. Im really proud of this, Quintana said before repeating, Im really proud of this. Quintana was probably the fourth-most trusted starter on the club, left behind by a top three that formed in Sean Manaea, Luis Severino and David Peterson. Explore More But Quintana excelled to close the season posting a 0.74 ERA in his final six regular season starts to elevate his standing and get the ball in the years most important game. And Quintana matched the moment. He consistently pitched around traffic, recording just one 1-2-3 inning, but kept the Brewers scorele s for six impeccable, scorele s frames in which he allowed four hits and walked one. It was le s surprising that Quintana excelled and more surprising how long he excelled. Jose Quintana pitched six scorele s innings in the Mets series-clinching win. Jason Szenes / New York Post Rarely do pitchers in elimination games get left in for six innings, with managers eager to get to the bullpen and dreading a starting pitcher facing an order three times. See Also New York Mets But with the Mets bullpen depleted and with Quintana rolling, Carlos Mendoza kept riding with Quintana, despite Jose Butto being warm. Quintana had thrown 77 pitches and was set to face the heart of the lineup for a third time in the sixth inning. I never showed how many pitches I had already, said Quintana, who never thought he would be taken out until he actually was taken out. It never was a question. Mendozas faith paid off. William Contreras flew out, Willy Adames struck out, and Gary Sanchez swung through strike three. Quintana, about as stoic as any pitcher in baseball, fist-pumped his way to the dugout. That was really cool, Quintana said with a smile. Le s cool for Quintana were the back-to-back home runs Butto allowed in the seventh. Delivering insights on all things Amazins Sign up for Inside the Mets by Mike Puma, exclusively on Sports+ Thank you By clicking above you agree to the and . Enjoy this Post Sports+ exclusive newsletter! Jose Quintana #62 of the New York Mets meets with Francisco Alvarez #4 in the sixth inning. Getty Images More cool was Alonsos blast, which meant the biggest start of Quintanas career did not go to waste and Quintana would don a Mets jersey again. The 35-year-old has been about what the Mets expected he would be in his two years in Queens, owning a combined 3.70 ERA in 44 starts and being dependable when healthy. He has never been flashy, and his fastball will never break radar guns, but he consistently keeps hitters off-balanced. He will hit free agency but not just yet after his masterpiece. It means a lot. Ive been in this position sometimes, but never like this, said Quintana, pitching for a sixth time in the postseason. Hopefully we get more chances like that. Marty Mcsorley Jersey