NEW YORK — Carlos Mendoza believed that Mark Vientos was going to win the game for the Mets after one pitch.
In a tie game in the 10th inning with a runner on second base, Vientos took an inside cutter from Reds reliever Justin Wilson. To the Mets' manager, there was a certain comfort in the approach.
"There was no panic. There was no rush. It was just with ease," Mendoza said.
Seven pitches later, including four foul balls to stay in the at-bat, Vientos turned on a 97-mph fastball and sent it 400 feet, clearing the left-field wall to lift the Mets to a 6-4 extra-inning win over the Reds in front of 25,335 fans on Friday night at Citi Field.
"I was ready to swing at the first pitch, and I saw it pretty good," Vientos said. "I kind felt the same way. I was like, OK, I see him well. I think Mendy said it perfectly, I saw him good and then my game plan was just to put barrel to ball."
With his second career walk-off home run, leading the Mets to their eighth straight win, the legend of Vientos continued to grow. It was Vientos' second home run of the night after he opened with a two-run blast in the first inning.
He finished 3-for-5 with two runs and four RBI and now has 24 home runs and 62 RBI in 91 games this season.
With the victory, the Mets improved to 77-64 and kept pace with the Braves for the final National League wild card spot.
"I don't know if I believe in magic," Vientos said, "but I think we have the energy and the right mindset going into this month because we're hungry and we want to make it to the playoffs."
The 10th-inning blast backed up a strong relief effort from Reed Garrett, Edwin Diaz and Jose Butto.
Garrett came on with two outs in the seventh and recorded four straight outs, including three strikeouts. Diaz faced the Reds Nos. 2-4 hitters in Elly De La Cruz, Tyler Stephenson and Spencer Steer in the ninth inning and struck out all three.
With the automatic runner on second base to begin the 10th inning, Butto kept him stranded there with two ground balls to Francisco Lindor and a pop-up to the right side.
Next man up: Jose Iglesias, J.D. Martinez with big knocks
After the Mets went four innings without a hit, the luck began to break their way.
With two outs in the top of the sixth inning, Pete Alonso sliced a line drive down the right-field line that Jake Fraley gloved in a diving effort. But when Fraley hit the ground, the ball popped out and Alonso scampered to second base.
It was the opening that the Mets needed.
Jose Iglesias, who came on as a pinch-hitter and stayed in for an injured Jeff McNeil, laced an RBI single off Buck Farmer to left field. Then, J.D. Martinez piled on with a bloop RBI single the other way.
The two hits doubled the Mets' lead to 4-2 after they had jumped out by two runs in the opening frame on Vientos' first home run of the game.
"We're never out of the game, that's the feeling," Mendoza said. "The other thing is one through nine, we feel good with whoever's at the plate - that's how deep our lineup is. Not only can we do damage but our ability to get on base, to get the big hit. "
Vientos' opening home run scored Lindor, who led off the game with a single to extend his hitting streak to 16 games and on-base streak to 34 - tied for the Mets' longest single-season streak in franchise history.
Long ball ends Sean Manaea's run of quality
Sean Manaea was one out away from recording his fifth straight quality start.
But with a runner on second base and two outs in the seventh inning, Manaea's 97th and final pitch proved costly. The lefty left a sweeper belt-high over the middle of the plate and Reds outfielder TJ Friedl ripped it over the right-field wall for a game-tying two-run home run.
The long ball, which tied the game at 4-4, ended Manaea's night. He finished with four earned runs allowed on three hits and two walks and nine strikeouts across 6⅔ innings. Despite recording at least 20 outs for the fifth straight outing, it was the first time that Manaea had given up more than three runs since July 19.
"I think you're gonna miss against good hitters, but the one he wishes he had back was the hanging breaking ball to the lefty there, especially with two outs," Mendoza said. "But he was really good today."
The veteran left-hander was largely effective in his 28th start of the season, at one point striking out four in a row and picking up inning-ending double plays in the second and sixth innings.
Manaea also gave up another game-tying two-run home run to De La Cruz in the top of the fourth inning after the Mets jumped out to a 2-0 lead.
"It's the big leagues, guys are going to hit home runs if you leave it over the plate," Manaea said. "Those are two great hitters over there, so hat's off to them. Just gotta be better next time."
This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: Mark Vientos blasts walk-off home run to lead Mets to eight straight win over Reds
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