PHILADELPHIA — Take a dominant pitching performance into the late innings against the Mets at your own risk.
Eventually, the Mets find a pitcher they can hit.
So as much as Zack Wheeler resembled Cy Young for seven innings Saturday, there were still two other frames for the Phillies to cover.
And soon the home team was getting booed.
The Mets slumbered and then stomped, scoring all their runs in the final two innings in a 6-2 victory over the Phillies in Game 1 of the NLDS at Citizens Bank Park.
This wasn’t the ninth-inning thunder of Pete Alonso’s home run in Milwaukee to clinch the NL Wild Card Series, or Francisco Lindor’s blast three days earlier in Atlanta to deliver a postseason berth.
Instead, the Mets methodically carved up the Phillies, using five singles and two walks in the eighth.
Mark Vientos, Brandon Nimmo and pinch-hitter J.D. Martinez each stroked an RBI single in the inning and Alonso and Starling Marte drove in the other runs with sacrifice flies. Jeff Hoffman and Matt Strahm were charged for all the runs.
The Mets could thank their bullpen for keeping it close enough for the bats to rally.
David Peterson and Reed Garrett combined for five scoreless innings behind Kodai Senga, in his return after two months on the injured list.
After the Mets went ahead, Phil Maton pitched a scoreless inning and Ryne Stanek allowed one run in the ninth.
Senga, on his third pitch of the game, surrendered a monstrous home run to Kyle Schwarber.
But the right-hander retired six of the next seven batters he faced before calling it a day at 31 pitches.
Wheeler scintillated for the Phillies with seven shutout innings in which he allowed one hit and four walks and struck out nine.
The stud right-hander threw 111 pitches, his highest career total in a postseason game.
Wheeler produced 30 swings and misses, the third-highest total in a postseason game since 2008.
Schwarber’s blast into the right-field mezzanine put the Mets in a fast hole.
Senga started with a slider and fastball before Schwarber jumped on a 96-mph four-seamer over the middle and launched a rocket that left the bat at 115 mph.
Bryce Harper walked later in the inning, but Senga escaped without further damage. The right-hander returned to work a perfect second.
