Like the quirky rally symbols or Francisco Lindor's MVP heroics, Sean Manaea deserves considerable credit for why the New York Mets made it to Game 6 of the NLCS on Sunday night at Dodger Stadium.

The veteran southpaw, who failed to stick with the Oakland Athletics, San Diego Padres or San Francisco Giants – he was demoted to the bullpen last season – fought his way back into the MLB starting rotation after a complete overhaul of his mechanics. He became an ace in Queens.

After a change in July that lowered his arm position in the style of likely NL Cy Young Award winner Chris Sale, he was one of the league's best pitchers over the final two months of the season. From July 30 to September 21 (11 starts), Manaea went 6-1 with a 2.63 ERA and 82 strikeouts compared to 16 walks in 72 innings.

“I am very proud of the work I was able to do with everyone here, on and off the field,” said Manaea after his team’s season ended on Sunday evening. “And I’m just super proud of the year as a whole.”

For a pitcher who had never thrown more than 160 innings in the last four years, Manaea threw a career-high 200 innings, including the postseason.