Sean Manaea hit a “wall” in the Game 6 flop when the Mets needed him most

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Sean Manaea sailed through most of five innings of his Game 2 start before unraveling, unable to find the strike zone and retired after two walks and a ground ball.

He then admitted that he had “hit a wall.”

That wall might as well have been made of concrete on Sunday.

The Mets' best pitcher in months had nothing left after a season that will end with a total of 36 starts and 200 ²/₃ innings, both career highs.

Manaea, battered by the workload, was battered by the Dodgers in their NLCS and season-ending 10-5 loss at Dodger Stadium.

From July 30, when Manaea lost his arm slot, to September 21, the left-hander lasted at least 6²/₃ innings in 10 of 11 starts.

He proved to be not only an ace, but also a workhorse that the Mets leaned on.

Under the stress of a pressure he had never experienced before, Manaea ran empty-handed during an outing in which he recorded just six outs.

The pitching-desperate Mets needed length and got none, Manaea allowing five runs on six hits and two walks in his two-plus innings.

He was in trouble from the start, striking out seven Dodgers batters in a 34-pitch first game that spelled doom.

Tommy Edman's two-run double was the run-scorer, but the at-bats that didn't finish – like an eight-pitch walk against Kiké Hernandez – were almost as damaging to the Mets' and Manaeas' hopes.

After another long, albeit scoreless second, Manaea faced three batters in the third and retired none.

Edman hit a two-run home run that put the Mets in a deep hole, and a walk to Max Muncy sparked a pitching change.

After Phil Maton belted a two-run home run off Will Smith, Manaea might have another run to thank.

If this were the end of Manaea's Mets career, he would not be remembered for his final appearance.

After a difficult season with the Giants last year, Manaea was a free agent signing, emerging as the Mets' best arm and contributing to the rotation during his dominant second half.

He had a poor postseason history, which he erased with a good pitch against the Brewers; he had a bad playoff history against the Phillies, but he undid it by dominating them; He had a poor track record against the Dodgers, which he erased with an effective start in Game 2.

But Manaea, an impending free agent expected to decline a player option, had nothing left to give, meaning the Mets had virtually no chance of making the comeback.