Vientos hits 2-run homer in 11th and Mets rally past Cardinals 4-2 to avoid sweep

NEW YORK (AP) — Mark Vientos hit a two-run homer in the 11th inning on his second day in the majors this season to give the New York Mets a 4-2 comeback victory over the St. Louis Cardinals that prevented a three-game sweep Sunday.

“I feel like it’s almost a déjà vu moment. I feel like I’ve lived that moment over and over in my head," Vientos said. “So it was just like, let it go, let all the energy out. Just a great feeling.”

New York was 0 for 15 with runners in scoring position and down to its last strike when Harrison Bader singled home automatic runner DJ Stewart from third base with the tying run.

Vientos, who singled as a pinch hitter in the ninth, then drove a 1-2 pitch from Matthew Liberatore (0-1) just beyond the glove of a leaping Michael Siani at the center-field fence.

“Those are the situations that I want to be in,” Liberatore said. “I got what I wanted today and I just didn’t execute.”

A fired-up Vientos pumped his arms and tossed aside his helmet as he approached home plate, where he was swarmed by jubilant teammates.

It was the first walk-off RBI in the big leagues for Vientos, who made his Mets debut in 2022 and appeared in 65 games for them last year.

“I was sitting for that one pitch the whole at-bat," he said. “I finally got it and I put a good swing on it.”

Disappointed by a surprise demotion to the minors at the end of spring training, Vientos was recalled Saturday from Triple-A Syracuse when outfielder Starling Marte went on the bereavement list.

Mets manager Carlos Mendoza said he was pretty sure Vientos will be in the starting lineup Monday night.

“We know the power to all fields, especially against lefties," Mendoza said. "He was ready to go. So, credit to him, and it’s good to see it.”

Brendan Donovan singled home the go-ahead run for St. Louis in the top of the 11th after making three outstanding defensive plays earlier in the game.

Reed Garrett (5-0) worked two innings for the win, allowing just an unearned run. He joined Jesse Orosco (August 1983) as the only Mets relievers to win five games in a month.

Francisco Lindor hit a tying homer in the sixth and stole two bases for New York, which had dropped five of six.

Jose Quintana tossed eight masterful innings of three-hit ball, becoming the first Mets starter in 27 games this season to reach the seventh. The left-hander threw 99 pitches and walked just one batter.

“He absolutely dominated,” Garrett said.

St. Louis, which finished 1 for 12 with runners in scoring position, was looking for its first four-game win streak since a six-game run July 15-20 last year.

“You walk away definitely with some positives,” manager Oliver Marmol said. “Obviously you’re a strike away, you want to take that game.”

Three brilliant catches by Donovan in left field helped Lance Lynn keep the Mets scoreless until Lindor's opposite-field homer on the ninth pitch of his at-bat leading off the sixth.

Masyn Winn doubled off Quintana to open the fifth and scored on a nicely executed safety squeeze by Siani, his first RBI in 76 major league plate appearances with Cincinnati and St. Louis.

TRAINER’S ROOM

Cardinals: OF Dylan Carlson (left shoulder) is expected to begin a rehab assignment Tuesday or Wednesday with Triple-A Memphis. ... Rookie catcher Iván Herrera got knocked over when he was nailed in the side of the helmet by Stewart's backswing in the sixth. Herrera was shaken up but stayed in the game.

Mets: DH J.D. Martinez was rested after playing back-to-back days, his first two games with New York. He flied out as a pinch hitter in the ninth. Martinez's season debut was delayed by lower back tightness. ... LHP David Peterson (left hip surgery) struck out five in two perfect innings during his first rehab start for Class A St. Lucie. ... RHP Kodai Senga (right shoulder capsule strain) is expected to throw about 20-25 pitches of live batting practice against minor league hitters Monday. ... RHP Tylor Megill (shoulder strain) is scheduled to throw around 50 pitches over three or four innings Thursday for Double-A Binghamton in his second rehab outing. Megill struck out all six batters he faced Saturday at Class A Brooklyn.

UP NEXT

Cardinals: LHP Steven Matz (1-2, 5.55 ERA) starts Monday night in Detroit against RHP Kenta Maeda (0-1, 5.96). Matz is 7-0 with a 1.78 ERA versus AL Central opponents. The Cardinals have faced the Tigers in three World Series (1934, 1968, 2006), winning twice.

Mets: RHP Luis Severino (2-2, 2.67 ERA) faces Cubs RHP Jameson Taillon (2-0, 1.69) in the opener of a four-game series Monday night at Citi Field.

AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb

St. Louis Cardinals' Masyn Winn, left, celebrates with Willson Contreras after scoring on a bunt by Michael Siani during the fifth inning of a baseball game against the New York Mets at Citi Field, Sunday, April 28, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)

St. Louis Cardinals outfielder Brendan Donovan catches a fly ball hit by New York Mets' Tomás Nido during the fourth inning of a baseball game at Citi Field, Sunday, April 28, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)

New York Mets' Francisco Lindor, left, reacts after hitting a solo home run while St. Louis Cardinals catcher Iván Herrera looks on during the sixth inning of a baseball game at Citi Field, Sunday, April 28, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)

New York Mets' Francisco Lindor reacts after hitting a solo home run during the sixth inning of a baseball game against the St. Louis Cardinals at Citi Field, Sunday, April 28, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)

New York Mets' Francisco Lindor, right, hits a solo home run during the sixth inning of a baseball game against the St. Louis Cardinals at Citi Field, Sunday, April 28, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)

Teammates douse New York Mets Mark Vientos, bottom left, with Gatorade after he hit a walk-off home run during the 11th inning of a baseball game against the St. Louis Cardinals at Citi Field, Sunday, April 28, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)

New York Mets Mark Vientos (27), left, celebrates with Harrison Bader after hitting a walk-off home run during the 11th inning of a baseball game against the St. Louis Cardinals at Citi Field, Sunday, April 28, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)

New York Mets' Mark Vientos celebrates after hitting a walkoff home run during the 11th inning of a baseball game against the St. Louis Cardinals at Citi Field, Sunday, April 28, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)

New York Mets Mark Vientos (27), center, celebrates with teammates after hitting a walk-off home run during the 11th inning of a baseball game against the St. Louis Cardinals at Citi Field, Sunday, April 28, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)

New York Mets' Mark Vientos celebrates after hitting a walkoff home run during the 11th inning of a baseball game against the St. Louis Cardinals at Citi Field, Sunday, April 28, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)

New York Mets' Mark Vientos hits a walkoff home run during the 11th inning of a baseball game against the St. Louis Cardinals at Citi Field, Sunday, April 28, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)

The Detroit Lions have looked in vain for a playoff-winning quarterback for decade after decade.

When the search ended with Jared Goff under center, the franchise was determined not to let him get away.

The Lions and Goff agreed to a $212 million, four-year contract extension, according to a person familiar with the situation.

The person told The Associated Press on Monday that the deal includes $170 million in guarantees, and spoke on condition of anonymity because the terms were not announced.

Goff ended the Motor City’s misery in January, helping the Lions earn two playoff victories in one postseason for the first time since winning the 1957 NFL title.

He led the franchise to its first postseason win in 32 years, beating the Matthew Stafford-led Los Angeles Rams in an NFC wild-card game, and to a victory over Tampa Bay before losing at San Francisco in the NFC championship game.

Lions general manager Brad Holmes acquired Goff and a pair of first-round picks for Stafford three years ago from the Rams, his former team.

The 29-year-old Goff, who was entering the final year of his deal, will be under contract in Detroit through the 2028 season.

He has given the Lions a lot of reasons to keep him around.

Goff didn't get down emotionally, even when the Lions won just three games in his debut year with them in 2021 and followed up the next season with a 1-6 start.

“He’s the captain of the ship,” Detroit center Frank Ragnow said. “He’s as steady as it gets.”

Goff, who is from Novato, California, starred at California before the Rams drafted him No. 1 overall in 2016. He helped the Rams reach the Super Bowl in his third season, and they traded him away two years later and went on to win an NFL championship with Stafford.

Outside of the Lions’ organization, Goff was viewed as a stopgap quarterback when he was acquired as a castaway.

The three-time Pro Bowl player has been much more.

He was effective during the 2022 season, lifting Detroit to eight wins over its final 10 games. He also played well during much of the Lions' breakthrough season in which they won their first division title in three decades and ended an NFL record nine-game postseason losing streak that had dragged on since the 1991 season.

Goff threw 383 consecutive passes without an interception, a mistake-free run that trailed just two players in NFL history, before throwing a pick last September. He finished the 2023 regular season ranked No. 2 in yards passing and fourth with 30 touchdowns, including five that matched franchise and personal records in rout against Denver.

In postseason wins over the Rams and Tampa Bay, he completed 74.3% of his passes for 564 yards with three touchdowns and no interceptions. Goff threw for 273 yards and a touchdown at San Francisco, falling one win short of lifting the Lions to their first Super Bowl.

“He’s as accurate as any quarterback I’ve seen,” 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan said.

The agreement with Goff is the latest investment Detroit has made in keeping key players in the hopes of contending for championships in 2024 and beyond.

Less than a month ago, the Lions signed their All-Pro players to deals that keep them under contract for the next five seasons.

Wide receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown signed a four-year contract extension worth more than $120 million with $77 million in guarantees and offensive tackle Penei Sewell was retained with a four-year, $112 million deal.

Follow Larry Lage at https://twitter/larrylage

AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/nfl

FILE - Detroit Lions quarterback Jared Goff passes against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers during the first half of an NFL football NFC divisional playoff game, Sunday, Jan. 21, 2024, in Detroit. A person familiar with the situation says the Lions and Goff have agreed to a $212 million, four-year contract extension. The person tells The Associated Press, Monday, May 13, 2024, that the deal includes $170 million in guarantees, speaking on condition of anonymity because the terms were not announced. (AP Photo/Carlos Osorio, File)