New York Mets

Here's why Mets players are wearing numbers as eye black in NLCS

Some Mets players wore No. 40 as eye black during Game 3 of the NLCS Wednesday

NBC Universal, Inc.

With the NLCS increasing in intensity, the New York Mets are finding different ways of pushing through.

During Game 3 of their series at home against the Los Angeles Dodgers on Wednesday, some players were seen wearing the number 40 as eye black.

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Sean Manaea, Jose Quintana and Jesse Winker were among those players.

Why did they do so? It came down to supporting one of their own, as pitcher Luis Severino, who wears No. 40, started the game.

Fellow pitcher Kodai Senga, who also wore the eye black, signaled "40" with his hands during player introductions ahead of the game, giving their teammate extra moral support in a pivotal moment.

Severino, who made his postseason debut in 2017 with the New York Yankees, entered the game with a 2-4 playoff record and a 5.01 ERA across 13 appearances. One of those wins came against the Milwaukee Brewers in Game 1 of the 2024 Wild Card Series, which the Mets won 8-4.

Three out of four World Series teams have came out of the Wild Card round since the MLB expanded its postseason format in 2022. This year’s playoffs promises to test this possible baseball trend.
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