Mets Starter Jose Quintana Sets Impressive Career Milestone

The Mets' lefty recorded an impressive career milestone in the team's victory against the Reds on Saturday night

Sep 7, 2024; New York City, New York, USA; New York Mets starting pitcher Jose Quintana (62) pitches in the first inning against the Cincinnati Reds at Citi Field. Mandatory Credit: Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images / Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images

The New York Mets' veteran southpaw has been serviceable this year in a rotation that has over performed this season.

And he might be getting hot at the right time. Jose Quintana has now given up only one run across his last 18 innings (three starts).

On Saturday evening, Quintana led the Mets to their ninth straight victory, and on Sunday, the team woke up one game ahead of Atlanta for the final NL Wild Card spot. 

Quintana came one out shy of seven shutout innings, striking out six and allowing just five hits. The lefty received a standing ovation from the Mets’ faithful at Citi Field and ultimately notched his 100th career victory. He is now 8-9 with a 4.09 ERA and 118 strikeouts in 28 starts (152 innings) this season.

After the game, Quintana told reporters it felt great to receive the acknowledgment from the fans and that “this is for New York and we’ll keep playing hard." Quintana credited the defense behind him, calling his teammates “amazing” and praising the two double plays made by the infield. 

When asked about his 100th victory, Quintana said to get the win and to keep the winning streak for the team, it "means a lot" to him.

The veteran pitcher is also the first Colombian pitcher to reach the milestone and he “cannot wait to see his family to say thank you for all the support."

Jose Quintana says it "means a lot" to him to get his 100th career win and become the first Colombian pitcher to do so 🇨🇴 pic.twitter.com/Bmo3BgYiLr

— SNY (@SNYtv) September 8, 2024

Quintana is now nineteen wins ahead of Julio Teheran, another Colombian born pitcher, who started a game for the Mets this year before being designated for assignment. Teheran is currently pitching for Sultanes de Monterrey of the Mexican League. 

The 35-year-old’s milestone victory cements him as the greatest Colombian pitcher to play in the major leagues. Quintana is in his thirteenth season in MLB and has previously pitched for the White Sox, Cubs, Angels, Giants, Pirates and Cardinals. He is slated to be a free agent after the season ends.