Nimmo digs in despite foot pain: 'You lay it on the field'

NEW YORK – Before Brandon Nimmo could hobble back out to left field for the fourth inning on Thursday night at Citi Field, Mets teammate Francisco Lindor gave him a hug and a pat on the chest.

“I told him, ‘I appreciate what you're doing for us,’” Lindor said. “It's not easy. A lot of players would have said, 'Ah, that's it. I can't move.' But he's coming in, he's preparing, and he's working as hard as he can.”

Nimmo, the longest-tenured Met and one known for his hustle, has been limited since aggravating his plantar fasciitis last week. It was evident during the Mets’ 10-2 loss to the Dodgers in Game 4 of the National League Championship Series.

The first instance came up with the Mets down, 3-1, in the third inning and threatening with the bases loaded and one out. Nimmo sent a hard-hit grounder to second, where Chris Taylor shoveled to shortstop Tommy Edman, who touched the base and threw to first for what was initially ruled as an inning-ending double play.

But Nimmo raced down the line with a near-elite 29 feet per second sprint speed. Following a replay review, the call was overturned and gave the Mets a run-scoring fielder's choice. This was the play that garnered Lindor’s appreciation.

The last time Nimmo sprinted that fast was during NL Division Series Game 3, when the discomfort in his left foot had not reached the extent it is now.

“I honestly don't even know how fast I was going, but I was just going as fast as I possibly could and just pulling it from the depths of inside of you,” Nimmo said. “Just whatever you've got left, you lay it on the field, and that's what I had left.

“Just tried to do my best to beat it out. As soon as I hit it, I knew I was going to need to. You just lay it all out on the field and see what happens.”

Another key baserunning situation arose during the sixth inning with the Mets down by five runs. Nimmo began the rally with a leadoff single to left field, and New York loaded the bases with no outs.

• Dodgers-Mets NLCS Game 5 FAQ

After Jose Iglesias struck out, pinch-hitter Jeff McNeil sent a fly ball to center field 287 feet from home plate. Andy Pages caught the ball and fired a one-hopper to catcher Will Smith at 93.1 mph.

“I thought, 'Make a good throw and let's see what he can do,'” Pages said. “In that moment, [right fielder] Mookie [Betts] helped me. He said, 'If you get a fly ball, keep your throw down.' And that's what I did.”

Given the scouting report on Pages' arm strength (95th percentile), it wasn’t an obvious send from Mets third-base coach Mike Sarbaugh, and even more unlikely given Nimmo’s injury. Though Nimmo tagged up, he didn’t show any real intention of trying to score on the play. Pinch-hitter Jesse Winker then flied out sharply to right, as New York went 0-for-10 with runners in scoring position and left 12 on base for the game.

“No,” Nimmo said of whether he would run in better health. “Five-run deficit, and Pages is the best arm in the outfield. Shallow fly ball. Maybe, if it's a tie ball game, maybe we see what happens. But they had a five-run lead, and it's a shallow fly ball with the best arm getting a running start in. No, there's just no reason to do it at that point. We need more base hits, and we need more than a sac fly at that point.”

Nimmo’s limitations also showed on defense.

When the Mets were still within reach with the score 3-2, Mookie Betts stepped to the plate with two runners on and one out in the fourth inning. He laced a ball to left field, where Nimmo was unable to cut off the ball before it rolled all the way to the wall and remained on the warning track. Two runs scored as the Dodgers added insurance.

“Well, I never don't feel my foot, but I'm going as fast as I can out there and doing what I can do,” Nimmo said, “I just wasn't able to cut it off before it got to the wall. Played it off the wall and got it in. There's never a step that I take that I don't feel it.”