Jose Quintana (Lloyd Mitchell/AMNY)
QUEENS — José Quintana returned to the majors and made his Mets debut on Thursday in the Mets’ 6-2 loss to the Chicago White Sox. After 77 pitches and five innings, the southpaw allowed two runs on six hits with three strikeouts and a walk.
The 34-year-old has been sidelined for the last four months after undergoing rib surgery in March. He brings some much-needed pitching experience to the Mets clubhouse as their playoff hopes hang on by a thread. Quintana — a White Sox All-Star in 2016 — signed a two-year, $26 million deal with the Queens outfit last year.
Following an intensive rehab after doctors found a benign lesion on his rib, Quintana made sure to relish the opportunity to play in front of a crowd again. He eased into the game and by his fifth inning, he retired eight of the final nine batters he faced on the mound at Citi Field.
“I feel great, a lot of emotion around me and my debut,” Qiuntana said. “[I’m] so excited to make a start here, it was great. I think every inning, it felt better and better and in command. I did worry a little bit with the clock but it was good… it was taxing. Nothing you can do, but overall it was great.”
The Mets are currently 45-51 but when it comes to their playoff chances, Quintana feels confident.
“Oh yeah, for sure, no doubt. We have a long time, a long run ahead,” he said. “We’re going to face good teams the next two series and we’re going to keep fighting. You never know what’s going to happen and we started the second half better so we’ll keep going.”
After taking two of three from the White Sox, the Mets are in Boston to face the Red Sox for a three-game set beginning Friday night.
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