Luisangel Acuña, New York Mets hitting their stride as they head to Atlanta for season-deciding series

NEW YORK — The temperature was 6 degrees above freezing the first time Luisangel Acuña strolled onto the grass at Citi Field. He wore a starter jacket, tight gray jeans and Air Jordans. Only a handful of people were there.

It was Jan. 31, and the undersized Mets prospect was in the Big Apple to accompany his older half-brother, Ronald, the 2023 National League MVP, to the annual Baseball Writers Association of America award dinner, where Ronald was set to accept his golden trophy in person.

The younger Acuña, traded to the Mets from the Rangers the previous summer for future Hall of Famer Max Scherzer, had not yet been to Queens, and he wanted to visit his future home. So he reached out to the Mets, who organized a swift, behind-the-scenes tour of the stadium.

Fast-forward eight months, and the pocket-sized shortstop found himself back in Flushing for his first home game in blue and orange. The weather was warmer, the stakes immeasurably higher. With just four series remaining in the season, New York clung to a two-game lead over the Atlanta Braves for the final NL wild-card spot. The club’s best and most important player, MVP candidate Francisco Lindor, had been sidelined by a back injury.

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In Lindor’s place, Acuña has shined, helping propel the Mets to a 6-1 record during their recent homestand. The 22-year-old rookie has provided mature-beyond-his-years defense at shortstop and flashed surprising pop at the plate. Three times, Acuña went yard during the seven-game stretch. His play has wowed and stabilized the Mets at a most crucial crossroad.

“What unbelievable production from Acuña,” another of New York’s vocal leaders, Brandon Nimmo, said after Saturday’s 6-3 victory over Philadelphia. “To ask a young guy like him to come in and step in and do what he's done, you don't get that every day.”

In his first at-bat that night, Acuña ripped a first-pitch curveball off Ranger Suarez over the wall in left. After the game, he admitted that he was not fazed by the moment or the opponent.

“My dad always tells me that it doesn't matter who's pitching,” Acuña told the media through Mets interpreter Alan Suriel. “At the end of the day, you have a bat. I simply had my plan, and I executed it.”

One particular defensive play that Acuña pulled off at shortstop made a lasting impression on his manager. In the ninth inning of Saturday’s win, the diminutive shortstop backhanded a slow dribbler off the bat of speedster Trea Turner and, in one swift motion, fired to first for the out. That’s the type of internal clock you see from a 10-year veteran.

“One of the coaches said to me: ‘It shouldn’t be that easy,’” Mets skipper Carlos Mendoza told media members afterward. “Lindor makes that play easy, but Acuña? We know there's talent there, but that was pretty impressive, with a plus, plus runner. So that's incredible.”

When the Mets called up Acuña on Sept. 14, they were hoping for competence and perhaps a jolt on the basepaths. Few members of the organization were expecting to see a player who looks so at ease in the moment.

And from here, that moment only grows in size.

On Tuesday, the Mets begin a season-deciding, three-game series in Atlanta, at the stadium where Luisangel’s last name became famous. Ronald, who has not played since late May after tearing his ACL, will be in attendance to watch little bro play in person. Luisangel posted a picture of the two of them in Atlanta on Monday night.

If the Mets win two of three, they will clinch an improbable playoff berth. If Atlanta wins the series, they’ll be just one game adrift with three to play and the tiebreaker in hand. A Braves sweep would put them into pole position and leave the Mets rueing a massive missed opportunity.

That’s almost exactly what happened two years ago. New York needed a single win to all but clinch the NL East. Instead, the Braves swept the Mets back to Queens. New York, which won 101 games that year, settled for a wild card and was then toppled by the San Diego Padres in the best-of-three round. Those three nights in Georgia proved crucial.

This time around, the Mets carry more of a Cinderella energy into the massive showdown, despite a two-game lead and the sport’s largest payroll. On June 2, eight teams stood between New York and a playoff spot. Their postseason odds were as low as 13.1% on Aug. 28. Those odds have since skyrocketed to 78%, despite Lindor being sidelined for the past week.

His absence feels certain to continue, at least for the time being. Lindor admitted that if he suits up again this regular season, it will likely require him to play through pain. He participated in baseball activities on Sunday but looked stiff. A return in Atlanta remains something of a long shot.

That means Acuña, who is 11-for-29 with three homers in his first nine games, will remain a main character. The Mets don’t need or expect him to continue hitting .379/.400/.828. His chase rate, which is nine points better than his mark in the minors, will likely worsen. Teams will find his weaknesses and gameplan to them. Acuña, like any youngster, will need to adjust and respond.

But so far, the Mets must feel relieved, knowing that the brother of one of the game’s biggest stars won’t be overwhelmed by the intensity of playoff-race baseball.