Sean Manaea is not the same pitcher who had a playoff nightmare against the Phillies

Here's what happened the last time Sean Manaea faced the Phillies in the postseason:

In Manaea's first frame, Nick Castellanos hit a leadoff double and scored on a single by Bryson Stott.

In Manaea's next frame, Kyle Schwarber walked with one out before Rhys Hoskins hit a home run, JT Reamulto drew a walk and Bryce Harper hit a run-in double.

Manaea, pitching in relief with the Padres, was pulled and charged with five runs on four hits and two walks in just 1 ¹/₃ innings.

The Phillies won the game – Game 4 of the 2022 NLCS with Manaea as the losing pitcher – and defeated the Padres in five games to reach the World Series.

“It’s a thing of the past,” said Manaea, now the Mets ace, before facing the Phillies again in Game 3 of the NLDS at Citi Field. “It obviously wasn't a particularly good trip for me.

“The thing is, I’m not the same pitcher I was back then. They are no longer the same as they were back then.”

A lot has changed in a season Manaea was most proud of, and Tuesday will be another opportunity to show he's a different pitcher.

This year, the Mets left-hander reached a career-high 32 starts; Setting a career-best with a 3.47 ERA as a qualified starter; and put together probably the best run of his career in the final two months of the season, leading baseball in innings pitched from July 30 to year's end and posting a 2 ERA in 11 starts from July 30 to September 21, 63 scored.

A pitcher who enjoys challenging himself has changed again: He started throwing from a forearm slot, found more consistency and found more awkward swings.

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This isn't the first time Manaea has reinvented itself.

After his disappointing 2022 season (and disappointing finish against the Phillies), he sought offseason help from pitching factory Driveline and increased his average four-seam fastball velocity from 91.3 mph in 1922 to 93, 6 miles per hour in 2023.

However, he was still getting into trouble early in 1923, so he developed a sweeper midway through the season and returned to the Giants' rotation at the end of the year with a dominant performance that won over the Mets.

The story of Manaea's career — and his facial expression, one who had grown an unruly mane of hair and a thick beard before suddenly going clean-shaven during spring training — has been one of change.

Throwing harder than he used to, with a deeper pitch mix and a different angle, helped him post 184 strikeouts in 181²/₃ innings, down from his .200 and .200 hits, but solid enough.

“It's definitely my proudest season I've ever had, just from a health standpoint, everything I've been able to accomplish,” Manaea said. “For me personally it was a very entertaining season.”

It would be more fun for him to find redemption against a potent offense that sent him into the offseason looking for answers two years ago — and give the Mets a Game 3 win.