Sean Manaea delivers a pitch in the first inning of the Mets’ 9-3 exhibition win over the Cardinals. AP “I just thought it was time [for the haircut].

NEW YORK — The reinvention of Sean Manaea started with a haircut in spring training. Then, he dropped his arm slot over the summer and became dominant. The culmination of his reinvention is ...

Manaea’s surge has largely coincided with that of the Mets, who on Monday improved to 37-20 since May 30. They began Tuesday 1.5 games out of the third and final National League Wild Card spot.