NEW YORK -- Standing on the Citi Field turf after another banner win, Brandon Nimmo gazed up into the crowd, tilted his head toward a microphone and implored fans to come to the ballpark this weekend. He asked them to get rowdy, to be loud. The Mets had just completed a 10-0 victory and a series sweep of the Nationals, allowing them to maintain a two-game lead over the Braves in the National League Wild Card race.

New York is tied with Arizona -- but holds the tiebreaker over the D-backs -- for the second Wild Card spot.

October baseball is in clear view for a Mets team that’s saved some of its finest work for mid-September. They know it. They feel it. They want as much support as possible for their final push.

“I’m pretty much convinced now, we’re not in the regular season anymore,” Nimmo said. “We’re in playoff baseball. Every win is extremely important. It decides whether we keep playing or not.”

If the Mets continue performing like this, they will keep playing -- plain and simple. A little more than 23 minutes passed from the time DJ Herz threw his first pitch of the fourth inning Wednesday to the time a large crowd rose in respectful ovation. As far as statements go, this wasn’t a lengthy one. But it was unmistakably clear.

The Mets, who long ago sprung out of their coffins to establish themselves as legitimate NL Wild Card contenders, demonstrated with a nine-run fourth inning that they are capable of more than merely a playoff berth. They are a fireball growing hotter at just the right time. Over the span of those 23 minutes, New York sent a dozen men to the plate, rapped out seven hits and scored nine times in its most explosive half-inning of the season. In the dugout, the Mets impelled their “OMG” sign into overtime work.

Nimmo, who began the fourth-inning rally with a leadoff walk, also provided its most dramatic blow with a three-run homer to cap the scoring. In between, Tyrone Taylor hit an RBI double, Mark Vientos and Starling Marte each had a two-run hit and Luisangel Acuña plated a run for the second consecutive night.

It was an extravagant amount of support for Jose Quintana, who threw seven shutout innings to extend his scoreless streak to 22 2/3 and improve his ERA to 0.28 over his past five starts.

“I’m really proud of this group,” Quintana said.

How could he not be? For the better part of four months, most everything has gone right for the Mets. Before Wednesday’s game, owner Steve Cohen stood on the field and watched batting practice, proud of what his team had accomplished. Cohen, who is taking a step back from the daily trading operations of his hedge fund, plans to travel to Atlanta and Milwaukee next week to be with the Mets for their most impactful games. He intends to be present if his team clinches a playoff berth.

As recently as June, that seemed like a long shot for a group that began the year 0-5 -- and nearly lost its sixth game as well -- then was 11 games under .500 by the end of May. But Cohen always believed in the talent of this roster. So did manager Carlos Mendoza, who implored his players back in late spring to “trust the process” and “continue to find ways to get better.”

“And they did it. I’m proud of them,” Mendoza said Wednesday afternoon. “But look, we haven’t done anything. Yeah, it’s a good feeling when you come to the ballpark this time of year and you’re playing for something special. But we haven’t done anything.”

Indeed, despite their catbird perch, New York has yet to clinch a playoff spot. The club's best player, Francisco Lindor, remains sidelined with a lower-back injury, and the Mets don't know if he’ll be available for the start of their season-defining gauntlet: An upcoming 10-game stretch against two first-place teams and -- cue the dramatic piano chords -- an Atlanta club that has long been their tormentor. Any slip now could cost the Mets dearly.

That stretch begins Thursday against the Phillies in the first of four remaining home games at Citi Field. It’s technically possible those could be the final four baseball games in Queens this season.

And yet ...

“I’m not ready to call it our last homestand,” Mendoza said. “I don’t think anybody is ready to call it that.”