The Mets have officially announced that left-hander David Peterson will start Friday evening’s win-or-go-home NLCS Game 5 meeting with the Los Angeles Dodgers.

As reported by SNY’s Andy Martino, New York had been considering going with right-hander Kodai Senga, but they decided to go with the southpaw after he wasn’t used in relief during their Game 4 loss.

"Facing elimination, he's fully rested, been one of our best starters," Mets manager Carlos Mendoza explained postgame Thursday. "We feel like he's going to give us our best chance."

Peterson certainly has been one of the most pleasant surprises for New York this season.

The southpaw was spectacular in the middle of the rotation after returning from offseason hip surgery, pitching to a 2.90 ERA and 1.28 WHIP while striking 101 batters across 22 regular season appearances.

He transitioned into more of a bullpen role during the postseason but was able to continue that success, putting together 13.1 scoreless innings over his first four appearances.

However, Peterson struggled for the first time in a long time his last time out. He allowed two runs on four hits while walking one across 2.1 innings behind Senga in Game 1.

But now he'll have the opportunity to get back out there as a starter, as he prepares to take the ball for New York with their season on the line.

"It means a lot," Peterson said. "Being able to get the ball in a situation like this and to have the confidence of Mendy and the rest of the coaching staff is huge. I'm ready to go out there with the guys and just compete our butts off and see where it gets us."

With all hands on deck behind Peterson, Mendoza also said that Senga will be available out of the bullpen if needed.

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