Carlos Mendoza needed a shower after the Mets’ 2-1, walk-off win over the Tigers in the second game of their doubleheader Thursday night at Citi Field.
He was pelted with all sorts of liquids by his players, but for all the right reasons.
It took a week and six games, but he finally captured his first win as a manager.
“I got beer, champagne, eggs, you name it,” Mendoza said after the game. “… Special feeling. Obviously, the boys were excited. Means a lot coming from there, because I know how hard they were trying. Obviously not the homestand we were anticipating, but a lot of baseball left here. We gotta take it one game at a time. We’ll get it going here pretty soon.”
Including their 6-3, extra-inning loss in the first leg of the doubleheader on Thursday, the Mets had started Mendoza’s debut season as manager 0-5.
They appeared well on their way to a sixth loss and to ending their opening homestand without a win, trailing 1-0 to start the bottom of the ninth inning.
But Pete Alonso clubbed a solo homer to tie the game at 1-1.
Brett Baty subsequently walked, then Starling Marte used a sacrifice bunt to move him over to second base.
And then Tyrone Taylor emerged as the Mets’ much-needed first hero of the season, delivering a walk-off single to deliver his manager his first win in charge.
Beyond spraying Mendoza with it, Alonso said the team drank champagne to celebrate.
“So happy for [Mendoza],” Alonso said. “Really nice to get that first one out of the way. Hope we can carry this momentum into Cincinnati. He spent a lot of time in professional baseball and getting his first win is huge.”
Three outs away from a demoralizing day and two more losses that would have raised major questions, the monkey is finally off Mendoza’s back.
It certainly took long enough.
And it happened in emphatic fashion.
“Obviously, nice we got the first one, finally,” Mendoza said. “Wish I had it earlier, but it’s baseball. About to get swept there, in a doubleheader, with, it seemed like, not much going offensively and [then] that last inning, Pete with a homer, and a walk and then Taylor. It feels good, obviously, to get that first one out of the way. Now keep going, hopefully.”
