So much of this season, especially the last four and a half months, has been about fun, personalities and the endless feel-good atmosphere that invaded the Mets clubhouse around June 1 and never left. There has been a lot of comebacks, both in the standings and in many matches that have allowed them to move up the rankings.
Fun is a big part of baseball. Fun has its place.
But it’s no longer about positive vibes and cheerful mojo. There’s only so much a purple fast food mascot can do, especially when OMG so quickly turned into SMH. The Mets are now halfway to the bottom, facing their latest must-win adventure on Thursday night, Game 4 of the NLCS at Citi Field, after an 8-0 Game 3 drubbing.
Francisco Alvarez had a rough night in the Mets’ 8-0 Game 3 loss to the Dodgers on October 16, 2024. Charles Wenzelberg / New York Post
Carlos Mendoza would certainly prefer to channel the guidance of longtime Texas Longhorns coach Darrell Royal, who famously said: “Dance with the guy who brought you in.” In fact, less than 20 minutes after this carnage was over, he rehashed it verbatim.
“The guys over there got us to this point,” he said.
And look: Part of the reason Mendoza has had such a great year as a manager is that he is tirelessly loyal. The players know he has their back. He doesn’t switch lineups out of panic. But this is not panic. The Mets could no longer afford the Royal or Mendoza doctrine. There is a lot at stake.
The lineup for Game 4 should look different than the one it came out of for Game 3. But he said with absolute conviction that this would not happen. Francisco Alvarez is the obvious candidate for a break. His error in the second inning led to the first two unearned runs and overshadowed an electric crowd of 43,883 who desperately wanted to serve as the Mets’ wingman on Wednesday.
Carlos Mendoza walks through the dugout before the Mets’ Game 3 loss to the Dodgers. Getty Images J.D. Martinez #28 of the New York Mets reacts after drawing a walk in the second inning of the Mets’ Game 3 loss. Getty Images
He also struck out in the bottom of the inning with one out and the bases loaded, even when a sacrifice fly would have re-engaged the field. He has now left 10 runners in the last two games. He’s young and he’s fighting. Luis Torrens, his backup, is no Pudge Rodriguez and has only registered six hits since August 1st. But sometimes a day off is necessary.
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“He’s a good hitter, man, a good player,” Mendoza said of Alvarez. “He will come.”
So don’t you think about going with Torrence?
“Alfie is playing tomorrow,” he said. This is it.
The JD Martinez/Jose Iglesias DH/second base combination, which certainly seems to have reached a point of diminishing returns, will also return for Game 4. As with Alvarez, the Mets don’t exactly have Luis Arraez and Yordan Alvarez ready to replace it. But Jeff McNeil (assuming he’s healed enough to play defense) and Jesse Winker should be viable alternatives.
Except Mendoza already shut that down.
“We are facing [Yoshinobu] “Yamamoto,” Mendoza said. “Look at his reverse splits against right-handers.” Of course, that’s a fair point. There is no obvious advantage in balancing the lineup against him with a left-hander.
Jose Iglesias hits the field during the second inning of the Mets’ Game 3 loss to the Dodgers. Charles Wenzelberg / New York Post
This may sound like someone who’s a slave to analytics, but we’ve seen Mendoza work all year. This is not the case, at all. If he shows weakness in anything here, then there’s a tendency for confidence. Martinez and Iglesias were key to the Mets’ turnaround.
Martinez’s professionalism and leadership helped pull them out of the spring sediments. Iglesias’ energy opened a window and let in fresh air within minutes of his arrival in June. He was able to continue in this vein for the rest of the year.
But Martinez is hitting .109 as of September 1, and has no extra-base hits in the postseason. Iglesias started to drop back to center in this series, attacking men on base, and on defense he could have made a play on Alvarez’s wide throw at second and didn’t, and his error nearly opened the door for the Dodgers. Rally in game 2.
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No one is saying that Alvarez, Martinez and Iglesias should be cast aside and suffocated in mothballs. But the Mets are now 17-0 in their two losses in the Series, neither of which were key parts of their Game 2 win. It feels as if a change, even if it’s just for one game, could be beneficial.
Mendoza disagrees. And it’s his voice that matters.
“Someone is going to step up and make us a big hit,” Mendoza insisted, and it’s all about the brand. He may not use the same rosy words as Aaron Boone, but after a year with Mendy, the manager has revealed that he will fight for his men as fiercely as Boone, or anyone else, would.
He’s part of the reason the Mets are here. It’s a good quality to have as a leader. But this is also the case: knowing when to change the chessboard. Joe Torre in 1996 benched Tino Martinez, Paul O’Neill and Wade Boggs for the World Series, three guys who certainly led him to the dance. We remember it because it worked.
If Mendoza’s devotion to his comrades is unwavering, we will remember that, too.
But it should work.
