SAN DIEGO Jose Iglesias of the New York Mets remained composed even after fielding the hardest-hit ball of the game on Thursday night at Petco Park, a 110 mph one-hopper off the bat of San Diego Padres first baseman Jake Cronenworth.
With the composure of an experienced player who understood that time was on his side, Iglesias moved to his left, grabbed the ball, and struck out to second base to begin a crucial double play.
“For me, that was the play of the game right there,” In reference to Iglesias’ highlight during the fifth inning of New York’s 8-3 victory over the San Diego Padres, Mets manager Carlos Mendoza said.
If Iglesias does not field the ball cleanly, does not perform flawlessly, and does not record two outs, maybe the game changes. The inning began with a walk, a single, and another walk for the Padres, loading the bases against Luis Severino. The Mets’ lead was only 3-0. San Diego has shown a talent for winning games back throughout the season. The play saved the Mets from a big inning, but the Padres ended up scoring a run.
The Padres attracted another boisterous crowd, and Mets third baseman Mark Vientos noted after the game that the atmosphere “100%” felt like the playoffs. He was accurate. These last regular-season games are crucial for the Mets (67-61). New York managed to keep one and a half games behind the Atlanta Braves (68-59) for a postseason position with their victory over the Padres (72-57). 34 games remain for the Mets.
Early run thanks to @MarkVientos_5! pic.twitter.com/YpHhEhvW9M
— New York Mets (@Mets) August 23, 2024
The greatest players on the Mets, like Pete Alonso and Francisco Lindor, will continue to have a significant say in how the team performs.
That much is obvious.
However, Thursday demonstrated the significance of the Mets’ bench in these last few weeks.
Think about a couple of the heroes in the game: Danny Young, a left-handed reliever, and Reed Garrett, a right-handed reliever, each contributed two hits in addition to Iglesias. Who among them had made a significant contribution during a crucial August game?
After making just one major league appearance in the previous season, Iglesias was signed by the Mets to a minor-league contract during the offseason. In addition to using music to lighten the mood in the clubhouse, he is a superb defender with a batting average of.338.
Despite starting the season on the outside of the 40-man roster, Garrett has pitched in high-leverage situations and holds a decent 3.91 ERA, even though he has not been quite as sharp as he was in the beginning. Garrett walked the leadoff hitter in the seventh inning on Thursday, raising doubts about his command once more, but he was able to escape trouble without giving up another baserunner.
Young was the only left-hander in the Mets bullpen. Four organizations made contract offers to him in the offseason; the majority were willing to pay him approximately $800,000. The Mets signed him after raising their offer to $825,000. With 28 appearances, he has a 3.33 ERA. He had two strikeouts in a 1-2-3 sixth inning on Thursday.
20 home runs, a steady offensive presence at third base, and his current position as the No. 2-hitter at the top of the order put Vientos at the top of the list of the Mets’ breakout players of 2024. In terms of long-term effects, nobody is near either. However, there are other players who have appeared out of nowhere and clicked for them, or other developing success stories. Another is the reliever Dedniel Núñez, who is anticipated to be activated from the disabled list on Friday. In the same way, catcher Luis Torrens. Others from the journey are present.
Not many players on the Mets last season stood out from the crowd, save for Francisco Alvarez, the catcher. Such tales are typically the distinguishing features of strong teams, as one Mets veteran stated at the beginning of the season. According to the players, the clubhouse deserves praise for maintaining a friendly atmosphere while simultaneously instilling a sense of responsibility.
It is these underappreciated players who have gotten the Mets this far. There are issues with the Mets roster. However, Mendoza believes that they may field 26 players that have an impact on the match. Mendoza has stated repeatedly over the past few weeks that he intends to continue using both the bullpen and an outfield rotation. Situations will try everyone’s preparedness as games will still count for the Mets in the late innings.
(Photo: Denis Poroy / Getty Images)
