Monday, October 21, 2024

Mendoza On Mets: "We Raised the bar"

 

Mets Manager Carlos Mendoza during one of his press conferences during the NLDS. Photo by Jason Schott.


The Mets' season that felt like it would never end concluded on Sunday night when they lost Game 6 of the NLCS, 10-5, to the Los Angeles Dodgers.

This was a Mets season in which they entered with low expectations, but wound up turning in one of the most enjoyable seasons in their history, as they took a team that was 22-33 at the end of May, and won 89 games, snatching a Wild Card spot from last year's National League champions, the Arizona Diamondbacks.

Then, in the playoffs, the Mets were matchup with the highly-touted Milwaukee Brewers. After splitting the first two games and trailing 2-0 in the final game, Pete Alonso delivered his signature moment as a Met, a three-run shot to win the game and series.

The Mets would then face their rivals, the Philadelphia Phillies, in the NLDS, and their offense thoroughly destroyed all pitchers not named Zach Wheeler on their way to winning the in four games, including taking the final two at a raucous Citi Field.

In the NLCS, the Mets would meet their match in the vaunted Los Angeles Dodgers, who won it in six games, and despite dropping Games 2 and 5, seemed thoroughly in control of the series, with their four wins coming handily, including Game 6, where despite some tough moments and having to do a "bullpen game," they had enough breathing room to win 10-5. Now, the Dodgers face another New York team, the Yankees, in the World Series.

After the game, Mets Manager Carlos Mendoza addressed the media, and here's a sampling of what he had to say:

On his first year managing the Mets and what they were able to accomplish: "First of all, congratulations to the Dodgers organization. That's a really good team. They faced a lot of adversity and now they're getting an opportunity to play in the World Series. So congrats to (Dodgers Manager) Dave Roberts, his coaches and his players.

"As far as our team and how our year went, my first year as a manager, we faced a lot of adversity. I'm just proud of the group. I'm proud of everyone in that room, whether it's coaches, trainers, front office. And it starts with our owners, because October 20, now we're going home.

"Obviously it stinks because you want to keep going. But I just told the guys how proud I was because of not only we became a really good team, we became a family. And now we raised the bar. Expectations now, you know, this is what we should strive for every year, to be playing deep into October. And we showed that this year.

"I learned a lot, but the one thing is we've got great people here. And Steve, our owners, and Alex, first-class organization, and we've got great people here. I'm just proud of everyone."

On how much fight the Mets showed, and if it can carry into next season: "Yeah, 100 percent. And it's not easy. It's not easy to come through so much adversity, but we kept finding ways to get the job done. Unfortunately, that wasn't the case this series. Now we're going home. But, like I said, this should be our expectations moving forward every year, we should be playing games deep into October. But, again, proud of the whole organization."

On where this group of players ranks among the teams he has been around: "Right at the top. I've been part of really good games with really good people. And this is right there with some of those teams. The quality of the people. It starts with Steve and Alex (Cohen) and (Team President) David (Stearns), and it trickles all the way down. And that's our goal to be a first-class organization, on and off the field. I thought we did that. 

"We came up short. Like I said, our goal is to win the World Series. But I'm proud of the whole group."

On what he noticed about the Dodgers organization heading into this series that has separated them in their run the past decade: "They're deep. They're good. They faced a lot of adversity. They're missing a lot of key pieces and they're still a really good team. That's why they're advancing. You've got to be able to weather the storm and they did that as well.

"When you look at the team and the whole organization, they've been doing it for a long time, year after year. And that should be our goal. Not only to be like them but better than them.

"And that's not easy. We understand we've got a lot of work to do. But I think we took a really good step forward to move in that direction.

"So, again, congrats to them. Really good organization from top to bottom. We've got work to do."

On the performance of Mark Vientos, who hit five home runs in the playoffs, including a two-run home run Sunday night: "Yeah, when I'm talking about some of our younger players and the way they develop, he's right there at the top. It wasn't easy for him. Had to fight for an opportunity. He finally got it and ran with it. And when you look at the numbers in the regular season, he's a big part, a big reason why we got to this point and then the playoff. And the performance he had, unbelievable. 

"Like I said, proud of him. It wasn't easy for him. And he kept working. So really good first year for him, but now he's set the bar high, too."


No comments:

Post a Comment