'Boom'

It was over. The dream season was abruptly going to come to an end on October 3rd in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Francisco Lindor battled back to draw a walk to start the top of the ninth, but then Mark Vientos struck out. All the star closer Devin Williams had to do was coax Brandon Nimmo to ground into a double play and that would do it. The Mets would lose Game 3 by a score of 2-0, and get eliminated from the playoffs. But Williams threw Nimmo one too many of his patented change-ups in the strike zone, and with two strikes Nimmo managed to stay back and solidly drill the ball to right-center, moving Lindor to third. That brought up pending free agent Pete Alonso. The struggling Pete Alonso, the one whose walk season was an unequivocally disappointing campaign. The guy who just an inning earlier dropped a foul ball right by the railing, giving Brewer fans in the front row a good hearty laugh. 

Alonso, who would on day 100 of free agency finally re-sign with the Mets, appeared on the Meet at the Apple podcast yesterday. He admitted to having seen a replay of the conclusion of the at-bat I’m about to relive “quite a few” times. Same. He was asked by the show’s hosts to provide a running commentary of his AB against Williams, and the slugger obliged. The Polar Bear figured that Williams was looking for a game-ending DP. Basically, Alonso was looking the entire at-bat on the change-up he saw on the first pitch for strike one - “anything up, out over.”

“I’m drawing my line at…my bellybutton,” he recalled. “So basically this change-up, this is the one that shows up, and I’m like ‘Ok if I get this again, in this window, this has to be the one.’ And then he tries to get me to chase up because he knows that ‘Ok, I’m gonna get him looking up, he’s gonna be sitting on change-up or he thinks it.’ But I have really, really good takes here, I’m on the heater, as well as seeing the window of the change-up, so, take…”

“Upstairs, same window where the change-up pops out. If you see [William Contreras] he’s like ‘Dang, why didn’t he swing?’. So, and then arm-side up miss.”

“Didn’t hit on it, and then he’s like ‘Ok, how about a swing-and-miss pitch right here?’” 

“Take! On it, seeing everything. You see right there at that moment I’m like, ‘That’s the pitch, that’s not the window. He’s going to throw his biggest strike pitch, and that’s his change-up. There’s the window there was in the first pitch.”

“Boom.”

The hosts asked him if he knew it was gone off the bat. I already knew the answer. He very much did. When you watch it as much I have, you can hear his primal scream as soon as he hits it. This replay makes it apparent. (Bonus: in the background you can see Sean Manaea wearing a rally cap in the dugout holding Tylor Megill tight while his eyes are glued to the flying baseball.)

If for some reason I had to pick just one moment of 2024 to relive again, I’d go with Pete’s dinger. As great and important and legendary as Lindor’s homer in the 9th inning of Game #161, had he not hit it, the Mets still had another game of the doubleheader for a chance to clinch a playoff spot. Had Lindor not hit his epic grand slam in Game 4 of the NLDS against the Phillies, the Mets still had three more innings to come back from only a one-run deficit, or they could have won a winner-take-all Game 5. Alonso’s heroics occurred with the Mets only having two outs left to play with for the season, down two runs. 

Spring Training Opening Day for the Mets is in two days. Until then it’s perfectly acceptable to relive the best of 2024 over and over again. After that too, but more so for the next 48 hours. 

Clay Holmes will be the first Met to toe the rubber in any game this year when he starts for New York to begin Grapefruit League play on Saturday. He’ll be limited to three innings or 40-45 pitches, whichever comes first, against a split-squad Astros group. 

Jose Quintana, who apparently wants a reunion with the Mets, reportedly was contacted by the team he desires to return to last night. But the Rangers and Padres are also allegedly interested in his services.

Juan Soto took live BP for the first time this spring, and with it came the first instance of The Soto Shuffle in a Mets uniform. Behold:

The spitting just shows he cares.

Soto will apparently continue his habit of tapping Francisco Alvarez on the head. He’s lucky Alvarez isn’t Adrian Beltre. Out of all of the days to do this, Soto, in an Instagram hype video promoting his Nike apparel, referred to himself as a king.

Soto was a busy dude on the interwebs. Over on TikTok he played the game “Soto or No-Go”. While he admitted to yelling at the TV both when amongst company or alone, he said “No-Go” to bingeing a season of TV in one sitting. The man is not human.

Also on the Mets’ TikTok: it turns out Ryne Stanek really knows his Pokemon.

Ron Darling on MLB Network said he thinks Alonso could have a “record-breaking” year with Lindor and Soto hitting in front of him.

Remember that funny video MLB posted to their Twitter the other day showing Sean Reid-Foley buzzing Francisco Lindor with a pitch, and then SRF telling the captain of the team if he meant to throw at him he would have connected? Well welcome to Cormier’s Conspiracy Corner! Because according to Mike Puma, Reid-Foley profusely apologized to Lindor after the errant pitch. Why does the league hate Lindor so dang much?

Frankie Montas talked to reporters for the first time since his lat injury. He said he got a PRP shot and already feels better. His shoulder, which cost him virtually the entire 2023 season, is fine, “Thank God.”

GARE the GOAT arrived in camp, with Keith (Raad).

The Athletic highlighted the Mets’ new hitting lab. It involves force plates and a ton of cameras. So far Jeff McNeil and Nimmo have used it and think it’s going to help them (no way of knowing until the games actually start.)

Edwin Díaz gained 10 pounds of muscle during the offseason in an effort to recover from games faster. I’m always dubious of pitchers building muscle because I’m forever traumatized by Noah Syndergaard’s adventures in the weight room. That probably isn’t fair to Sugar. He feels good. He threw his first BP of the spring yesterday. He struck out Lindor and got Juan Soto to pop up to left field on the first pitch. He topped out at 96 mph and worked on his pickoff attempts to first base.

Carlos Mendoza likes the sinker Paul Blackburn is working on. If he likes it then I too am a fan.

Cheap Brewers owner Mark Attanasio rhetorically asked Bob Nightengale of USA Today, “Is my job to win a World Series, or is my job to provide a summer of entertainment and passion and a way for families to come together?” Boy oh boy. Really puts the complaining about Steve Cohen’s attendance comments into perspective. 

Jose Siri made a diving catch, and had a laugh with Soto. Good day!

Old chum Paul LoDuca tweeted that he was in a “bad accident” recently but is getting better.

The Mets signed right-handed pitcher Connor Overton to a minor league deal. 

21-year-old pitching prospect Jonah Tong had a long talk with Metsmerized Online. Among the many interesting tidbits within the convo: he has the Bruce Lee mantra “Be like water” written inside his glove. 

Blackpink, who apparently fall under the “K-pop sensation” umbrella, are playing Citi Field on July 26th.

The Mets announced a slew of theme nights and special promotions for this season:

Sesame Street Night seems to be too late in the season. Presumably Big Bird is throwing out the first pitch. Is he supposed to be this year’s Grimace? Grimace saved the Mets’ bacon in June. By August 27th, it’ll be too late to come back from being 11 games under .500.

“Special event ticket purchase” means the giveaways aren’t a first 15000 fans kind of deal. When you buy a ticket to the game you can claim the item in question before the 5th inning at the left field Ramp near Section 129 with your ticket. That sounds kind of shady, to be honest. Someone let me know if you survive.

Pride Night, funnily enough, will be against the Rays, who had a hissy fit over their Pride Night a few years ago.

Not listed above is the Bark at the Park nights. So far the only dates for those doggone good times are April 7th, April 30th, and May 12th.

The Mets will be offering bobbleheads of Gil Hodges and Bud Harrelson on May 13th, Tom Seaver and Rusty Staub on June 25th, and Ed Kranepool and Jerry Koosman on September 17th. They’ve finally made it!

Another day, another “Don’t sleep on Ronny Mauricio” article/warning. Anthony DiComo reminded me that his 117.3 mph double in his MLB debut in 2023 was hit harder than anything Lindor or Soto have hit in their careers. But he tore his ACL in his right knee in winter ball and then needed arthroscopic surgery to remove scar tissue last August. Mauricio will miss the first few weeks of Grapefruit League play but after that, oh baby. Buy a new set of underwear now.

DiComo also wrote about Matt Allan, the Mets’ third round draft pick in 2019, who pitched in the minors that year and hasn’t appeared in a game since due to three surgeries, two of which were of the Tommy John variety. But this season might find him back on the mound competing again. 

Who is the next Dedniel Núñez, a pitcher who wasn’t even in spring training camp but made it to the big club by late April anyway and more or less kicked ass? Will Sammon identified current nobodies Luis Moreno, Jonathan Pintaro, and Ryan Lambert as candidates. I’ll guess Lambert, a 22-year-old who can throw up to one hundo.

It’s old chum Luis Severino’s 31st birthday. Severino got the bag. That’s the good news. The bad news is he got it from the don’t-call-them-the Sacramento A’s. If he’s happy I’m happy. But he doesn’t look happy.

Justin Verlander, who very few will remember is an old chum of the Mets as soon as five years from now, if that long, is 42 today. He’s currently a San Francisco Giant, so I guess he’s on the Randy Johnson career path. Photography hobby imminent.