Rookie manager Mendoza's magic touch has helped resurgent Mets reach NLCS

NEW YORK (AP) — Like a lot of New York Mets this season, Carlos Mendoza got off to a terrible start.

During his first eight days as a major league manager, the team was rained out three times and opened 0-5.

All at home.

Immediately, his decisions were scrutinized and questions arose.

“Nothing has been easy for us," Mendoza said. “Nothing at all.”

Sure, his hiring last November was roundly praised by baseball industry insiders familiar with the man and his background. And yes, Mendoza quickly impressed in person — smart, confident, prepared, from the very beginning of spring training.

But this was the New York City spotlight. And these were the turbulent Mets, coming off a 75-87 debacle in 2023 under four-time Manager of the Year Buck Showalter despite the biggest payroll in MLB history.

Maybe a greenhorn at the helm who had never managed above Class A in the minors was the last thing they really needed.

Well, fast forward six months, and it's hard to believe there was ever any doubt. Mendoza's magic touch with his resurgent team has taken the surprising Mets all the way to the National League Championship Series for the first time in nine years.

“He’s been fantastic,” first baseman Pete Alonso said. “He’s continued to show trust. He’s continued to really just put the best lineup and really press the right buttons with the starters and bullpens. Like, the ebb and flow of the game, he does a really good job of recognizing situations. So it’s been awesome. He’s done a great job so far.”

Up next, New York faces the NL West champion Dodgers in the best-of-seven NLCS starting Sunday in Los Angeles.

“We’ve been through a lot. And this is not it,” Mendoza said. “We’ve got to continue to ride the wave. We’ve got to continue to believe.”

Mendy, as players and opponents call him, came to the Mets with a sterling reputation plus managerial experience in the Venezuelan Winter League and Arizona Fall League for elite minor league prospects. He had spent the previous 15 years in the New York Yankees organization — the past four in pinstripes as skipper Aaron Boone's bench coach.

And while that might not have endeared him to avid Mets fans at first glance, the 44-year-old Mendoza said his time across town was critical to succeeding so quickly in his current job despite a 22-33 start.

“I think the biggest thing that I learned was knowing how to navigate those tough times, especially in a market like this, when it’s going to get loud, there’s going to be a lot of noise, and you have to protect your house,” he explained. “That’s what makes this city such a special city. You have to embrace it. You have to enjoy it.”

There's been no shortage of challenges to meet since first-year President of Baseball Operations David Stearns hired Mendoza as the 25th manager in Mets history.

Kodai Senga, the team's projected No. 1 starter, threw only 5 1/3 innings during the regular season because of shoulder and calf injuries. The bullpen was decimated for significant stretches, and star closer Edwin Díaz had a meltdown in May before getting hurt and then suspended for using illegal sticky stuff.

Injuries to catcher Francisco Alvarez, right fielder Starling Marte and shortstop Francisco Lindor compromised the lineup at different times.

All the while, Mendoza kept a steady hand, stayed the course and never wavered. Those who knew him weren't surprised.

“He taught me a lot,” said Philadelphia Phillies manager Rob Thomson, who coached with Mendoza in the Yankees system.

“We got to know each other and we got to talk about situations. I’ve got a lot of respect for him because he understands the game. He understands how to manage. He understands how to communicate with not only veterans but younger guys. He’s a good man.”

The most obvious major move Mendoza made came in May when he put a slumping Lindor back in the leadoff spot, where he thrived in Cleveland from 2015-2020. The switch-hitter soon took off on a lengthy tear and turned into a legitimate MVP candidate.

But that wasn't it. Mendoza managed with his eyes all year. He held players accountable without embarrassing them publicly. Sometimes he'd go by the book and pull a pitcher when expected. Other times he'd trust his instincts and stick with a starter or reliever in a potential jam.

Afterward, he'd explain his reasoning with an honest answer.

“He communicates well with the players,” Mets outfielder Brandon Nimmo said Friday. “Carlos is extremely gifted in his expertise of being around teams and how to get them to pull on the same side of the rope and being able to lift guys up and also challenge people at the same time.”

None of that has changed in October, either.

Mendoza is the third manager in the last 10 years to make a League Championship Series in his first season.

“I’m having a really good time,” he said this week. "As long as you’re prepared, you feel good going into it.”

Mendoza is the second full-time major league manager born in Venezuela, after Ozzie Guillen. He said late in his minor league playing career he was “pretty much a coach” already.

"I was just observing and asking questions. I feel like I was preparing for this position for a long time,” he said. “I knew I was ready.”

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