Although the ALCS may end up being a dud, the MLB postseason as a whole has certainly lived up to the hype.
Games 1 and 2 of the NLCS couldn’t have possibly been more opposite.
If you thought the New York Mets were going to go silently into the night following the Dodgers dominant series opening win, then you don’t know the 2024 Mets all that well.
Of course, the most crucial blow came courtesy of Mark Vientos who slugged a massive 2nd inning grand slam which helped catapult the Mets to the eventual 7-3 victory.
Mets icon David Wright, reflecting on Vientos’ rise, shared some insight into just how important the scrappy third basemen has become.
“I remember meeting him for the first time in spring training when he was in the minor leagues,” Wright told SNY. “They asked me to go speak to a group of infielders during early work. Mind you, it’s the middle of spring at 7 a.m. He asked if I had extra time after working, speaking with the group to spend with him individually.
“We hung out for the next 20 minutes just talking baseball,” Wright continued. “That has always stuck with me. When I watch him play, he looks like a 10-year veteran as opposed to a rookie. Nothing fazes him and he doesn’t allow one bad at bat or one error to faze him.”
With the series tied at 1-1, the action heads back to Queens for a critical Game 3. You can bet that Citi Field will be absolutely rocking come first pitch tonight.
As for Vientos, he’s proven to be an invaluable asset to the Mets during their postseason run.
After signing a modest one-year, $800,000 deal and being demoted in spring training, the 24-year-old is now posting impressive playoff stats: a .378 batting average, .410 on-base percentage, and a .676 slugging percentage, including three home runs.
His regular-season numbers were solid too, with a .266/.322/.516 slash line over 413 at-bats.
Manager Carlos Mendoza praised Vientos’ resilience: “He has meant everything to us,” the skipper said. “This guy has done such a good job handling adversity.
“He went through a lot. He went to spring training with a pretty good chance of making the ballclub, and the last week we sign J.D., and he gets the news that he’s going back to the minors.’”
Vientos’ journey from disappointment to postseason hero has been a key factor in the Mets’ success, and his performance continues to inspire the team as they battle the Dodgers for a spot in the World Series.
What are your thoughts on Wright’s comments? … Do they make you feel that Vientos can indeed be an important piece for the Mets going forward?
As for the amazing run the club is currently on, do you think Vientos and the boys will take care of the Dodgers? … Assuming they do, will they be ready for the bright lights of the (likely) Subway World Series???