Following the Mets' 7-6 win over the Athletics on Friday night, manager Carlos Mendoza and some of the players spoke about the ebbs and flows of the victory…
Jose Siri sparks rally
The Mets entered the sixth inning only up 3-1. Despite having multiple opportunities to score, the Mets just could not capitalize until the sixth. With one out, Siri came to the plate. He was hitless up to that point and had been struggling so far this season, but he rewarded Mendoza's confidence to start him with a great nine-pitch at-bat that resulted in a walk.
Mendoza called it the at-bat of the night as it set the table for what would come after. Francisco Lindor reached on an error, Juan Soto walked setting up Pete Alonso. The slugger didn't get much on the 3-1 cutter over the plate but he hit it to shallow right field for Lawrence Butler. Despite that, Siri was going and sped his way to home to push the Mets' lead to 4-1.
"This is something we’ve been talking with him since day one in spring training," Mendoza said of Siri. "Making sure you control the strike zone. Once you get to two strikes, stay short control the strike zone, put the ball in play. To work that walk, and get the rally going was pretty impressive. In a time when things aren’t going his way but when the bottom of the lineup is getting on base, what’s behind is a dangerous offense."
"I felt comfortable in that at-bat," Siri said through an interpreter. "I was also comfortable with the way [Mitch Spence] was throwing the slider I was able to get a good read. I felt like I had taken a good at-bat earlier in the game but In that situation like that I was really able to focus in on my approach and I was able to get the results I wanted there."
Mendoza called Siri's decision to go for home "great" and pointed out how Butler wasn't in position to throw a runner out. Siri echoed his manager's critique.
"I saw the right fielder was a little flat-footed there," Siri explained. "When I saw him like that, he needed to get in the right position to throw., he just wasn’t in the right position and I knew I could score there.
"When a runner like me is on base I think they need to be more prepared for the situation that I am actually going to go home," he added.
Alonso called Siri's run and slide "slick" and that it was a huge run for the team at the time. He also pointed out how although Starling Marte's two-run double later in the inning put an exclamation point on that rally, it was Siri who started it. And the team felt the momentum shift.
"From the at-bat that I had it switched some momentum," Siri said. "There was only one out and I was able to get on base. Then Lindor comes up, Soto comes up and they were able to take more comfortable at-bats because they needed to focus on throwing strikes in that situation. I felt the momentum shift over to our side there."
Jose Siri comes in to score on the shallow sac fly from Pete Alonso! pic.twitter.com/ZZfHrpCnQr
— SNY (@SNYtv) April 12, 2025
Edwin Diaz gets job done
It was another adventure for Diaz on Friday night. Following his clunker in the series finale against the Marlins, Diaz was tasked with finishing the save against the Athletics.
With a three-run lead, Diaz walked batters and allowed some hard-hit balls, resulting in two runs. But when he needed it, Diaz got the final out and secured the first win on the road trip.
"He got the job done. That's the bottom line," Mendoza said of Diaz. "On a night where he had a hard time feeling the strike zone. He was missing, especially against the left-handed hitters. I thought the experience, he was able to calm down, continue to make pitches and got the third out and we got the W."
Diaz is a perfect 3-for-3 in save opportunities this season, but in six total appearances, he's allowed five earned runs in 5.2 innings.
Pete Alonso playing freely at the plate
Although the Siri walk and Marte double were big, it was Alonso's performance that put the Mets over the top. He not only got three hits, he hit his fourth home run of the season and drove in three runs.
When asked if there's any difference in his mechanics that has gotten him off to such a great start, the slugger put it plainly.
"Just feeling like myself pitch to pitch at-bat to at-bat," Alonso explained. "I just want to make quality swing decisions and put the ball in play hard when pitchers come over the plate."
When asked to elaborate on "feeling like myself", Alonso said it meant he could "play freely and feel like I’m in control."
In addition to his four home runs, Alonso has driven in 18 runs while hitting .378 through the first 13 games of the season. On Friday, he had some lengthy at-bats, showcasing how well he's seeing pitches at the plate. Alonso said he prefers to not let his at-bats go that long.
"I'd rather hit it hard when I get the opportunity," he said. "I just want to make good swings on good pitches whenever they come over the plate. When they're not, just take and let it be a ball."
