Around the sixth inning of Game 3 of the NLDS on Tuesday night, the Mets‘ three chief dugout decision-makers debated whether to leave starting pitcher Sean Manaea in the game, or to bring in right-handed reliever Reed Garrett. The Mets were up only 2-0 and Manaea walked the first two hitters of the inning to bring up Bryce Harper.
Manager Carlos Mendoza, bench coach John Gibbons and pitching coach Jeremy Hefner rarely disagree on when to pull pitchers, which is why they work so well together. Gibbons, a former catcher and former manager, draws on his years of experience and his knowledge of in-game situations. Hefner is armed with information he can present to Mendoza about specific situations and matchups, plus he knows the Mets’ pitchers better than anyone.
Ultimately, the call lies with Mendoza.
The manager opted against pulling Manaea. There was something in the left-handers swagger that told the manager he wasn’t ready to come out of the game yet, and something in the manager’s gut that told him the same.
“I gambled, and I’m glad it worked,” Mendoza said Wednesday at Citi Field. “It’s not always going to be that way.”
The Mets have granted Mendoza a lot of autonomy during a time when managers are not always guaranteed the same decision-making freedom. Mendoza is armed with the information necessary to make decisions based on specific in-game scenarios and win probabilities, and he uses the information. He also trusts the insight of Gibbons, Hefner and hitting coaches Jeremy Barnes and Eric Chavez.
But the trust goes the other way as well. The coaches have seen a manager who has shown the savvy and smarts of a more experienced skipper throughout his rookie season.
“He’s got a feel for the guys,” Gibbons told the Daily News. “We’re doing it all year long, but he’s got all the information he wants, he needs, and things like that. And he’s doing a pretty good job. That’s all that matters.”
Managerial moves tend to be scrutinized more in a major market like New York, where a large media contingent will question their every move, the broadcasters are given free reign to editorialize and a passionate fanbase will demand answers. But they get placed underneath a metaphorical microscope in the postseason, when every strike, every swing and every pitching move is scrutinized by an even larger audience.
The more meaning a game has, the more important each move becomes, and when the ballpark is loud the emotions are heightened, it’s even more important for a manager to make the correct decision.
“Sometimes things take a different turn and it dictates a lot of things, but sometimes you go with your gut and you ride the guys that got you there,” Gibbons said. “There’s a lot that goes into those decisions because of the magnitude of the game. It’s not like it’s some game in April…
“Bottom line, when you win, you do everything right.”
Mendoza was prepared for this scenario after years of watching Yankees manager Aaron Boone. But Boone manages a different team with different personnel. Mendoza has largely stayed away from making comparisons.
Gibbons said the toughest part of managing is handling the bullpen, so when a starter goes seven innings, it takes the guesswork out of much of that management. Not every starter goes seven innings these days, but the Mets have been regularly getting length out of their rotation since about August, which helped them get to the postseason and has helped them advance.
“You really shorten the game that way,” Gibbons said. “And that makes all the difference in the world.”
So now Mendoza’s challenge is how to best deploy left-hander David Peterson. The Mets have decided to use him as a Swiss Army Knife of sorts in a short series. He absorbed innings for Kodai Senga in Game 1 in Philadelphia and he could do the same if the Mets and Phillies play a Game 5.
In the Wild Card series, Peterson worked in the ninth inning of Game 3 and picked up the save. The Mets see several possibilities for him in the NLDS, whether it’s as a multi-inning bridge to Edwin Diaz or a high-leverage, one-inning reliever.
The triumvirate in the dugout are excited about the possibilities for Peterson and they trust whatever decision Mendoza makes about when to use him.
“Every situation is unique, and here we are,” Mendoza said. “I knew I was ready. I’m not going to be perfect. I still have a long ways to go and I will continue to learn. That’s what makes this such a beautiful opportunity for all of us, and especially for me.”
JEFF MCNEIL DECISION
The Mets are still working with the league on how to proceed with Jeff McNeil and a potential stint in the Arizona Fall League. As of game time Wednesday, no decision had been made, but the Mets are still hopeful about getting McNeil some in-game reps before a potential NLCS.
