The offense was sparse again for the Mets. Francisco Lindor provided the big hits, doubling home A.J. Ewing in the first inning. Lindor then hit a solo shot in the sixth inning. Those two runs were all New York would score.

On the mound, Thornton stole the show. After a superb outing against the Philadelphia Phillies on June 26, he was sent back down to Triple-A. Thornton returned Sunday with a bang. He allowed only two hits, no runs, and struck out five while walking only two. All he needed was 82 pitches to get the job done.

Following Thornton, Luke Weaver posted a 27th-straight inning without allowing a run. However, Devin Williams blew the save, not at the fault of his own. Lindor made a crucial error on what looked to be a game-ending double play. The Red Sox tied the game in the inning erasing the Mets’ slim 2-0 lead.

Brooks Raley allowed the inherited runner to score in the 10th. Then, the Mets were set down in order in the bottom-half spelling the end to the contest; 3-2 Red Sox.

Player of the Game: Zack Thornton

Thornton stole the show on Sunday. After posting a seven-inning scoreless outing, he has now allowed only one run over his last 13 big-league innings. A more concrete spot in the rotation is deserved following the All-Star break.

On Deck

The Mets are off until July 16. They will begin a three-game series in Philadelphia against the Phillies directly after the break. The lone Met that will be busy during the All-Star break is Juan Soto who will represent the team in the All-Star game on Tuesday.

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The New York Mets look to salvage the series against the Red Sox Sunday afternoon before heading into a long, All-Star break. New York is continually struggling to score, as has been the case the last two days. A win Sunday would mean the Mets have gone 3-3 in their last six. A loss means New York enters the All-Star break 17 games below 500.

Mets Lineup

1. A.J. Ewing – CF
2. Juan Soto – DH
3. Francisco Lindor – SS
4. Eric Wagaman – 1B
5. Carson Benge – RF
6. Tyrone Taylor – LF
7. Luis Torrens – C
8. Brett Baty – 3B
9. Zack Short – 2B

Starting Pitcher: Zach Thornton

Zach Thornton returns to the big leagues. In his first two starts he allowed five runs over 10 1/3 innings from nine hits and three walks while striking out 10 batters.

His second major league start was great holding the Phillies to one run over six innings while striking out seven batters. Since then he has pitched 7 2/3 innings over two outings in Syracuse (Triple-A) allowing three runs, two earned. He was pulled after two perfect innings in his last start a few days ago with five strikeouts, in preparation for Sunday’s big league start.

With Kodai Senfa back in the bullpen, and the potential departure of Freddy Peralta looming via trade, there is room for Thornton to stick around in the big leagues if he does well this afternoon.

Red Sox Lineup

1. Anthony Siegler – 2B
2. Ceddane Rafaela – CF
3. Wilyer Abreu – RF
4. Romy Gonzalez – 1B
5. Caleb Durbin – 3B
6. Andruw Monasterio – SS
7. Jarren Duran – DH
8. Nate Eaton – LF
9. Connor Wong – C

Starting Pitcher: Payton Tolle

Payton Tolle has made 14 starts for the Red Sox totaling 80 1/3 innings with a 3.14 ERA, 3.39 FIP, 1.071 WHIP, and a 129 ERA+. Since the start of June, Tolle has made seven starts pitching 39 innings with a 3.69 ERA and 4.11 FIP.

In three of those starts he has allowed no runs over 19 innings, scattering 10 hits. In the other four starts he has allowed 16 runs over 20 innings. Which version of Tolle will the Mets see Sunday?

The only hitter on the Mets who has seen Payton Tolle is Zack Short (0-for-2, K).

Game Notes

Prior to Sunday’s game the Mets announced the following roster moves:

• LHP Zach Thornton has been recalled from Triple-A Syracuse.
• RHP Tobias Myers was optioned to Triple-A Syracuse following Saturday’s game.

The remainder of the MLB Draft begins Sunday at 11:00 am ET.

Three Things To Watch For

1. Getting hits with runners in scoring position (RISP). On Friday, the Mets recorded 10 hits but went 0-for-8 with RISP leaving seven runners on base. Saturday, the Mets did it again, going 0-for-8 with RISP and leaving nine on base. The Mets worked seven walks as a team but only mustered three hits.
2. Carson Benge stealing bases. Benge has stolen a bag in three consecutive games and four times in his last five games. His steal on July 7 was his first stolen base since June 18. Benge actually had only two stolen bases the entire month of June. More impressively, Benge hasn’t been caught stealing this month yet, a problem that has plagued the Mets this season.
3. The trade block. It’s still a bit early in the month for the deluge of trades the Mets are heading towards. Relievers on the Mets should almost all be available. A.J. Minter pitched in back-to-back days, so he should be unavailable today. Brooks Raley pitched for the first time since Wednesday yesterday pitching a clean inning. We still haven’t seen Luke Weaver from the start of the week as he continues his strong season. Tyrone Taylor has gone hitless in his last three at-bats over two games, after homering three times in five games. There is a non-zero chance that someone here will not be a Met after the All-Star Break.

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You’d probably think the latter squad would have the clear advantage…until I told you that team was the 2026 New York Mets.

Facing a Boston Red Sox team that suffered through multiple travel issues en route from Chicago, causing the start of the game to be delayed by 35 minutes, the Mets looked like the sleep-deprived squad. On the very first play, Juan Soto dropped an easy fly ball, enabling leadoff man Anthony Seigler to reach second base. A walk and a double later, the travel-weary Sox were already ahead 2-0 before the Mets’ first turn at-bat.

Those runs, both unearned, were all that Mets starter Nolan McLean gave up on the night. The righty was solid over six innings, allowing five hits and two walks while striking out seven, but was once again the victim of little run support.

Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images

McLean didn’t get any help from the bullpen either. A.J. Minter surrendered a two-run homer to Seigler in the seventh to put Boston up 4-1, and Cionel Pérez gave up a two-run shot to Wilyer Abreu in the ninth to put the game well out of reach.

New York’s offense was mostly asleep at the plate, mustering just two runs on ten hits. They were virtually helpless against Boston starter Sonny Gray, fresh off an All Star snub, managing the one run against him on a Soto sac fly to score Brett Baty.

The Mets appeared to wake up in the eighth, down 4-1, when A.J. Ewing and Soto led off with singles. Ewing was left stranded on third, however, after Francisco Lindor, Carson Benge and Jorge Polanco all flied out. Baty added a solo homer in the ninth.

On the positive side, the Mets’ stud rookies continued to shine. Ewing, batting leadoff, had two more hits. And Benge, hitting cleanup, added a single and a stolen base while also throwing out Connor Wong at home plate.

Mets legend Mookie Wilson, appearing on the Apple TV broadcast, was dreaming of a better Mets future thanks to the youngsters : “I love these young kids. They have an energy… it reminds me, when we came up, that we were changing the culture a little bit.”

PLAYER OF THE GAME

McLean was the tough luck loser but earns the honors by making it through six innings for the fifth-straight start. He’s now 6-6 with a 3.52 ERA and 1.12 WHIP in 18 starts.

UP NEXT

The Mets and Red Sox resume their three-game series Saturday at 4:10 PM ET. Freddy Peralta (5–7, 4.68 ERA) takes the mound for New York, while Boston has yet to name a starter. SNY has the coverage of the game. 

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The Mets look to end the first half the season on a high note! The Mets have won two games in a row, taking the series from the last-place Kansas City Royals. On Wednesday, the Mets had a five-run eighth inning. Yesterday afternoon, the Mets had a no-stress, straight-forward win. Now, they welcome the fourth-place Red Sox to Queens, who arrived late to Citi Field.

The start of tonight’s game has been pushed back to 7:50 p.m. EST as a result of Boston’s travel issues, per MLB Communications.

Brad Penner-Imagn Images

Mets Lineup

1. A.J. Ewing – CF
2. Juan Soto – LF
3. Francisco Lindor – SS
4. Carson Benge – RF
5. Jorge Polanco – DH
6. Jared Young – 1B
7. Francisco Alvarez – C
8. Brett Baty – 3B
9. Zack Short – 2B

Starting Pitcher: Nolan McLean

McLean has made 18 starts this season totaling 101 1/3 innings with a 3.73 ERA, 3.52 FIP, 1.115 WHIP and a 111 ERA+. In his last two starts, he has allowed three runs (two earned) over 12 innings on 10 hits and three walks while striking out 12. He’s pitched at least six innings in four consecutive starts. He has also hit four batters over his last three starts, bringing him to 12 on the season, which leads the league. This will be McLean’s first start against the Red Sox and no one on the Red Sox has faced McLean in a major league game.

Opposing Lineup

1. Anthony Seigler – 2B
2. Ceddanne Rafaela – CF
3. Wilyer Abreu – RF
4. Romy Gonzalez – 1B
5. Masataka Yoshida – DH
6. Caleb Durbin – 3B
7. Jarren Duran – LF
8. Connor Wong – C
9. Tsung-Che Cheng – SS

Gray is having his best season since 2023. This year, he has made 16 starts totaling 89 2/3 innings with a 2.61 ERA, 3.61 FIP, 1.104 WHIP and a 155 ERA+. He currently leads the league with 10 wins. For context, last season he made 32 starts with a 4.28 ERA, 3.39 FIP, 1.234 WHIP and a 95 ERA+. In his last three starts he has allowed only two runs on 11 hits over 20 1/3 innings while striking out 27 batters.

The Mets have the following career numbers against Gray:

• Francisco Alvarez 0-2, K
• Brett Baty 0-3, BB
• Bo Bichette 3-7, 2 K
• Francisco Lindor 8-29, 3 HR, 5 BB, 9 K
• Jorge Polanco 1-7, K
• Juan Soto 6-13, 2B, HR, 4 BB, 3 K
• Tyrone Taylor 3-11, HR, K
• Luis Torrens 0-2
• Mark Vientos 1-2, K

Game Notes

• Clay Holmes threw 40 pitches in live batting practice today as he continues progressing from a fractured right fibula he suffered against the New York Yankees on May 15.
• The Mets recalled Tobias Myers from Triple-A Syracuse and selected Zack Short to the major league roster ahead of Friday’s game. As the corresponding moves, they placed Vientos on the 10-day injured list with a right hand fracture and designated Dan Hammer for assignment.

Three Things To Watch For

1. Juan Soto. If you want to feel good about the Mets, just open up Soto’s Baseball Reference page. He had another big day at the plate yesterday, going 1-for-2 with two walks and a home run. He now has seven walks and three home runs in his last four games. He has a 3.1 bWAR and is leading the league in OBP (.414), SLG (.579), OPS (.993), OPS+ (175) and rOBA (.418). He’s 13th in the league with 54 walks despite missing two weeks.
2. Carson Benge Two-Hit Streak. Benge comes into today’s game with a four-game streak of getting at least two hits per game. He’s also worked at least one walk per game! Overall, in his last four games, he has gone 8-for-13 with a double, a home run, five walks and stole two bases (.615/.722/.923). After weeks of the Mets’ offense flailing, it really has picked up in the last week and Benge is a major reason why!
3. Trade Targets. Unless a miracle occurs, the Mets will probably be selling at the deadline. Taylor continues to rake since returning from the injured list. Yesterday, he went 2-for-3 with a double and a home run. He now has three homers in his last five games, good for six on the season. Luke Weaver hasn’t pitched since Monday and has put up All-Star numbers this season with a 1.89 ERA over 38 innings. He’s signed through 2027, so it will take a major package to get the Mets to trade him. Brooks Raley pitched on Wednesday where he allowed one hit but no runs against the Royals. Over 37 games this season, he has a 2.16 ERA.

Let’s go Mets!

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Kyle Ross-Imagn Images

PITCHING MATCHUPS

• Friday: Sonny Gray (10-1, 2.61 ERA) vs. Nolan McLean (6-5, 3.73 ERA): Gray’s name has been discussed quite a bit as the trade deadline approaches. The tricky part about that is that he has a full no-trade clause. After moving from St. Louis to Boston this past offseason, who knows if Gray would even welcome another trade. The veteran has been fantastic since the start of May, going 8-0 with a 2.03 ERA over 66 2/3 innings. Gray has six consecutive quality starts. McLean appears to have gotten back on track. After a bad stretch near the end of May, he has looked like himself. Since May 31, McLean is 4-1 with a 2.70 ERA over 40 innings. One area of improvement needs to be his numbers at home. This season, McLean has a 5.03 ERA at Citi Field. In comparison, he owns a 2.55 ERA on the road.
• Saturday: TBD vs. Freddy Peralta (5-7, 4.68 ERA): All-Star Ranger Suárez was set to start Saturday’s game for the Red Sox, but he was placed on the injured list with a groin strain earlier this week. One name that has been discussed to start or pitch in bulk relief is Brayan Bello. He last pitched in the big leagues on June 4 against the Baltimore Orioles, when he gave up a season-worst eight runs in five innings. Bello has made four starts with Triple-A Worcester since being optioned. With where the Mets are at in the standings, Peralta’s time in New York may be coming to an end sooner rather than later. It has been a poor season by his standards. Since May 17, Peralta is 2-4 with a 6.22 ERA over 50 2/3 innings. Through 19 outings, he has just four quality starts. Not good enough.
• Sunday: Payton Tolle (5-6, 3.14 ERA) vs. TBD: Tolle started the year in Triple-A before being recalled in late April. He has been a key piece in the Red Sox’s rotation, giving up three runs or less in 12 of his 14 starts. Tolle is coming off an impressive performance, throwing six shutout innings against the Chicago White Sox on Tuesday. He is 3-3 with a 2.87 ERA in six road starts this season. It’s unclear what the Mets will do for Sunday’s game. Kodai Senga would be in line to pitch in bulk relief, though he has a 5.91 ERA since being moved into the bullpen. Unless someone is called up from Triple-A Syracuse, there aren’t many options. The Mets will likely try and piece it together, with the hope that Senga can provide four or five innings.

WHAT’S THE STORY?

Ewing has been fantastic in center field. But for the first time in the big leagues, he played at second base for a portion of Thursday’s game against the Royals. Is that versatility something both Ewing and the Mets would be willing to utilize moving forward? With the athleticism he possesses, he certainly looks capable playing middle infield. In the short-term, that could open up more playing time for someone like Luis Robert Jr. when he is ready to return from injury. In the long-term, that may allow the Mets to have more options when constructing their roster for 2027 and beyond. Definitely something to monitor throughout the second half.

PREDICTION

The Red Sox have climbed back into the American League playoff hunt, sitting 2 1/2 games out of the third Wild Card spot. At full strength, they have the pitching staff and the lineup to go on a run. But right now, they are missing a handful of key contributors. I think that gives the slide edge to the Mets, who have played better of late. New York takes two of three to end the first half.

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The full return for St. Louis is RHP Hunter Dobbins, RHP Yhoiker Fajardo, and RHP Blake Aita according to Ken Rosenthal of the Athletic.

Contreras, 33 years old, is under team control through 2028 at a favorable price tag (includes an option). He made the transition to first base last season where he played at a Gold-Glove level. He slashed .256/.344/.447 (.791 OPS) with 20 home runs and 80 RBIs.

Contreras was widely reported as a target of the New York Mets. SNY went as far as confirming he’d be willing to accept a trade to New York as Contreras had a no-trade clause in his contract. However, a later report walked back the Mets’ interest, specifically after the Jorge Polanco signing, thus a deal was never formalized.

Contreras will now anchor a dangerous Boston Red Sox lineup. Boston continues their trend of being very active this offseason.

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Criswell debuted with the Los Angeles Angels in 2021 and has spent time with both the Tampa Bay Rays and the Red Sox. He has a career 4.48 ERA and 1.44 WHIP as a big-leaguer while serving as both a starting pitcher and a high leverage reliever. In the majors last year, he threw 17 2/3 innings to a 3.57 ERA and 1.58 WHIP. In 65 2/3 innings in Triple-A, he pitched to a 3.70 ERA and 1.34 WHIP.

Criswell joins Robert Stock and Nick Burdi as former Red Sox pitchers acquired by the Mets so far this offseason. All three previously worked with new Mets pitching coach Justin Willard in Boston.

Criswell throws a changeup, a sinker, a cutter and a sweeper. His sweeper is arguably his best pitch with 2,562 RPM of spin and -17.8 inches of horizontal break. In Triple-A this year, that pitch generated a 42.6% whiff rate. His sinker averages 89.4 MPH, but he has jumped it up to 91.7 MPH out of the bullpen. In the majors, he generated a 33.3% chase rate across his pitches, led by his changeup at 44.2%.

Tim Healey of the Boston Globe reported that, “The Red Sox gave Cooper Criswell a larger-than-normal guaranteed 2026 salary in the hopes that it would help sneak him through waivers.” He is guaranteed to make $800k next season.

It is expected that Criswell will fit into a long relief/swingman-type role for the Mets, though he does have experience pitching in high-leverage situations as needed.

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10. Marathon in Oakland

Game 2 of the 1973 World Series against the A’s was (for 23 years) the longest played by time. It remains one of the craziest as well. This game lasted four hours and 13 minutes and featured a fair share of miscues on both sides. Even the umpires were prone to mistakes, none more famous than a missed call when Bud Harrelson tried to score on a fly ball to left field.

Fortunately for the Mets, they salvaged a split with a 10-7, 12-inning victory. The blinding sun did no favors to fielders trying to make otherwise routine plays. Not even Willie Mays, in his final appearance, was immune. The A’s Mike Andrews contributed two errors in the late stages, which led to him being forcibly dismissed by owner Charles O. Finley.

9. Subway Series Victory

After coming agonizingly close to beating the Yankees in the first two games in The Bronx, the Mets could claim a win once the series got back to Shea Stadium. The Yankees, as usual, didn’t make it easy.

The Mets rallied to tie it in the sixth on a Todd Zeile RBI double. Then, in the eighth, Zeile singled and Benny Agbayani drove him home with a go-ahead double. Bubba Trammell added an insurance run with a sacrifice fly. John Franco earned the win and Armando Benítez closed the door, snapping the Yankees’ incredible 14-game World Series winning streak.

8. Carter’s Two Homers

The Mets evened the ’86 World Series with the Red Sox behind two home runs from their future Hall of Fame catcher, Gary Carter, who was making his first World Series appearance after 13 big-league seasons. The first blast came in the top of the fourth against Sox starter Al Nipper, and the second was a mammoth shot over the Green Monster on a curveball from reliever Steve Crawford.

Carter’s three RBIs and multi-homer game were the driving force behind the Mets’ 6-2 victory at Fenway Park.

“All I got on my mind is getting that World Series ring,” he said in the postgame interview. Carter was ensured he’d get that ring a few days later.

7. Wright Has the Power

He had spent 12 seasons waiting to make the Fall Classic. He had spent many months just hoping to be healthy. In his first World Series at-bat in New York (and the first World Series game at Citi Field) with a runner on base, David Wright sent a towering drive over the left-center field fence and sent the crowd into a frenzy. Wright’s classic swing put the Mets on top, 2-1. New York went on to capture their lone win of the series, 9-3, with Wright tacking on two more RBIs in the sixth with a single to center.

6. Dykstra Provides a Spark

Being down 2-0 in the series following a pair of losses at home, the Mets were in desperate need of a quick start in Boston. How’s a leadoff homer in the top of the first? Lenny Dykstra went deep against Red Sox starter Oil Can Boyd on the third pitch of the game.

Dykstra’s homer kicked off a four-run inning and helped swing the momentum in New York’s favor. Bob Ojeda took it from there, delivering a wonderful start against his former team as the Mets cruised to a 7-1 victory.

5. Seaver, Swoboda Save the Day

The Mets’ ace didn’t pitch like one in the 1969 World Series opener with the Orioles. He did on this afternoon, however, with New York holding a 2-1 series edge.

Tom Seaver went all 10 innings and allowed just a run on six hits. But he had some help. With the Mets up 1-0 in the ninth and runners on the corners, Brooks Robinson drove a sinking liner to right field. Ron Swoboda was not a great defender, but he was here. In fact, he made a catch that’s still unbelievable. His diving, backhanded grab before the ball touched the ground prevented the O’s from taking the lead.

The Mets won in the bottom of the 10th on a controversial error made on a J.C. Martin bunt, giving New York the chance to close it out at home.

4. Agee Takes Over

Is it possible for one player to win a game by himself? The Mets’ center fielder put that question to the test in the first World Series game at Shea Stadium.

Tommie Agee was known best for his glove, and he showcased that with two incredible catches. In the fourth inning with men on first and third, Agee made a backhanded running catch at the 396-foot mark on a ball off the bat of Elrod Hendricks. Then in the seventh, with the bases loaded and Nolan Ryan pitching, Agee dove by the warning track in right-center and hauled in a liner by Paul Blair.

Those two defensive gems overshadowed his leadoff home run against Jim Palmer. Agee saved five runs and created one for his own team in a 5-0 Mets victory.

3. “The Dream Has Come True”

The Mets were supposed to be World Series champions from the beginning of the 1986 season. They fulfilled that promise. The way in which they did it showed that for all their dominance, they had character and resolve when it mattered most.

For all the dramatics that played out in Game 6, the winner-take-all Game 7 was anything but a sure thing for New York. Boston jumped out to a 3-0 lead and held it into the sixth. That’s when the Mets’ offense finally got to Bruce Hurst. It loaded the bases for Keith Hernandez, who delivered the biggest hit of his career when he drove in two with a single to center. New York went on to score eight runs over the final three innings — including MVP Ray Knight‘s seventh-inning homer off Calvin Schiraldi and Darryl Strawberry‘s cherry-on-top blast in the eighth.

Jesse Orosco prevented the Red Sox from evening it in the top half of the inning, holding the tying run at second. He got the final three outs in order and initiated a celebration that was some six months in the waiting.

2. The Miracle is Complete

In April 1969, humans were hundreds of thousands of miles away from setting foot on the moon just as the Mets seemed far away from a World Series title. By October 15, both distances had been covered and both feats had been achieved.

With the Orioles up 3-0 and poised to take the series back to Baltimore, Cleon Jones was hit by a pitch (the famous “shoe polish” tactic from manager Gil Hodges). Donn Clendenon belted his third homer of the series to pull New York to within a run.

Al Weis, emblematic of the unlikely nature of the Mets’ unexpected success, delivered in the seventh with a game-tying home run — the only round-tripper he hit at Shea all year — to finish off a fabulous .455 batting average over the five games. Two doubles and two Oriole errors in the eighth led to a 5-3 Mets lead.

It was an advantage the Mets’ superb big-game pitcher would protect. Jerry Koosman allowed just one hit over the final six innings while his hitters mounted their comeback. The final out came off the bat of Davey Johnson and landed in the glove of Cleon Jones in left field.

1. Game 6

It’s been talked about, shown, and debated a million times over (at least). In film, in books, and in spoken word, October 25, 1986, is among the greatest days in the history of the universe for Mets fans and (for a while) among the worst for Red Sox fans.

Wally Backman and Hernandez flew out to start the bottom of the 10th with New York down two runs. It brought Boston within one out of its first title since 1918 and the Mets to within one out of their season being a colossal disappointment.

The rest is a sequence of events that remains unbelievable. A Gary Carter single, a Kevin Mitchell single, a Ray Knight single, a wild pitch by Bob Stanley, all leading up to Mookie Wilson‘s grounder.

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Raised in Brooklyn, Ottavino went on to pitch for both of his hometown teams, finding success in the Bronx and Queens. He remains the only pitcher to record a season with 65 or more appearances and a sub-2.10 ERA for both the New York Yankees (2019) and the New York Mets (2022).

Over his career, the right-hander appeared in 727 major league games, compiling a 3.48 ERA and 15.0 bWAR. One of Ottavino’s calling cards was his early adoption of the sweeper—a slider variant known for its significant horizontal movement. The pitch generated plenty of swings and misses for the New York native, contributing to a career whiff rate of 34.2%.

Vincent Carchietta-USA TODAY Sports

The veteran reliever rejoined the Yankees last April on a one-year major league deal. Ottavino made just three appearances for the club before he was designated for assignment on April 8, the second time he was designated within a matter of days. He acknowledges that his big league career is likely over, but has left the door open to pitch for Team Italy in the 2026 World Baseball Classic.

Even though Ottavino isn’t playing, he’s still keeping close tabs on the game. This summer, he debuted a live-stream YouTube show called “Baseball and Coffee,” where he goes around the league providing analysis and commentary.

I had the privilege of interviewing Ottavino over the phone, where we discussed his transition to the bullpen, the origins of his sweeper and his time with the Mets.

MMO: Who were some of your favorite players growing up?

Ottavino: Growing up in New York, I was mostly a Yankees fan. My favorite player of all time is Bernie Williams. From the pitching side, I really liked David Cone, Jimmy Key, El Duque and Mariano Rivera.

There were definitely some Mets that I liked throughout the years, too. I was a big Rey Ordóñez fan, and I loved watching Al Leiter. I think everybody’s favorite player growing up was probably Ken Griffey Jr.

MMO: What was training and developing as a baseball player like growing up in Brooklyn?

Ottavino: As soon as it got warmer, I was outside every day all the way into the fall. We used to do a lot of practicing in dimly lit public school gyms. My dad would take me to the batting cage on Eastern Parkway. We would rent out the cage for half an hour in the dead of winter and just hit.

There was a lot of imaginative play inside the house when it was too cold out, or throwing snowballs outside. We spent as much time as we could working on baseball, even though it was cold.

MMO: At what point did you specifically focus on pitching?

Ottavino: They took hitting away from me going into my senior year of high school. I still hit in school-ball, but more in travel leagues. That’s when they started to pivot me mostly to pitching.

It became clear that pitching was my future; I was getting scouted only as a pitcher at that point. I was a good hitter, but at that time, there weren’t any Shohei Ohtanis rolling around. Pitching was an easy choice.

MMO: Where else did you play when you weren’t pitching?

Ottavino: Catching was my favorite position. I loved helping the pitchers out and throwing runners out. I played that a lot when I was little. Most guys would tell you that you end up at shortstop for a while, too, and I played there. As I grew more into the body that I have as an adult—a more powerful but slow-type body—I moved to the corners: third base and right field.

If I didn’t pitch, I think I would’ve tried to catch. But at a certain point, that flies in the face of pitching, so we abandoned that idea.

MMO: When did the transition occur from moving out of the rotation and into the pen? What were your initial reactions?

Ottavino: My first three games in the big leagues were starts. I was still a full-time starter at that point; I have 125 minor league starts along with the three big league starts. It wasn’t until I got put on waivers and claimed by the Rockies that I became a full-time reliever. That’s not to say it wasn’t thought about for a while before that.

I was stuck in Triple-A for parts of three years with the Cardinals. They had a really good rotation at the time; I was like the sixth or seventh depth starter. Those guys just didn’t get hurt and kept churning out good seasons.

I saw some of my weaknesses. If a team stacked a lineup with lefties, that would make it tougher on me. I saw the writing on the wall, but I also saw that my ability could play in the bullpen. I got claimed by the Rockies out of spring [in 2012], went to Triple-A, worked for the first time in a late-inning role and really took to it right away. I liked pitching more often and going right to my best pitches. It started to make sense, and I started to see myself more in that role. I always wanted to start, but I think it made sense that I ended up where I did.

MMO: It seems like it was a fairly seamless transition for you.

Ottavino: I think I took to it really easily. I loved pitching in big spots and pitching with the game on the line, and you get to do a lot of that in a relief role. I felt the hairier the spot was, the more I was able to access my ability and focus.

From a physical standpoint, it was an adjustment because it seemed easier to only throw one or two innings at a time. The regularity with which you’re pitching and learning how to manage the workload as a reliever is tricky, and it was harder for me. I think I dropped the ball on that one in the first few years. I threw too much, backed myself into a corner, and ended up getting my elbow hurt and having to get Tommy John surgery. That was something that I had to learn from on the physical side.

I made that adjustment, and I was good the rest of the way. That was probably the biggest and toughest part: understanding the difference in terms of workload between starting and relieving.

MMO: The term “sweeper” entered the mainstream lexicon just a few years ago, but it’s a pitch that’s been around for some time. I’ve heard you mention in previous interviews that you watched guys like David Cone and Jeff Nelson utilize similar pitches. Can you talk about your origins with the sweeper?

Ottavino: When I was still at Northeastern, our catcher, Luke Carlin, came to train with us in the offseason. I was throwing a bullpen to him, and he was teaching me a cutter. From that grip, I just started experimenting by seeing if I could send the ball even more to the left to see how extreme I could make it.

I kind of stumbled into the sweeper grip. I didn’t know it at the time, but it poked its head out a few years later. It was a pitch that I threw sparingly, and I would throw it sometimes in catch play to show off that I could make the ball move like that.

In the game, we were always taught to focus on the two-plane break, like left and down. That wasn’t the slider I was working with; I was working with more of a two-plane slider. When I got to Double-A, my curveball and my two-plane slider weren’t as effective as I wanted. Guys were seeing them out of my hand pretty well.

At the time, I lived with a lot of hitters, and I’d ask them for advice. They said they thought it would be nice if my pitch came out on plane out of my hand, and then to use that big break to my advantage. I started dipping my toe in the water by throwing that pitch a little more often, but I still hadn’t committed to it as my main slider until probably mid-way through 2014 or 2015. I was still throwing it a little bit, but I was throwing the two-plane one as well, so I was throwing two breaking balls.

The sample size grew, and I could see the results were much better on that horizontal breaking pitch, which we know as the sweeper. I leaned into it, started throwing it, and it felt like a cheat code because no one else was really doing it. Granted, there were pitchers in baseball history who threw it, but I don’t think we realized the effectiveness of it, at least I didn’t, until I started throwing it a lot.

At one point, I think I was throwing 75 percent sweepers in the big leagues! [Laughs.] And then everybody caught on, and it just became a thing. I realized I was just a little early to the trend.

MMO: Did you mess with many different grips?

Ottavino: No, I kind of stumbled into it. Over time, you would keep tinkering because that’s just human nature. Then I learned the science behind why it was moving the way it was, and then I was able to hone in on the proper grip and not lose it.

It’s funny, later in my career, I would run into other guys with big sweepers, like Chris Sale. I remember asking him how he gripped it, and it turned out to be kind of the same as me! It made me think that I really was onto something, and it all kind of happened by accident.

It’s kind of the reverse of the way things work now, where we know what to do, and then go execute. Before, there was a lot of trial and error. I was lucky that I stumbled into the right thing.

Sep 22, 2023; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Boston Red Sox starting pitcher Chris Sale (41) pitches against the Chicago White Sox during the first inning at Fenway Park. Mandatory Credit: Eric Canha-USA TODAY Sports

MMO: One of the coolest stories I read was about that vacant facility in Harlem you rented from your father-in-law, which you turned into a pitching lab following the 2017 season. What went into the decision to utilize that space in such a fashion, and what were some of the benefits you got from training there?

Ottavino: That was a huge turning point in my career. I had a tough year in 2017. My firstborn was a year old that offseason, and at the time, I had been driving out to Long Island to train. My throwing partner, Steven Matz, had moved to Nashville to be with his now wife, so I lost my throwing partner. I wasn’t doing a ton of throwing. I had parts of four years of pitching really well, so I kind of let my guard down a bit and showed up to spring training completely out of whack mechanically. At the time, there weren’t many checks and balances during spring training. We got to the season, and I was like, Oh, my God, I’m in a horrible habit here, and had the worst season of my career.

Around August of that year, I realized that I needed to spend my offseasons doing more than just working out and working on my body. I needed to practice my skills and make sure my technique was right. It wasn’t going to work driving to Long Island anymore, so I needed to find a place to train. We started looking for a storefront or something to outfit with baseball equipment.

Right around that time, my father-in-law, who is involved with that building in Harlem, said that there was a space and it might be available for a few months. My wife went, checked it out, did some measuring, and thought it was perfect. I paid for it with a Nolan Arenado-signed bat.

All of a sudden, I was able to practice on my own time and as much as I wanted. I had some friends come with me to start a lot of the processes that I used later in my career; videoing my throwing and being able to connect with what I was feeling. I was able to hone in my technique, work on new pitches, and really work on the skills side of things. That led to my career year next year, where I came in like gangbusters and was more prepared. It was really cool to be able to keep that space for almost the rest of my career.

MMO: There was a great quote from the 2019 book, “The MVP Machine,” which had a chapter that detailed the discussion you had with Rockies manager Bud Black after you worked with Driveline in 2017 and started to incorporate an Edgertronic camera and weighted balls. Black asked you whether using the Edgertronic was “going to put more things in your head,” to which you replied, “I’m going to think either way, but this makes me know what to think about.” With so much information available, how did you go about ensuring that you were getting the necessary data while not overwhelming yourself to the point where it could be a detriment?

Ottavino: I’m really good at absorbing the information. Not everybody is; some people need to keep it a bit simpler. I think at the moment of truth and pitching, you do need to boil things down as much as you can, and I was able to do that.

There was a lot of pushback at the beginning when I first showed up with my Edgertronic at the Rockies’ spring training in 2018. The pitching coach at the time thought I was undermining him, and he wasn’t too happy about it. I quickly explained that we should both look at these videos so we can learn together. Two brains are better than one, and this is definitely the new wave of technology that’s coming. We all need to learn from this, and it can make us better. Eventually, a lot of that friction went away.

A key point I made talking to Buddy about this was, I’m going to be thinking about adjustments to make daily anyway. If I have real information that gives me an actual direction to point my arrow, then I’m going to get there a lot faster. Having the high-speed camera and the movement information was really helping me point my arrow in the right direction. Every day, I could have more of a quality practice, and I could practice more efficiently. That’s super important because, as a pitcher, you can’t just throw all day; you have to get the most out of your practice time. I felt like that information helped me achieve that.

MMO: You also trained at Driveline for some time. What were some of your takeaways?

Ottavino: I was only there about a week, but it opened my eyes to a couple of key concepts. One was the concept of self-organization. Instead of being so internally focused when working on mechanics, thinking, Where’s my arm? Where’s my hip? Where’s my leg? It’s like, let’s create a constraint drill where I can keep my focus external. By constraining myself within the drill, my body will find a way to do it. It’ll self-organize and find a way to get the job done.

That was such a big thing to learn because before going there, I would say 95 percent of my pitching instruction over the years was based on internal cueing and things that are just really hard to do. It’s hard to think about your big toe or something while you’re also trying to execute a pitch. That kind of allowed me to get out of the shackles of that and allowed me to work on things with constraint drills to keep my focus external and understand that if my sights are set downrange on the catcher, that’s a much better place for me to be. It allowed my command to improve as a result of that, and kind of as a happy accident of that.

The use of some of the weighted implements, the weighted balls, and things like that [was helpful]. I never chased velocity in the way that a lot of Driveline guys do because that’s what they need to do to get noticed, but it did help me come up with a routine to stay healthy and properly warm up. Especially using a little bit of the heavier weighted balls kind of kept my arm action more efficient and shorter.

MMO: What went into your decision-making for signing a one-year deal with the Mets in March 2022?

Ottavino: I pitched for the Red Sox in ’21 after being traded there. I had a weird year where I started really good; I think I pitched well up until mid-August, and then I ran into trouble down the stretch. I really wanted to stay with the Red Sox because I felt like we had a good thing developing. At the end of the day, it didn’t work out; they weren’t aggressive in trying to sign me that offseason.

I knew that I only wanted to sign a one-year deal that year anyway, and I thought the Mets were a perfect landing spot. I always had an affinity for Buck Showalter, and they already had a pretty good group of relief arms, and I thought I could add to that mix and live at home. It just seemed like a really good opportunity, and they ended up signing me pretty late. If you recall, that was the lockout year.

I had a couple of other similar offers, but it made too much sense to stay at home. I thought the Mets were on the upswing; I liked what the Cohens were starting to do over there. And I was proven right. I went over there and we had a lot of fun! We had a great year, and I was able to re-sign with them, and it all worked out.

Adam Ottavino. Robert Edwards-USA TODAY Sports

MMO: Comparing your ’21 season with Boston to your first year with the Mets, you lowered your walk rate from 12.7 percent to 6.2 percent, increased your strikeout rate by 5 percent, and increased your groundball rate by almost 12 percent. Can you speak on some of the changes/fixes you made in order to have such success with New York?

Ottavino: I actually think ’21 was a huge learning year for me when I was with Boston. I was around Jason Varitek a lot, and he had an unbelievable perspective. I picked his brain constantly. He was a switch-hitter, but also a catcher, and caught some of the greatest pitchers ever. His watching my game that year kind of helped me understand the matrix a little bit more of how things work.

I took all that information that I learned from talking with him and also Dave Bush, who was the pitching coach at the time, into that year with the Mets, and was able to execute what I had learned a lot better.

I thought my pitch decisions were a lot better, I was getting ahead in the count better, and therefore, I was giving myself more chances to strike guys out. For the first time, I was also pitching a little more in a pitcher’s park, so I was able to get in the zone a bit better. I finally understood the value of the first-pitch strike, and I wanted to take my chances in the zone a bit more. And it all worked out. It doesn’t always all work out, but that year things really went my way, and I was able to get on a roll.

MMO: Steve Gelbs had an in-game report during a broadcast where he discussed how you walk barefoot on the grass pre-game in a technique called grounding. When did you start to incorporate that routine, and what were some of the benefits?

Ottavino: I learned about the science of it in 2018-2019. It didn’t become a full part of my routine, I don’t think, until 2021. A big part of it was that it was a great way to start my day. I’d get to the field, and I would go right out there and walk around for a while and take it in. There’s science behind it, and I always felt like I’d come off the field and get back inside to start my catch play and everything. I was just in a much better mood and a much better place and felt a lot more present.

I’d like to go behind the pitcher’s mound and visualize that view to home plate in all of the stadiums. I felt like that helped me when I then jogged into the game to feel like I had been there before, and pre-planned my visuals. I really liked it. It was the way I liked to start my day, and I stuck with it for the rest of my career.

Other guys would ask me about it, and it would catch on, and a lot of people started dabbling in it. I think it’s a really good way to get yourself in the right mindset.

MMO: Were you a player who routinely incorporated visualization cues in your routine?

Ottavino: Yes, because I was a mess when I was younger. They took me out of the rotation when I was in Double-A because I was so wild, and I was so internally focused. Like we talked about earlier, I just couldn’t get out of my own way. The Cardinals took me out of circulation, and they sent a couple of different mental skills people to work with me, which I learned a ton from, honestly. From that point forward, not only from them, but also by talking to other players, I started to reshape my mental approach to pitching. I started focusing a lot more on that process-oriented mindset.

I remember a big turning point in my career was watching a basketball game where Kevin Durant was playing. I think he was 0-for-10 from the field at half. They interviewed him before he went to the locker room about his shooting. I remember him telling the reporter that he was going to make the next shot. He always assumed he was going to make the next shot. I had that moment of clarity where I realized that I wasn’t assuming that I was making my pitches; I was hoping that I was going to make my pitches. That was a key mindset shift.

The next day in catch play, I started throwing with the assumption that I was going to hit my spot, and I stuck with that mindset for a really long time. That alone really helped me clean up my command. I realized that the mental controls the physical. For the last 15 years, I honed in on perfecting that mental side of the game because I do believe that what you think makes all the difference.

MMO: You announced your new live-streaming baseball show on YouTube called “Baseball and Coffee” a few months ago. What was behind this idea, and what can viewers expect?

Ottavino: This is an idea I’ve had for a few years based on my own experience with the MLB dugout iPad. I think it’s cool to be able to jump into any type of action and type of pitch, get some data, and use a bunch of different camera angles. The tech was the biggest thing, and that was the biggest hurdle in getting them to let me use that. I thought it was a fun way for me to follow baseball.

I don’t really lock in on highlights too often, or read a million articles every day. Now that I’m not playing, I realized that it’s very hard to check out the game on a national level. You can pretty much follow your own team and then see the other teams when they play you. I like to jump around and see what pops, and this app gives me the ability to do that.

I’ve wanted to do it in a live stream fashion because I don’t think anyone’s tried to do that yet; to set up a gaming stream, which is where my inspiration came for the format. I do a screenshare and have engagement with the viewers on the chat, and I think that’s super key. I’m not rushing to market or monetize it. I genuinely like to have a cup of coffee and check out the cool stuff that happened in baseball the night before, and interact with people and see what they want to see.

In the future, I’d like to have other people on, have some great conversations, baseball trivia and giveaways. I’m just looking to have it grow organically and evolve and see what happens.

MMO: You’ve mentioned in previous interviews you’re interest in managing. Is that your next baseball goal?

Ottavino: Yeah, managing or running a team in a different capacity. I want to have an impact when I come back. I have no interest in being a pitching coach and things like that. I love the idea of managing because you can do little things that affect your team’s chances to win on a nightly basis. Being in the fight and in the grind is what I know. I love traveling the country and being in all the heat of all the ballparks. I love the competition factor and the players.

That’s certainly something that’s on my mind and on my bucket list that I need to check off. But I’m not going to go about it the traditional way. I’m going to do media and try and stay in the game that way, and see what opportunities come down the road.

MMO: When you look back on your career, what are you most proud of?

Ottavino: I’m proud of the longevity. I never cheated the game, and I felt like I took on every challenge. I never shied away from Coors Field or going to play for my hometown team. I never shied away from the Yankees, or when I was with the Red Sox, going up against them. I always wanted the ball, and I pride myself on my work ethic and the way I was able to stay healthy, especially the last seven to eight years. That was important to me, being available for my team and my teammates.

I was disappointed I never won the World Series or had that big signature moment in the game. I’m proud that I played 20 seasons in pro ball, and felt I gave it my all the whole way. I can’t look back with any regrets.

The post MMO Exclusive: Relief Pitcher, Adam Ottavino appeared first on Metsmerized.

Devers and Boston were seemingly at odds, as there were several reports before the season began, then again in the early parts of the year, that Devers was unhappy with how Boston was treating him positionally. There is no doubt Devers is a superstar at the plate, as the nine-year Red Sox infielder owns an .858 career OPS. The 28-year-old is off to a strong start this season as well, with 14 home runs, 57 RBIs, and a .400 on-base percentage to go along with an .894 OPS.

In exchange, Boston is getting flamethrower Jordan Hicks, who began his career with St. Louis as a reliever, and has struggled mightily on the surface this season, posting a 6.47 ERA across nine starts and 13 overall appearances. Luckily, for Boston, his 3.86 xERA indicates he is due for a lot of positive regression. Hicks, 28 years old, carries a $11 million hit to the 40-man competitive balance payroll through the end of 2027.

The second major-league level player Boston is getting is starting pitcher Kyle Harrison. Harrison, only 23 years old, only has 182 2/3 innings of major-league experience under his belt. Over these innings, he owns a 4.48 ERA and 4.56 FIP. Specifically, this season, he has made four starts for the Giants, eight appearances overall, posting a 4.56 ERA and an almost identical 4.58 xERA. Across 23 2/3 innings, he has 25 strikeouts. Given his age, he has several more seasons of team control.

Boston also picked up two prospects in James Tibbs and Jose Bello.

James Tibbs, 22 years old, was a first-round pick of the Giants in 2024. He was playing High-A ball this season, slashing .245/.377/.480, good for a strong .857 OPS to go along with 12 homers and 32 RBIs. He has exclusively played the corner outfield positions this season. The former Florida State Seminole has a career .783 OPS in the minor leagues.

Jose Bello, only 20 years old, is a right-handed pitcher that was signed as an international free agent. In the Arizona Complex League this season, Bello has only allowed four earned runs across 18 innings (2.00 ERA). Across those innings, he has struck out 28 and only walked three. He owns a career minor-league ERA of 2.97.

According to Baseball America, Tibbs was the Giants No. 3 ranked prospect while Bello was unranked. However, one would expect, with continued strong play from Bello, he would easily of cracked the Giants top 30 when Baseball America updated their rankings midseason.

The post Murray: Giants Acquire Star Rafael Devers From Red Sox In Blockbuster appeared first on Metsmerized.