I know this was already addressed on MMO in an article by John Delcos, but I have a somewhat different take on the issue, and that’s what makes this site so special anyway – the wide range of opinions on so many different Mets matters.
So Terry Collins knows his team plays hard and knows the effort his group of 25-players put forth in every game. It’s akin to a proud parent supporting his or her child, sticking up for them even when they’re not at their best.
The difference, obviously, is that Collins manages a group of professional athletes, a team that made it all the way to Game 5 of the World Series last season, and knows they have a window to win right now.
After the Mets 2-1 victory Wednesday afternoon against the Miami Marlins, Collins asserted that the game was essentially a must-win – an odd thing to say eight games into a 162 game season.
“This was a game we had to have,” Collins said. “We couldn’t sacrifice another game. I felt we needed to win this game to get ourselves going again.”
Collins’ post-game press conference revealed a lot about the mindset he has after a rough opening week where his team lost back to back series against the Phillies and Marlins.
He spoke about his usage of Jim Henderson three times in four days, including in back-to-back games and after tossing a career-high 34 pitches the night before. He talked about bringing in his closer Jeurys Familia for a five out save. He explained why David Wright was playing in a day game after a night game when the plan was to give him those games off.
Clearly game eight of the 2016 season wasn’t just an early game in April for Collins.
“You know, I’m not deaf and I’m not blind. I listen,” Collins said. “I see how people are reacting. I hear what’s going on. I’m not a lot of managers—I read between the lines at what’s being said. This team is dedicated. We’ve gotten off to a slow start—it’s part of the game! I just thought it was important today for our fan base to stay excited. I thought it was a game we should win.”
Collins was referring to a relentless and impatient media that knows how to fire up a very passionate fan base that has bemoaned the early offensive struggles; not hitting with runners in scoring position, the batting order, and some early season struggles from Matt Harvey and Steven Matz.
Collins has seen the constant negative headlines in the daily papers, and understands the pressures and circumstances that take place when you’re managing a New York team. Fans are passionate and obsessive with how their team fares, so when a season with very high expectations begins with a 2-5 record, a four-game losing streak and the risk of being swept by the Marlins at home, things understandably can get radioactive.
Collins signed a two-year extension with the Mets this past offseason, but of course there’s never a guarantee that he’ll live out the entirety of his contract. Especially with the heightened expectations the Mets now have. Many fans would feel that anything less than a return appearance into the World Series would be a disappointment.
Which brings us back to Wednesday’s game. Collins has been in baseball for over forty-years, and knows when particular situations call for certain moves. Which is why, he explained, he brought Familia in for a five out save.
“It was quite obvious from how we finished the game—bringing in Jeurys in that particular situation. I thought it was a huge game for us. I thought it was a game we had to win.”
When the question was asked whether Collins would’ve brought Familia in for the same save situation if the Mets were 5-2 instead of 2-5 heading into play today, Collins admitted that he would’ve done things differently.
“I would have never have done it,” Collins said. “Never have done it. He would have pitched the ninth inning and the ninth inning only.”
Once the Mets got the lead in the bottom of the 7th off the bat of Kevin Plawecki’s two-run single, Collins had to envision Familia coming in to pitch in the eighth inning. With Jerry Blevins facing left-handed hitters in Ichiro and Christian Yelich to open the eighth, it made sense for Familia to come in to face right-handed slugger Giancarlo Stanton. And after Stanton’s turn in the lineup, Familia would be facing three more right-handed hitters minus first-baseman Justin Bour.
The move paid off, as Familia worked around back-to-back singles from Prado and Bour in the eighth, and worked a 1-2-3 ninth inning, earning his second save of the season.
Collins knew the Mets had to walk away with a win today, especially with the off day on Thursday and the team flying to Cleveland to play three over the weekend against the Indians.
If the Marlins had swept the Mets, more panic would’ve set in from a New York media that’s always looking to rile up the the fan base. The headlines today would’ve been relentless and they would’ve had a field day at our team’s expense.
Collins made sure to address the topic of the team’s morale and wanted to let the fans know that his team will fight through adversity.
“The one thing I will tell you is that we don’t panic. OK? We don’t show any panic,” Collins said. “But I also want them to know that we’re trying to win here. “I just thought we had to send a message to leave this home stand—our opening home stand—that we can win some games.”
As has been mentioned a lot on MMO, it is way too early in the season to start panicking over eight games. But it’s worth noting that the schedule will only get tougher for our Mets, as we’ve yet to face the Nationals, Dodgers, Giants, Cardinals, Pirates, and Cubs.
Stringing together a few wins would give this team the confidence, and hopefully the swagger we saw after the trade deadline last season, where they knew they could win every night.
Collins handled the end of the game like it was Game 7 of the World Series, true. But he got the win, he changed the narrative, and begins a long nine-game road trip on a positive note. LGM
