After setup man Jeurys Familia pitched a scoreless eighth inning, closer Jenrry Mejia struck out the side in the ninth for his 20th save of the season as the Mets beat the Phillies last night at Citi Field.
Mejia, who has now had three straight scoreless appearances, entered with a three-run lead and looked dominating. He was able to pitch around a Dilson Herrera error that put a runner on base, and then he did that thing he does…
Mejia, 24, became the second-youngest pitcher in franchise history to reach the 20-save plateau, right behind Neil Allen who had 22 saves as a 22-year-old in 1980.
I gotta admit that I was moved when the first thing Mejia did after he closed out the game, was turn and embrace Herrera, who had committed the error.
I can’t lip-read in Spanish, but it looked like he reassured the kid and told him not to worry and that he’s now a part of the team.
Good stuff…
