NL DIVISION SERIES: METS VS PHILLIES

October 5, 2024

Carlos Mendoza

Citizens Bank Park

New York Mets

Postgame 1 Press Conference

Mets - 6, Phillies - 2

Q. In that eighth inning, when you had five batters fall behind 0-2, what impresses you the most about the type of at-bats you were able to work and able to come through there?

CARLOS MENDOZA: Really good at-bats, especially against some elite arms. Alvarez got us going. I think he's just continued to fight, continued to try to put the ball in play, try not to chase as much. Alvarez get us going, like I said, then Lindor, an unbelievable at-bat there, ended up walking. And then Vientos finding a way to put the ball in play. I think it was a slider down and away that he was able to hook it down the line. And then we just continued to add on.

Nimmo, a tough left-on-left matchup. I think it was two strikes as well going the other way. And this is something that we've done throughout the year. When we're clicking as a team offensively, there's so many things that we do. We put the ball in play, we use the whole field, and we're not thinking too big. And we did it today, again.

Situational hitting today was really good. A couple of sac flies, and that's not easy to do when you're facing those type of arms. So credit to our guys. They continue to do it.

Q. When you guys mapped out the pitching for today, was that about as ideal as you could get, especially given the way that Senga started with that first batter?

CARLOS MENDOZA: Yeah, it was hard to map out, you know, because we didn't know what we were getting out of Senga, to begin with. He was really good, by the way. Other than that pitch that Schwarber took him deep, he was really good.

The fact that we saw 97 out of him, and then just the secondary pitches. His split was really good, the slider was good.

And then Petey, we knew that we didn't have him full because we used him two days ago as a reliever. But we were counting on good 50 pitches. And then he did a tremendous job. Reed Garrett, and then Maton and Stanek. So, yeah, I thought overall a good team win there.

Q. Your team comes in here on an excellent roll. Having an inning like that against their top relievers, what do you think it does for your team's already strong confidence?

CARLOS MENDOZA: We know we're good, and we've got good players. And we are executing, you know. So we just continue to grind at-bats, continue to take it one pitch, one at-bat a time, and good things will happen.

Like I say, I think the biggest thing is not trying to do too much in those situations, and we've been able to do that as of late.

Q. The Phillies hitters, how much do you take into account the fact that they're quite prone to chasing out of the strike zone?

CARLOS MENDOZA: They're good hitters, 1 through 9, that's a really good lineup. There's so much you can game plan, but you have to go out and execute, because they're going to make you pay.

We did a good job today. In order for us to continue to move on, we're going to have to do that. Again, that's a really good team with a lot of really good hitters there.

Q. The Phillies had a similar run to you guys two years ago, and they said coming into this series it was important to get on top of you guys quick and try to slow you down. The fact that you came into this stadium today with how crazy it was and you guys were able to plow right through, what does it say to the mindset you guys have had?

CARLOS MENDOZA: You know, look, one game, but that was pretty cool atmosphere there. It was loud. Packed house. And then the crowd is into every pitch, you know?

But we were able to control our emotions. Like I said, in that 8th inning putting together those good at-bats and shutting them down offensively, you know, it's one game. We've got to come back tomorrow and we've got to do it again, but it's a good start.

Again, you can't take anything for granted. That's a really good team. And they did it throughout the whole year. They won the division by a lot. Like I say, we've got to continue to play well against them.

Q. With Senga was it determined two innings or did you have a pitch number more in mind?

CARLOS MENDOZA: Yeah, it wasn't going to be more than two innings, we knew that from the beginning. And pitch count-wise, he was somewhere there 35 pitches, yes.

Q. Also, if it had stayed 5-1, would you have used Díaz?

CARLOS MENDOZA: No, not today. Not today.

Q. Vientos has had a great year with the long ball, and that's obvious. But the last few weeks he's become an incredible hitter with runners in scoring position, even more than he had earlier in the year. What has he done in his game that has kind of elevated it to the big spots you've been getting from him in the last couple of weeks?

CARLOS MENDOZA: Yeah, his ability to slow the game down, just having awareness of the situation, and he's not trying to do too much. He's taking what they're giving him. We saw it last year against the Brewers when he went the other way against a lefty. With the bases loaded today, first and second, with two strikes. You see him, he's not trying to hit the ball out of the ballpark.

Yeah, if you make a mistake, he's going to put a good swing on it. But he's just basically taking what they're giving him. That's pretty impressive for a kid that's playing for the first time these type of games. Says a lot about him.

Q. What was Wheeler doing that was so tough and how excited were your guys to see him get out of there?

CARLOS MENDOZA: He was pretty nasty. When you're throwing 98 and locating the way he was locating, up at the top of the zone, you know, in and out, and then the sweeper, the split. I mean, unbelievable. He was pretty much unhittable today. And that's who he is. And the fact that we were able to get to the bullpen, it was really good to see. But Wheeler was pretty nasty.