NL CHAMPIONSHIP SERIES: METS VS DODGERS

October 18, 2024

Mark Vientos

Citi Field

New York Mets

Pregame 5 Press Conference

Q. You've always exuded this kind of confidence that has helped you get to this point and even your career. How does that confidence translate to looking at the team, maybe their chances of turning this thing around?

MARK VIENTOS: I think we're all confident in there. Obviously we're in a position where our backs are against the wall, but, I mean, the season we've had, where we've had our backs against the wall, this is nothing new to us.

We're going to go out there. We're going to play hard and see what happens. But we all have confidence, for sure.

Q. I'm just wondering if you could look back over the season, comment on the faith that David Stearns had in you. And also just the overall job he's done in his first year with the Mets.

MARK VIENTOS: Like you said, he's done a great job. He's put together a team his first year that's made it to the NLCS so far. I mean, kudos to him, he's done a good job. I'm excited to see what else we can do for this organization, for sure.

Q. This being your first playoffs and this being kind of run that you guys are on, can you compare kind of the adrenaline and energy and the emotional and physical that it takes to make it through since October started as compared to like during the regular season? Is it like times the 10, is it times 100? How would you compare?

MARK VIENTOS: It's times a million, hundred thousand. It's a lot of pressure, a lot of stress, a lot of excitement. This is what you work for. This is why I wake up early in the morning in the offseason and I train for moments like this, to be in a spot like this with a great group of guys that we've been working our tails off all year.

And there's nothing like it. I can't really explain it. It's a thing you can't explain.

Q. When Spring Training broke and you went to Syracuse and you had the brief call-up and then went back, did you ever at times wonder how far away it would be to get back here and succeed?

MARK VIENTOS: Yeah, honestly. I mean, you have these thoughts -- I feel everybody wakes up and has negative thoughts. It's just, how can I get through the day, how can I get them out of my head.

But I focused on what I can control, is just I would be like, hey, I'm playing this game. This is a game that I love. And I'm focused on just getting better and whatever happens happens. I'm not trying to force anything. And that was just the mentality I had when I was down there.

Q. Is that kind of when it turned for you, when you just kind of let the pressure go? Or just expand on that answer a little bit more. How did it turn for you?

MARK VIENTOS: I don't think it turned for me in that point. I think it turned for me when the opportunity came and I just ran with it. I think I've always had the mentality that I was ready. I just was waiting for the opportunity, and I'm blessed that I got it.

Q. You saw Flaherty a couple of days ago. What can you take from him against that Game 1 and apply today?

MARK VIENTOS: He pitched good. He pitched good. He's a great pitcher. I also thought that we had three days off without seeing pitching. So we were kind of a little off at the plate. But I'm excited for today.

Q. You mentioned your journey to this point. How surreal is it, I guess, the fact that you're hitting home runs in the playoffs for the chance to go to the World Series, after everything you've been through this year? Do you reflect on that at all?

MARK VIENTOS: Sometimes, but I'm just so focused on what I'm doing right now that I haven't had time to reflect on what's going on. I'm just so focused on winning games and making it to the World Series.

Q. You talked about the pressure of the postseason, that it's times a million. But you somehow have been able to overcome that as a rookie in what's maybe your first or second experience in the postseason. Can you talk about just what you do, what routines you do on a daily basis that allows you to step up in those types of moments when a lot of players aren't able to do that?

MARK VIENTOS: I am very specific with my routine, especially in the morning. I like to wake up early, go on a walk, get some sunlight, drink my coffee that I've got right here.

I go out on the field and meditate. I try to be in the present moment. I'm just trying to enjoy what I'm doing right now. I'm talking to you guys right now, so I'm not thinking about what's going on in couple hours of the game.

I feel when you focus on what you're doing at that present moment life tends to be easy. And I just want to, like, go with the flows of life. That's the way I think of it.

Q. What is your normal offseason routine? How many weeks do you take off once the season's done? And do you go to the gym five, six days a week? Do you go to a facility?

MARK VIENTOS: I'm probably, once the season is over, I'll probably take a week and a half off. The way my mind works, I can't take that much time off. I gotta get back into training.

I love it. I love working. I love training. It's not something, like, oh, it's a chore that I've got to do. It's something I need to do. So I get back into training right away.

My mornings are usually, like, workout at 6:00 a.m. Do that for a couple of hours. And then I'll go do hitting, defense, take a nap. Probably do it again later in the day.

So I kind of try to do two-a-days probably closer towards Spring Training, but that was my last offseason.

Obviously there's some things I want to clean up from last offseason that I notice in season that I need to get better with. It's just things that I think about throughout the year where I can get better. But that's usually my offseason. It's early mornings, late nights.

Q. Do you have a cage near you?

MARK VIENTOS: I have a cage in my house.

Q. What are the things you want to clean up?

MARK VIENTOS: That's a secret. (Laughter).

Q. You mentioned your mindset change waiting for your opportunity, controlling what you can control. Was that a conscious decision to change your mind, or did someone give you advice? How did you come to that conclusion, I guess?

MARK VIENTOS: Ever since I've played this game I've always been super curious. Like, I would ask my dad, hey, like, what do you think?

I'll give you an example. Albert Pujols was a guy I would look at. I'd be, like, what do you think, Albert Pujols, how does he work? What is his work ethic?

I was always into how to be great at whatever I'm doing and curious at how the greats think and how their mindsets are. So I'd read a couple of books. I'll listen to podcasts of people that I like, people that interest me and YouTube a lot.

I'm just a curious person, and I feel like that just developed my mindset over the years because I could say in high school my mindset is not even close to what it is now. But experience in life, too, has developed my mindset. There's a lot of things, but I feel like the curiosity that I have is one of them, is the main one.

Q. Facing an elimination game, is the pressure different in the clubhouse knowing that this is going to be the last game at Citi Field?

MARK VIENTOS: No. I mean, I feel like it's going to be the same. It's gonna be we've gotta win, we've gotta win, and that's the mentality. And we're going to play hard until the last out.