QUEENS, N.Y. — New York Mets manager Carlos Mendoza needed a shower directly after picking up his first-career managerial win on Thursday evening at Citi Field. Not because of the excitement or anxiety that came with his team being no-hit for seven innings by the Detroit Tigers and scoring two in the bottom of the ninth to win, but because he was bombarded with anything his players could get their hands on to celebrate.
“I got beer, champagne, eggs, you name it,” Mendoza said. “I had to get in the shower before I got here.
“It’s a special feeling. The boys were excited and that means a lot coming from them because I know how hard they were trying. Not the homestand we were anticipating, but there’s a lot of baseball left.”
Down 1-0 entering the ninth after collecting just one hit in their previous 14 innings of Thursday’s doubleheader, Pete Alonso led the frame off with his second home run of the year. Brett Baty walked and was moved over to second by a Starling Marte bunt, and Tyrone Taylor drove the young third baseman home with a single down the left-field line.
“Unreal. First managerial win,” Taylor said. “Winning is just fun. We had a cool little meeting with him after. I’m sure it felt really good for him. It took a while to get it so now we roll.”
The victory avoided the Mets’ worst start (0-6) since 1963 after the Milwaukee Brewers swept them, they dropped Monday’s series opener to the Tigers, and squandered a 3-0 lead in the first leg of Thursday’s doubleheader, yielding six unanswered in an 11-inning loss.
“It was nice to get the first one, finally,” Mendoza said. “Wish it happened earlier… but it feels good to get that first one out of the way and we’ll keep going, hopefully.”
Mendoza’s path to this point had been a long and arduous one. He spent 13 minor-league seasons as a player before joining the Yankees’ organization as a coach, where he remained for 14 years — most recently as their bench coach before getting poached by the Mets this winter.
“We’re so stoked for Mendy,” Alonso said. “He’s spent a lot of time in professional baseball and getting his first win is huge. We’re so happy for him and really happy to be part of something like this for him. It’s really special.”
The Mets have a quick turnaround due to inclement weather delaying their series with the Tigers. They take on the Reds in Cincinnati for a three-game set beginning Friday night.
