Knowing that Francisco Lindor would miss a few days with a back injury (and no one knows how much that total will be), David Stearns and Carlos Mendoza called an emergency team meeting before Monday night's series opener to rule out their most important player for the most important game.
Even though it was only for a short period of time, with such a great loss, we felt that the team needed to come together and discuss what lies ahead.
In the end, all three of them spoke at the meeting.
general manager.
manager.
And Pete Alonso.
Several in attendance noted that Alonso spoke passionately about how the Mets looked like they were in playoff contention during his rookie year with the team in 2019, and how he wasn't able to truly celebrate a 2022 tournament berth because he didn't realize until the final day of the regular season that the Mets wouldn't win the NL East and were disappointed when they fell to the wild card spot.
The Mets lost in the first round of the playoffs and had no chance to celebrate.
Additionally, the Mets hadn't made the playoffs in Alonso's other seasons with the team.
So, speaking on behalf of the veteran players and staff, Alonso pleaded to celebrate “with the guys,” so it was imperative that the team give it their all for the rest of the fight and make it into the postseason.
It was an emotional way to start what may be their final homestand as the Mets.
Alonso is set to become a free agent after this season, and Monday's game against Washington marked the final home game of a seven-game regular season that also includes four against the Phillies.
The Mets did not yet know the results of an MRI on Lindor's back when Monday's meeting was called. They only knew they would be without their best player, team leader and front-runner for the National League MVP for at least a few days. The Mets are expected to announce that the MRI results were positive, showing no structural damage and saying Lindor will be able to play this season.
However, Lindor did not start on Monday or Tuesday.
