Manager Reed Garrett won't discount the June 12 game in which Grimas threw out the first pitch as a possible turning point for the Mets.
Before grimace: 28-37.
After the grimace: 61-36, at least a berth to the NLCS.
“It's hard to deny the impact Grimas has had on this team,” Garrett said, with great calm.
A better bet at a critical moment for the Mets came on May 29th at Citi Field against the same Dodgers they would play for a spot in the World Series.
The Dodgers outscored the Mets 18-5, but troubled them in a three-game sweep.
The Mets fell below .500 for a season-low 11 games, returning 16 games to the same Phillies club they had just dealt with in the National League East, but they were falling apart off the field as well.
Reliever Jorge Lopez was ejected for the mishap and threw his glove into the stands.
It's time for the Mets to talk, Francisco Lindor called a players-only meeting not about Lopez, but about how the Mets are playing and preparing.
The Mets will start holding each other more accountable. If a player declares his at-bat intentions in the pregame meeting and continues to deviate from that plan during his at-bat, he will hear about it soon.
“You said something, but I don't understand,” Lindor said that day. “We have to step up. We have to do it the right way.”
The Mets vowed to be more open with each other, asking everyone to look within themselves and ask themselves if they are doing the best they can.
“If you see others working hard, you should work hard,” Garrett said of the conference's message. “I think it was about taking responsibility for myself and giving what I can give to the team and doing what I can to help the team be successful.”
Lindor said in a closed-door meeting.
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So were J.D. Martinez, Adam Ottavino and veteran Jake Diekman, who was DFA'd in late July.
Garrett said this Saturday while the team was training at Citi Field on its way to Los Angeles. “This was not the first time the team did not meet expectations.
“I think they just reminded us to keep focusing on what we can control every day. With that in mind, if you can control what you can control every day, everything will be fine. I think it will turn around.”
Things turned around for the Mets, who finished the game 67-40 and needed a clean sweep to advance to the postseason.
This brings them back to their series opponents and reminds them of how far they have fallen.
“We've been through a lot,” coach Carlos Mendoza said. “But it's true that the players rallied after that game. We started to turn a corner.”
