LOS ANGELES — The Mets could use another arm in this National League game, but manager Carlos Mendoza has no regrets about having one fewer relief pitcher this series than last.
Adam Ottavino was removed from the NLCS roster, allowing the Mets to keep Luis Angel Acuña and add Jeff McNeil.
Acuña was used as a pinch runner in the series, appearing in one at-bat as a pinch hitter.
Most notably, the Mets could have used an extra arm on Thursday when Danny Young stretched himself to pitch 2¹/₃ innings in a blowout.
Coach Mendoza considered using a position player in the ninth inning before the left-hander volunteered to continue pitching.
But Mendoza appreciates the bench's versatility, even at the cost of using an extra pitcher.
“When you look at how we used the position player groups, we used pretty much everyone,” Mendoza said Saturday during team practice at Dodger Stadium. “I don’t feel like we went into the game feeling like our pitching wasn’t good enough.”
McNeil is in talks to start Sunday's second straight game.
The veteran utility man was 0-for-3 on Friday, but scored two runs on a sacrifice fly.
This was McNeil's first start since September 6, when he fractured his right wrist.
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“I thought his at-bat was really good, especially situational hitting, especially for a guy who hasn't played in a long time,” Mendoza said. “We had a runner on third base in the second inning, but he finished the job with a sacrifice fly.”
Pete Alonso's signature moment this postseason was his ninth-inning home run against Milwaukee, which helped lead the Mets back to winning the Wild Card Series.
But his three-run homer in Game 5 of the NLCS also ranks high on the list of Mets' special moments in October.
But when asked to name his favorite postseason moment, Alonso declined to reveal anything personal.
“I just have a champagne shower every time because it's an important celebration for the group and the team,” Alonso said.
“That's what we want. We just want to keep this alive and keep this going. It's a really special team and just being able to celebrate with the guys is really great, 'cause It's really an incredible group.”
