Reed Garrett is waiting for the phone to ring, but it could be an alarm as well.
Over almost four weeks of the season, baseball didn’t have a better firefighter.
“I think it’s just one of those phones ringing and my name is called. So far, things are going well,” Garrett defeated the Phillies 5-1 at Citifield on Tuesday.
Once in play, no one in MLB inherited more baserunners (9) without scoring.
Garrett, who pitched 9²/₃ innings without a run he himself scored, also did not allow other runners to score.
Garrett enters danger on a daily basis and leaves him breathing on a daily basis (often screaming from the mound).
On Monday, Tyler Megill walked over Bryce Harper and gave Garrett the ball by leading by two runs for the Mets in the six innings of the game.
Garrett allowed Max Kepler from a two-out single, but he used his sinker to attack JT Realmuto to make sure he continues his perfect streak.
The 32-year-old didn’t realize that his role would essentially bail out the team frequently in the middle innings, but he’s happy to do so.
He feels particularly prepared for the gig after appearing in seven playoffs last season, allowing two runs.
“I try to stay as uniform as possible with adrenaline,” Garrett said. “Pitching in the playoffs last year and gaining the experience I gained last year definitely contributed to my comfort there.”
He is comfortable in his role on the team and simply comfortable in the team.
The Mets claimed Garrett, the journeyman for the Orioles in June 2023.
He spent all the offseasons that followed on the Mets roster, erupting last year and returning this spring as a proven product.
This spring marked the first time in Garrett’s major league career, which began with the Tigers in 2019, where he trained consecutive springs with the same team.
“You can be around the same group of people, have the same coaching staff and talk to the same people about where you were last year, what you did, and stuff like that. I think it was beneficial to me,” Garrett said.
Brandon Nemo was not in the starting lineup on Tuesday. Manager Carlos Mendoza faces tough left-handedness with the Mets at Christopher Sanchez, while the team faces 13-day stretches of schedule without a day’s rest.
Nemo, who suffered from plantar fasciitis on his left leg last year, said the issue has not plagued him this season.
“We’re in a good place,” Nemo said.
Nimmo is 31-5 and has no extra-based hits, walks and eight strikeouts in the last eight games.
After leaving Saturday’s game with discomfort in the gro caliber, Mark Vientos sat on Sunday and Monday, returned to the starting lineup and played 3 bases.
