The Mets opened the season 0-5 and to some, the sky was falling, according to Brooks Raley.
“People were talking about 1960-something and how long we could go without winning a game,” the reliever said Monday.
But at least one person didn’t panic, Raley added: rookie manager Carlos Mendoza.
“It’s tough for a first-time manager to have an 0-5 start,” Raley said. “We all wanted to see how he would react. Who wasn’t looking at that? Especially as players, we want to see who you are when you fail. It was a great test and he passed it.”
Mendoza said the thought of a team meeting crossed his mind, but it’s not something he wants to do, preferring “one-on-one” conversations or addressing players at regularly-scheduled hitters or pitchers meetings.
“I’m pretty sure there will be times I’ll get the team together and say something,” Mendoza said. “But I didn’t feel after five games it was the right time.”
The low-key approach seems to have paid off, for now, anyway.
After that miserable beginning to his managerial career, Mendoza and the Mets won eight of their next 11 games, three consecutive series and got back to .500 after Monday’s 6-3 win over the Pirates.
Mendoza, the longtime Yankees coach, remained calm — at least on the outside and it served him well.
“Every team goes through stretches where it’s gonna be hard and out of the gate, we were dealing with some adversity,” Mendoza said. “We have a lot of experienced guys that have been here and been in this league for a long time. They know what it takes. It’s a long season. You have to stay consistent, make sure you prepare and go out and compete. It’s good to see the guys bouncing back quickly.”
Asked about his managerial style at this early point in his tenure, several players pointed to Mendoza’s communication skills.
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