MILWAUKEE (AP) — Jose Iglesias changed the tune of the Mets’ season, after nearly 1 1/2 years spent languishing in the minor leagues.
His personality and Latin pop song helped shake the Mets out of their early funk, and he slid headfirst into a starring role in New York’s return to the postseason.
Iglesias slapped his left hand on first base ahead of pitcher Joel Payamps’ foot, reaching on a two-out infield single as the tying run scored to spark a five-run rally in the fifth inning that carried the Mets over the Milwaukee Brewers 8-4 on Tuesday night in their NL Wild Card Series opener.
“What can I say? I don’t think the game has treated me fair,” Iglesias said. “But I got this opportunity. Everything that’s in the past is in the past. I’m here today to help this great organization, to help this great team that we have, and I embrace it. And I take this opportunity with two hands and I’m not going to let it go.”
The 34-year-old Iglesias previously played for Boston (2011-13) and Detroit (2013-18). He missed the 2014 season with stress fractures in both shins but became an All-Star in 2015.
After stints with Cincinnati (2019), Baltimore (2020), the Los Angeles Angels (2021), Red Sox (2021) and Colorado (2022), he got only a minor league contract with the Marlins for 2023 and was released in April. He spent 28 games with San Diego’s Triple-A El Paso farm team and then started this year at Triple-A Syracuse with the Mets.
He was called up May 31 with New York at 23-33. Iglesias seized playing time at second base, hitting .337 with four homers and 26 RBIs. The hit song “OMG” that he performs with Candelita became a symbol of the Mets’ season, sparking a sign each home run hitter poses alongside in the dugout. He even performed it live at Citi Field following a June 28 win over Houston.
With two on and two outs in the fifth inning against the Brewers, Iglesias grounded to first baseman Rhys Hopkins, who made a tumbling snag to prevent the ball from reaching the outfield, then delivered an underhand flip to Payamps rushing to the base.
“I thought maybe it was a little bit closer to the bag there,” Payamps said through a translator. “I reacted too late.”
When he beat Payamps to the base, Iglesias popped up to his feet and pounded his chest four times as Tyrone Taylor came home from second to tie the score 4-4.
“I thought it was by him,” Iglesias said, “and then when I heard everybody screaming I was like, ‘Oh, he got it.’ And then it was, just find a way to be safe.”
Payamps blamed himself for not getting to first on time.
“That’s a routine play that I failed to execute,” he said. “Things kind of spiraled from there.”
Brandon Nimmo’s infield single off Aaron Ashby loaded the bases, and Mark Vientos hit a two-run single for a 6-4 lead. Pete Alonso was intentionally walked, and pinch-hitter J.D. Martinez followed with another two-run single.
“We put the ball in play when we needed,” Mets manager Carlos Mendoza said. “We ran the bases well. We put pressure on them. The hustle by Iglesias there, and then Taylor not stopping and just scoring on that play.”
Iglesias recalled the camaraderie he developed with Vientos in the minors early this season.
“We’re able to share a lot of moments down there and it’s paying off,” Iglesias said. “It doesn’t show up in the analytics — or numbers that you can’t see, but it’s showing up as a team, as a group, the energy, the chemistry and the courage that this team has and the culture that we’re building here.”
___
AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb