The New York Mets swiftly appointed Carlos Mendoza, a former bench coach for the New York Yankees, as their new manager. However, in his first face-to-face encounter with the press, the new manager spices up the Yankees-Mets rivalry with his pledge for the elusive championship for the Queens faithful.
Upon being appointed as the new Mets manager, Carlos Mendoza promptly informed the media that he would be wearing No. 28. In elucidating his choice of the number, he made a bold statement:
“Because I’ll lead the Mets to a World Championship before the Yankees get their 28th ring.”
Despite this being his first major league managerial position, Carlos Mendoza aims to lead the Mets to their first World Series title since 1986. Since then, they haven’t won a championship despite getting into the World Series in 2000 and 2015. On the other hand, the Yankees are without a World Series trophy since they had their 27th in 2009.
Carlos Mendoza is grateful to his wife
In his first press conference at Citi Field on Tuesday, following the announcement, Carlos Mendoza expressed his gratitude to his wife, Francis. He acknowledged her sacrifice of giving up her career and life in their native Venezuela to support his baseball dreams, speaking to Emily Reppert of MLB.com.
Carlos Mendoza began by acknowledging to his wife that she had given up everything in life. Reflecting on a past conversation, he recalled questioning her, saying, “I remember having this conversation with you: ‘Are you sure you want to do this?'”
Carlos Mendoza conveyed to his wife that she had sacrificed her career as a dentist in Venezuela, as well as leaving behind her mother, sister, and loved ones. He recounted her commitment, saying, “And you said, ‘I’m going to do this with you.’” Expressing his feelings, Carlos Mendoza stated, “Here we are, Francis. I love you so much, and I can’t wait for this new chapter in our lives.”
With the managerial role now filled, the Mets face the task of assembling a robust coaching staff around Carlos Mendoza. It is anticipated that the team will actively seek a bench coach with previous experience in managing at the big league level to support the rookie manager in this crucial role.
As they gear up for the upcoming season, the Mets seem poised for a busy winter of preparations.
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