NEW YORK — The pulse of a city skipped a beat when New York Mets designated hitter Yoenis Céspedes clobbered a 93-mph fastball 406-feet into the fanless seats in right field to give the Mets the sole run needed to defeat the Atlanta Braves 1-0 on Opening Day.
Céspedes made his return to baseball after being placed on the injured list on July 20, 2018. His return stirred much anticipation within the Mets organization and the baseball world, leaving us in awe as his impact on the field carried the Mets to their first win of the season.
“Some people said good things, a lot of people said bad things and that was one of the things that kept me motivated to come back,” Céspedes said after the Opening Day victory. “Being able to hit a home run after being out for two years, it proved that I can still be the same player that I used to be.”
Comeback season is underway for Yoenis Céspedes in Flushing 🔥⚾️ https://t.co/UERZVrMbyq
— Latino Sports (@LatinoSports) July 24, 2020
Two LatinoMVP Relief Pitcher/Closer award recipients Seth Lugo and Edwin Díaz pitched shutout innings in their season debuts. Díaz, who had a down year as a closer in 2019, beamed an infectious smile when Matt Adams struckout for the third and final out of the ballgame.
“That’s why I prepared so hard in the offseason, both spring training’s that we had,” Díaz noted after the game. “I came in prepared, I came in calm. I had already looked at the scouting reports of the batters that I was going to face and I was already to go at that point.”
¡SUGAR! ⚡️ @SugarDiaz39 logró el primer salvamento de la temporada de @LasMayores en el 2020 para ponerle azúcar al #OpeningDay de @LosMets. 🍭⚾️ #MLBPuertoRico 🇵🇷 pic.twitter.com/c7jXFCcQ3x
— MLB Puerto Rico (@MLBPuertoRico) July 24, 2020
The Amazin’ pitchers that stepped onto the rubber Friday evening struckout 15 and gave up three hits against a well stacked Braves lineup that included hitters like Ronald Acuña Jr., Ozzie Albies, Freddie Freeman and Marcell Ozuna.
Rojas Makes the Record Books
One man who made history for the Mets was rookie manager Luis Rojas. The new skipper became the first Latino to manage a game for the New York Mets. Former bench coach to the squad, Rojas seamlessly monitored a well established bullpen that gave him his first win as a manager.
“We played really good baseball today, the guys threw the ball really well. From Jake to Lugo, Wilson and Díaz … you gotta give credit to Ramos. Ramos did an excellent job of staying within the guys and sequences and going to battle with that lineup,” Rojas said applauding his defense on getting the job done. “Just a good combination out there.”
Rojas is the only Dominican manager present in the majors and is the second active Latino to hold the managerial position along with Nationals skipper Dave Martínez.
The Mets have been welcomed into baseball’s postseason discussions by baseball writers and analysts. Due to the a robust starting rotation and strengthened bullpen, there is much to look forward to in Flushing.
Julio Pabón
July 25, 2020 at 9:57 am
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