Louis Torrence This is his ninth season in the league and his third with the Mets. He wasn’t known for his offense during that stretch, spending most of his career in a backup catcher role.
However, on Sunday against the San Francisco Giants, with New York trailing 2-1 in the eighth inning but still threatening, Torrence was called upon to serve as a pinch-hitter against a left-handed pitcher.
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This move is a bit surprising. Torrance not only replaced Jared Young He had gone 3-for-3 that day, even though the opponent was a right-hander. Logan Webberbut the Mets’ backup lineup is thin, and if the game goes into overtime or any unforeseen circumstances occur, the Mets may not be able to afford to lose their backup catcher.
But according to the manager Carlos Mendoza Those who spoke after the game said that was exactly the moment the Mets wanted to use Torrence.
“I must commend [bench coach] Kay Correa Mendoza said: “…he brought it up to me before the game started – like in a big position, Luis Torrence against one of the lefties…and sure enough, the situation came up and we [used] He was ready from the start and he executed. “
Facing LHP Eric Miller With one out and runners on second and third, Torrence fell behind in the count but fouled out on some pitches and was able to complete the count. At 3-2, Torrence caught a changeup off the plate that was supposed to be fourth, but the catcher swung at the ball and poked it down the right field line for a two-run double that gave New York a 3-2 lead.
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The Mets scored two more runs in the inning and won 5-2 with a four-run eighth inning, but the biggest blow came from Torrence, who was ready to go before the game even started.
“For me, to get the ball out there, I prepare myself even before the game,” Torrence said through a translator. “Mendy told me that there might be a situation where I need to step in, but the key for me is to focus and try to perform in the situation.”
Torrence continued: “I’m really happy that I was told earlier in the game and even before the game because I was able to prepare myself in a way that I knew I could be ready for, and no matter what came up in the game, I was going to be ready and do my job.”
So why was Torrence, a career .228 hitter, at that moment in particular?
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“He slows the game down, he has the ability to use the whole field, he’s not afraid to go the other way, he’s not afraid to crunch numbers,” Mendoza said. “He gets two strikes and you feel good about it because he’s going to put the ball in play and he’s going to take what the pitcher gives him.
“This guy has been around baseball for a long time, played a lot of winter ball. So I’m happy for Louis in this situation.”
As a nine-year veteran (as a catcher), Torrence puts all of that experience to good use. That’s why the Mets loved having him around them the past three years. In fact, while the 29-year-old is not known for his bat, he is now batting .352 in 54 at-bats as a pinch hitter, one of the toughest jobs in baseball.
On top of that, Torrence remains elite at stopping the run game, even throwing out a runner trying to steal second base in the bottom of the ninth.
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It was performances like that, his eighth-inning at-bat and his pregame communication with coaches that led Mendoza to praise the “little details” New York made on Sunday that led to an impressive win and three in four games in San Francisco.
“It speaks to how prepared we are as a team,” Torrence said. “I think every one of us is preparing before the game, during the game, doing the best we can, and I think that means a lot to our team here.”
After a rough start to the season offensively, the Mets have turned things around, scoring 24 runs in their past three games. almost none of these Juan Sotoalso.
“It’s special,” Mendoza said. “We have good players, up and down. Dealing with some of the injured players, you still feel really good, not only the players who are in the lineup or have more opportunities to play, but [with] What else is on the bench, we saw that today.
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“There’s a lot of versatility. We can do a lot of things because of the flexibility. That shows you that this is a deep roster and a lot of fun.”
New York will continue the good times with a three-game set starting Tuesday at Citi Field when they host the Arizona Diamondbacks.
