NEW YORK — With New York Mets star closer Edwin Díaz on the mound, sometimes catcher Francisco Alvarez double-taps the button on the pitch-calling communication device to demonstrate a strong opinion on what to throw.
When the count grew full against New York Yankees superstar Aaron Judge with two outs and the bases empty in the bottom of the ninth inning in a one-run game Saturday, Alvarez felt undecided on whether to call a fastball or a slider.
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He pushed the button for the slider.
Quickly, Díaz signaled he wanted the fastball.
Alvarez held off on pressing the button for the slider again. The previous pitches in the at-bat went: slider (called strike), slider (foul), slider (ball), slider (ball), fastball (foul), slider (ball). Alvarez allowed for another fastball. He trusted Díaz.
Díaz then unleashed a 98.6 mph heater, high and out of the strike zone. Judge swung and missed. Game over.
🎺🫂🤝#MetsWin #LGM pic.twitter.com/Lg4oyBL3wV
— New York Mets (@Mets) May 17, 2025
“The biggest key,” Alvarez said after the Mets’ 3-2 win, “was Edwin’s conviction.”
Díaz threw 17 pitches, including 10 strikes, in a 1-2-3 ninth inning. He surpassed 98.5 mph four times, with one pitch hitting precisely 100 mph and another at 99.7 mph, his hardest balls all season. Just seven of his previous 289 pitches had been timed at over 98.5 mph. Saturday, his fastballs (he threw seven) averaged 98.5 mph.
“He was electric today,” Mets first baseman Pete Alonso said.
The Mets (29-17), who again avoided their first three-game losing streak, need this confident, dominant version of Díaz.
After a fast start to the season, New York’s bullpen is facing adversity. It lost its top two lefties — A.J. Minter and Danny Young — to season-ending injuries. Before Saturday’s game, the club demoted Dedniel Núñez, who was supposed to be one of their best setup relievers. After starting the season in Triple A to build up his workload, Núñez struggled with his command so much (six walks, 18 batters faced) in his brief stint with the Mets that they felt optioning him was the best move. In Saturday’s eighth inning, Reed Garrett again struggled with his command, issuing three walks, but managed to escape without a run. The main bright spot in the bullpen is Huascar Brazoban, who tossed 1 2/3 scoreless innings in relief of starter Griffin Canning. Díaz, Brazoban, Ryne Stanek and Jose Butto have performed consistently well lately, but New York can’t afford one to falter.
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That was especially true Saturday, when the Mets scored two runs on fly balls and again struggled with runners in scoring position.
After taking the lead in the ninth inning on Francisco Lindor’s sacrifice fly, the Mets needed Díaz at his best.
He delivered.
After a wobbly stretch in mid-April, Díaz has flashed dominance reminiscent of his brilliant 2022, striking out 11 batters in 8 1/3 scoreless innings with just two walks. Alonso said he had a recent conversation with Díaz that left him under the impression that Díaz was “locked in” and “crushing his process.”
What were the details of the conversation?
“I’m not giving away what he’s doing,” Alonso said, laughing.
The answer seems clear, anyway, and it comes back to Alvarez’s point about conviction. Against Judge, Díaz said he was “just trying to go after him,” that he obviously knows Judge’s greatness but also believes in his own stuff. That mindset extended beyond Judge, too. Díaz threw four consecutive backfoot sliders to Austin Wells before finally getting the Yankees catcher to swing through one for the first out. The slider in that situation, Alvarez said, was something Díaz wanted, too.
“He is looking very comfortable right now,” Alvarez said. “The stuff he has is some of the best on the team.”
Saturday served as a well-timed reminder.
(Photo: Sarah Stier / Getty Images)
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