Terry Collins had a good feeling about the Mets’ chances Friday just by the buzz he heard emanating from the clubhouse early in the afternoon.
Despite the fact the Mets had lost the first two games of the World Series in Kansas City, there was already talk about how the team would celebrate after it won Game 3.
The Mets award a victory belt to their player of the game, but only after a win.
“This is when we rise up, when we’ve got our backs to the wall,” Collins said after the Mets beat the Royals 9-3 on Friday. “And I heard two or three guys, Michael Cuddyer said to one of the guys, he said, ‘We’re going to raise that belt tonight, so we’ve got to get after it.’ And they just finished doing that inside, so they were ready.”
David Wright was awarded the belt after hitting a homer and driving in four runs.
Raul Mondesi entered as a pinch-hitter for the Royals in the fifth and became the first player to make his major-league debut in the World Series. The Royals promoted the 20-year-old Mondesi — whose father spent part of his career with the Yankees — from Double-A to replace Terrance Gore on the World Series roster.
Collins held up a stop sign to a Mets public relations official waving him into the interview room after the game so he could pose for a picture with a member of the FDNY.
The Mets have positive recollections of Chris Young — who will start Game 4 for the Royals — from his two years pitching for the Mets.
Young pitched three innings of scoreless relief for the Royals in their 5-4 victory in 14 innings Game 1.
“He’s one of the best people you will ever meet,” Collins said. “He’s worked very hard to come off the different injuries he’s had, his shoulder, his back, but you cheer for him. He’s a tremendous guy, a great family man. He writes up his own game plan how he is going to attack the hitters and everybody is excited that knows him that he’s had success. I hope [Saturday] night he makes a few mistakes, but you’ve got to be on his side.”
This marked the first time since 2004 that both teams had right-handed pitchers start Games 1, 2 and 3 of the World Series. In 2004, the Cardinals started Woody Williams, Matt Morris and Jeff Suppan. The Red Sox started Tim Wakefield, Curt Schilling and Pedro Martinez. Before that it hadn’t occurred since 1989.
Andrew McCutchen received the Roberto Clemente award as baseball’s top humanitarian for 2015. Curtis Granderson was the Mets’ nominee for the award.
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