Mets' Mark Vientos' deep thoughts look to moment, not the past
Mark Vientos #of the New York Mets celebrates his 11th0-inning walkoff homer against the St. Louis Cardinals at Citi Field on Sunday. Credit: Jim McIsaac
Words can’t adequately describe what Mark Vientos was feeling when he had the DH job snatched from him in the final week of spring training by the lightning-strike signing of J.D. Martinez. Or his subsequent banishment to Triple-A Syracuse, a fate Vientos never could have imagined a month earlier.
Frustration? Disappointment? Those barely scratch the surface.
But watching Vientos’ walk-off two-run homer in the 11th inning Sunday, a 404-foot blast that cleared the centerfield wall and gave the Mets a 4-2 victory over the Cardinals, gave us a pretty good idea of what he had been holding inside all this time. Everyone at Citi Field got to see that pain — and yes, certainly some residual anger — come spilling out in the best possible way.
Because as soon as Vientos connected with that pitch, a 97-mph sinker that Cardinals reliever Matt Liberatore left at the top of the strike zone, he let out a roar that rivaled the engine whine of the jets overhead. And from there, he basically surfed the raw emotion until a few steps from the plate, where he flung his helmet before leaping into the mosh pit of waiting Mets.
“I feel like it was a deja vu moment,” said Vientos, who was called up from Syracuse a day earlier. “I’ve lived that moment over and over in my head, so just let it go. Let all that energy out . . . I’m glad it finally happened.”
Vientos wasn’t asked how the scene played out in his imagination, but it couldn’t have been any better than Sunday’s reality, capped by the blue Gatorade bath he got from Pete Alonso, DJ Stewart and Tyrone Taylor in front of the Mets’ dugout.
For weeks, Vientos had been tearing it up at Triple-A, just waiting for the phone to ring. He’s surrounded by people in that clubhouse who’ve struggled to stay patient in the same exact circumstances and a select few — such as Stewart — who understand the challenge of coming through in that critical spot.
“It’s very hard,” Stewart said. “Probably one of the hardest things to do in this game. But that’s what makes this game fun. Being put in tough situations, then you go out there and execute.”
Stewart took it one step further by saying that in this case, Vientos probably had the added motivation of trying to make a point. There’s a job to do, sure. Winning the game is the ultimate goal. But Vientos has been working to stay in the majors since he made his 2022 debut, and any trip back up to Flushing counts as an audition, too.
“My conversation as soon as he got here was, just make sure you’re ready for every opportunity,” manager Carlos Mendoza said. “Credit to him. And it’s awesome to see his reaction once he goes deep there.”
Vientos was given numerous chances after Sunday’s game to talk about overcoming that spring training demotion, to explain how he navigated through the minor-league limbo at Syracuse. But he chose to let the numbers speak for themselves — he hit .302 with five homers, 22 RBIs and a .923 OPS in 23 games — and then made an immediate impact in his first two days in Flushing.
He’s already 3-for-4, including the Mets’ first walk-off homer in the 11th inning or later since Dominic Smith’s blast (also in the 11th) beat Atlanta in 2019. So Vientos has no interest in revisiting the past — or even Syracuse, for that matter. He’s looking squarely ahead.
“To be honest with you, I’m happy where I am right now,” he said. “I’m not really thinking about the past or the future. I’m living in the present right now and I’m happy with this moment — celebrating with my team. My teammates fought the whole game and I’m happy we got the W.”
This was a much different Vientos from the one who stood outside the visitors’ clubhouse at Steinbrenner Field on March 22, the morning after the Mets had agreed to terms with Martinez. He strained to contain his bitterness and barely did. No one could blame him.
But it got worse. Even when Martinez needed extra time to tune up in the minors, the Mets refused to keep Vientos as a DH placeholder, shipping him to Triple-A instead. Some players crawl into a cave of self-pity in those scenarios, stunting their development and further delaying their return to the majors. Instead, Vientos plowed through that initial despair, but he remains on the clock with Starling Marte scheduled to return from bereavement leave on Tuesday.
Vientos’ game-changing power is second only to Alonso’s on this Mets roster, and while that’s tempting to keep, it’s difficult to find a spot for him as long as Martinez and Brett Baty stay healthy.
Mendoza danced around the questions about Vientos’ status beyond Tuesday, but the manager said point-blank that he’ll be in Monday’s lineup against the Cubs.
Quite a contrast with last season, when Vientos homered in his first game up and then rode the bench for a week under Buck Showalter, effectively icing the rookie.
Who wouldn’t want to see more of Vientos after Sunday’s spectacular display?
“This one is the best feeling I’ve ever had,” he said.
No further explanation needed.
David Lennon is an award-winning columnist, a voter for baseball's Hall of Fame and has covered six no-hitters, including two perfect games.
