Aaron Loup has been a stellar pickup for the Mets so far this season, pitching to a 1.38 ERA through 35.2 innings out of the bullpen with 38 strikeouts.
As New York heads closer to the home stretch of the season and looks to lock down a division title, Loup will also have another valuable commodity to offer his new team: experience in high-leverage games with playoff implications.
The lefty reliever helped the Rays lock down a division crown just last year, and helped Tampa reach the World Series for just the second time in franchise history. With the Mets carrying similar goals, Loup is encouraged by the similarities between his teammates this season and last year in his previous home.
"I said it in spring to a few of the guys," Loup told Moose and Maggie on Thursday. "There's very similar vibes to the clubhouse. It's great. It's hands-down, no doubt one of the best teams I had the pleasure to play for. It's very similar vibes to last year with the World series team with the rays where everyone is always pulling in the same direction, everyone is rooting for each other, and every night it seems someone else is coming up with a big play. Whether it's on defense with Mike last night, guys coming up with big hits in big situations…that's what makes this team special."
Loup has fit right in with the Mets relievers, as the bullpen has even created its own drinking game, one that was fitting for a celebratory victory on Wednesday night, when Michael Conforto nailed the would-be tying run at the plate in the ninth inning to help seal a 2-1 win over Atlanta.
"For every inning you pitch, it's a beer," Loup explained. "For every strikeout, it's another one. Last night I didn't get a whole inning or a strikeout, but I definitely had a few after that win. That was a big one last night."
Wednesday night's win was another reminder for Loup that the 2021 Mets have a similar feel to the 2020 Rays, with improbable heroes like Brandon Drury hitting a pinch-hit home run, and Conforto making a big play in the outfield. If the Mets can continue to bring back reinforcements off the IL, Loup believes he could be pitching in a second straight Fall Classic this year.
"We have very good starting pitching, the bullpen's been solid, we've been beat up on offense a good bit all year, but I think we're finally getting healthy and pushing in the right direction as far as that goes," Loup said. "If we can get everybody healthy, I think we've got a really strong chance to do something special this year."
Follow WFAN's midday team on Twitter: @MandMWFAN, @MarcMalusis, @MaggieGray, and @TheHoffWFAN
Follow WFAN on Social Media
Twitter | Facebook | Instagram | YouTube | Twitch
