Edwin Diaz looked to be cruising towards a save and a Mets victory on Friday night, but with two outs in the bottom of the ninth, the closer surrendered a game-tying solo blast to Daulton Varsho, his second home run given up this season.
Diaz only allowed three long balls last season, and fortunately for the Mets, they were able to bail their closer out and win it in the 10th inning. Asked about Diaz's hiccup, Showalter praised his closer's performance.
"You know what's stunning? That you lose sight of how hard it is to do what those guys do," Showalter said. "You're getting everybody's best shot, and he's been nails for us."
Diaz was dominant in the shortened 2020 campaign after a nightmare debut season with the Mets in 2019, but he hasn't returned to his historic 2018 season with the Mariners. Still, Showalter believes he has a top-notch closer in the back of his bullpen, and Diaz's response to Friday's home run reinforced his belief.
"You know what I like about him? He struck the next guy out," Showalter said. "Instead of 'woe is me' and living in pity. He got out there. I'm glad he's ours. He's a good one."
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