With the tying run on third after the previous tying run had just been thrown out at home, Mets manager Buck Showalter came to the mound to have a chat with closer Edwin Diaz.
It was not a long conversation.
As Diaz told it after closing out a 5-4 win for New York, Showalter brought up intentionally walking Christian Yelich, who represented the go-ahead run, to pitch instead to Willy Adames for the final out.
Diaz quickly knew what was up when Showalter approached, and quickly shut it down.
"Yeah, I knew right away," Diaz said. "He came, we crossed like two words, and he said, 'You want to walk him?' I said 'No.' he went back to the dugout.
"It was a short visit. He told me 'You got to face this guy.' So I faced him and got the out."
Diaz struck out Yelich, who had homered earlier in the game, to strand the tying run at third and secure a series victory for the first-place Mets, and it wasn't a particularly difficult at-bat for Diaz. He fired three straight sliders, all for strikes, getting Yelich to swing and miss at the final slider to prove himself right for wanting to face the former MVP.
"I talked and he said something back, and I said 'Good enough for me,'" Showalter said. "I needed a little exercise, as you can tell. It was a good pitcher against a really good hitter."
Follow Ryan Chichester on Twitter: @ryanchichester1
Follow WFAN on Social Media
Twitter | Facebook | Instagram | YouTube | Twitch
Listen live to WFAN:
Audacy App | Online Stream | Smart Speaker (just say 'Play W-F-A-N')
