WILLIAMSPORT, Pa. — Because the Mets ventured across the Little League advanced early Sunday forward of the Little League Traditional, Mark Vientos hesitated. Was he going to slip down the well-known hill at Lamade Subject?
Vientos had at all times wished to as a child, however he’d by no means gotten the possibility. Nonetheless, he wasn’t positive.
It took some cajoling from the horde of Little Leaguers surrounding him (and some Mets staffers), however ultimately, he did.
There was zero hesitation in Vientos’ swing 10 hours later, when he stepped to the plate vs. the Mariners and launched a three-run homer to proper subject, igniting the Mets’ offense en path to a 7-3 victory within the Traditional.
“I confronted my fears right now,” Vientos joked postgame. “That was at all times a childhood dream of mine, to go down that hill.”
“Did you fall?” requested Francisco Lindor, sitting subsequent to Vientos.
“No, I didn’t — I am an athlete, bro,” Vientos replied. “However I used to be nervous, after which a pair different guys pushed me to do it. Nevertheless it was enjoyable.”
Vientos positive is an athlete, as is evidenced by that 103.5 mph dinger off George Kirby, which despatched all Little Leaguers in attendance wild with pleasure because it soared over the right-field wall, the ball urged alongside by an excited Sean Manaea within the ESPN broadcast sales space on the time. Vientos completed the evening 2-for-3 with 4 RBIs, main the Mets to their first win streak since their seven-game stretch from July 20-27. It additionally marked their first sequence victory for the reason that finish of that win streak, once they swept the Giants in three video games.
And a lot of the sport centered on Vientos.
It has been a troublesome yr for the third baseman. After beginning nearly daily final season and being such a central a part of the Mets’ push to the postseason, Vientos began his 2025 marketing campaign somewhat lackluster. He didn’t hit above .200 till late April, then spent most of June on the injured listing with a proper hamstring pressure.
Since he has been again within the Majors, Vientos has been beginning lower than earlier than — generally with a number of video games between begins — and has had a gradual starting of August.
“It hasn’t been simple for him,” supervisor Carlos Mendoza stated. “Quite a lot of ups and downs. Began the yr not the best way he wished it or anticipated it, [or how] we anticipated it. And it hasn’t been simple for him the previous couple of weeks, with inconsistent enjoying time. And he performs one recreation, perhaps sits for a number of. … It is not a simple position, however that is form of just like the messaging with him and a few of the different youthful gamers, like, they’ve acquired to remain prepared.”
Vientos is making an attempt to do exactly that, and each he and his supervisor hope the efficiency Sunday can function a jumping-off level.
“To his credit score, pleased with him, as a result of to have a recreation like that towards a extremely good arm is fairly spectacular,” Mendoza stated. “We’d like him. We’d like all of these guys. He was an enormous a part of this group final yr, and he will be an enormous half shifting ahead. We noticed it tonight. He is too good of a participant, and hopefully he can simply take off from right now.”
Vientos had some assist, and never simply from the raucous cheers (and makes an attempt at beginning the wave) from the children within the stands — although maybe one did give him some additional luck forward of the house run.
“It was superior, it was superior,” Vientos stated. “Proper earlier than that at-bat, one of many children instructed me, he is like, ‘Hey, Vientos, in case you hit a house run, you’ve acquired to provide me your bat!’ Sadly, I used to be searching for the child and I could not discover him after that, however that was fairly sick.”
Vientos’ teammates did assist, too, in fact. Clay Holmes allowed only one run over 5 innings. Francisco Lindor and Francisco Alvarez every tallied three hits and an RBI. (Alvarez did exit following the seventh inning after injuring his proper thumb diving into second on a double. He’ll head to New York on the off-day Monday to bear an MRI.)
However on the finish of the day, past the ultimate field rating and the “W” within the win column, Sunday was in regards to the children. And Vientos is past completely satisfied to have given them a worthy efficiency — each on the sphere, and on the hill.
“Being across the children and this setting simply brings again reminiscences of simply enjoying with guys you grew up with round your neighborhood,” Vientos stated. “You had been simply enjoying the sport, quite simple, easy — simply see ball, hit ball. And I really feel like once we’re doing effectively, I really feel prefer it’s quite simple — we have a tendency to speak in that method. So it was enjoyable. It was enjoyable to be out right here.”
