We write about the New York Mets a lot.
But let’s be honest — they’re the undisputed content kings of Major League Baseball, just like their NFL counterparts.
Whether it’s the SNY booth already in midseason form on the first day of spring training, Keith Hernandez swooning over a woman in a Pickleball clip, a young fan heckling reliever Danny Young or Carlos Mendoza making a pitching change mid-interview, the Mets never fail to give us something to talk (or write) about.
Monday was no exception. Not only did the team announce a behind-the-scenes Juan Soto docuseries on YouTube, but another in-game interview clip from a spring training game went viral. This time, Mendoza wasn’t making another mid-interview pitching change, but what happened nearly forced Griffin Canning to change his pants.
After being non-tendered by the Atlanta Braves following a trade that sent Jorge Soler to the Los Angeles Angels, the Mets signed Canning to a one-year deal this offseason. There wasn’t much to write home about his tenure in Anaheim, but the Mets have become an organization that’s become really good at turning mediocre pitches into elite ones.
Monday saw Canning strike out five St. Louis Cardinals in his first start of spring training. He recorded 11 whiffs, allowing just one hit in 3.2 innings pitched.
He also recorded something else that won’t show up on his final statline — a dodge.
If you can dodge a wrench, you can dodge a ball. No one threw a wrench at Canning, but given how badly the Cardinals struggled to make contact, maybe they were swinging them. They finally did when he was in the dugout, giving an in-game interview with SNY’s Steve Gelbs, Ron Darling and Hernandez.
That’s when Canning had to hit the eject button, ducking out of the way of a line drive that came scorching into the Mets’ dugout in the eighth inning.
“That ball will bite, you know that,” Hernandez said.
Indeed. And the last thing the Mets need is another rotation injury.