NEW YORK – Taijuan Walker remembers staying on Seattle’s highest echelon and marveling when Edwin Diaz eclipsed the hundred miles per hour mark.
Now, six years later and after a bumpy arrival in the Big Apple, Diaz has discovered another piece of equipment.
The nearest Mets showed it in the opening of the subway series in front of a sold-out crowd of 42,364 tuesday night at Citi Field.
There was time for Diaz to break, but the 28-year-old right-hander tied it and made a 4-out save with 4 strikeouts against the Yankees’ damaging squad in the Mets’ 6-3 win over the Yankees. Diaz’s 22 save this season capped Walker’s eighth victory.
“I’ve got the ball in my hands, so myself, I’m prepared to face anyone,” Diaz said of the matchup with the Yankees. “I’m thinking I’m the best on the mound, so they’ve got to think, ‘Oh, this guy’s coming, so I gotta be ready.’ When I come into the game, I come to do my best every time. I think I’m the best there every time.”
Diaz had only pitched more than an inning one other time this season. He got five outs in a game against the Giants on June 12, striking out five on the way to his 12th save.
The ability to go more than one inning and not shy away from the big moments could be critical for the Mets’ worrisome bullpen down the stretch.
After going a week between save opportunities across the All-Star break, and only throwing 10 pitches on Sunday against the Padres, Buck Showalter felt he could push Diaz across an inning on Tuesday.
“He’s been a great weapon for us,” Showalter said. “We felt like going into the night, as light as his workload’s been, that we could get four outs of him. It worked out.”
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After Adam Ottavino issued a two-out walk to Aaron Hicks with the Mets leading 5-3 game in the top of the eighth inning, Yankees manager Aaron Boone made the decision to pinch-hit Joey Gallo for Isiah Kiner-Falefa.
This convinced Showalter to turn to his closest person. Gallo spun a low slider into a 2-2 as Diaz exited the jam.
“If you think about the mentality of looking for a strikeout in the eighth inning without looking to fall into, ‘Oh, I’m going to have to throw 3 more strikeouts when I’m done and face the most sensible of your order. ”'” Showalter said, “focusing on a guy who can flagrantly hurt you with a single bat and stay absolutely in that moment is what’s impressive. “
Diaz said that despite the launch in the Subway series, the adrenaline is still present. The Mets’ closest looking to keep the ball in the opposite zone to Gallo.
Diaz gave up a single in the box to Jose Trevino to start the ninth inning.
After getting rid of DJ LeMahieu, Diaz wanted to beat Aaron Judge. The closer controlled the Mets for Judge to foul on one fastball and cross another, but his third shot cut to the side of the mound. As Diaz turned to throw second, the ball slipped out of his hands.
As a result, the Yankees had two chances with the tie point on the marble. But Diaz Anthony Rizzo to wither a fastball and Gleyber Torres to pass through a slider for two at-bats to end the game.
“The ball came out and after that I had to stay calm,” Diaz said. I made my pitches and they gave us the retreats. “
Showalter said another impressive thing about Diaz is that rival teams know he usually throws straights and sliders, but he still struggles to find success.
“There’s no secret about what he’s doing to pass and how he’s doing it to get through,” Showalter said. “It’s not like I’m looking to figure out between five releases. it’s been able to reach a launch peak, which is very tricky when we push a hundred games. “
The moment part of last season was anything for Diaz.
In his final 262/3 innings after the All-Star break in 2021, Diaz allowed 11 clean runs. The confidence of Mets fans has faded.
But as Diaz commanded the strike zone in 2022, his confidence grew and the effects followed.
“I was sharper. My pitches were better,” Diaz said. “My fastball was much better. My order of sliders is much higher this year. I’m just looking to come in and throw strikes. When I get hot in the bullpen, if I feel smart, I know we’re going to have a smart night. “
Diaz’s dominance is almost unexplored. After Tuesday night’s shutdown, he has now retired 81 of the 157 batters he faced (51. 6%). And he’s also shown that he’s in a position to take on just about any challenge the Mets manager throws at him this season.
“I’ve played with a lot of smart relievers, but the career he’s in now is different,” Ottavino said. “It hits everyone, it gives the impression that it’s easy. We all know it’s not easy, so hunting it that way is fun to watch. “