Juan Lagares channels Willie Mays as Mets extend winning streak to 10
How well are things going for the New York Mets right now?
All one needs to do to find the answer is watch the incredible catch made by center fielder Juan Lagares during Wednesday night’s 3-2 victory against the Atlanta Braves, which extended New York’s winning to streak to 10.
It happened on a seventh-inning rocket off the bat of Atlanta’s Jace Peterson. Lagares got twisted around a bit in his pursuit, which under the circumstances is excusable. As they always say, the hardest ball to judge is the line drive right at you, and this truly was a missile that ended up with more slice than Lagares anticipated.
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Not that it was any problem for Lagares. As he continued tracking the baseball, he showed incredible athleticism to not only keep up with the fast-traveling baseball, but to contort his body on the run to make an awkward yet exceptional over-the-shoulder catch.
A photo is worth 1,000 words there. Lagares wasn’t even positioned to watch the ball enter his glove, but it still found leather and he still squeezed it for an out.
Honestly, the Willie Mays comparison may not work best here because Mays made his famous World Series catch look smooth and almost effortless, but it’s definitely a hat tip and a high five.
The play came at a key time in the game as well. The Mets were trailing 2-1 and Dillon Gee was in his seventh inning of work. If Peterson gets extra bases leading off that inning, it changes the entire outlook of the game and likely changed how manager Terry Collins used his bullpen. As it was, Gee finished the seventh inning, which gaves Collins his full complement of relievers in the eighth and ninth.
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It also ensured the Braves lead wouldn’t expand beyond, which allowed the Mets offense to tie it and take the lead with single runs in the seventh and eighth innings. Lagares contributed to the winning rally with an infield hit. Lucas Duda delivered the go-ahead run with an RBI single.
The Mets will now attempt to match their franchise record with an 11th straight victory on Thursday. At 12-3, they own the best record in baseball and a 3 1/2 game lead over Atlanta in the NL East.
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Mark Townsend is a writer for Big League Stew on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at [email protected] or follow him on Twitter! Follow @Townie813
