Gleyber Torres and Carlos Mendoza are no longer part of the same organization, but their history goes back nearly a decade.
Though Mendoza is on the other side of town, Torres is pulling for his old coach with the Mets and knows the pair could meet in the World Series if they both advance past their respective LCS.
“I don’t want to get too far ahead because we have to do a lot of things first, but it would be special to see him in a Subway Series in the World Series,’’ Torres said during the ALDS in Kansas City on Thursday. “Not just for us, but for New York. It would be amazing.”
Torres and Mendoza, though, still have a connection that dates back to Torres’ trade to the Yankees from the Cubs midway through the 2016 season, when Aroldis Chapman was sent to Chicago.
At the time, Torres was one of the top prospects in the game and Mendoza was a roving defensive instructor in the Yankees’ minor league system.
“[Mendoza] was the first guy I really got to know with the Yankees and he helped me out more than anyone when I got here,’’ said Torres, like Mendoza, a native of Venezuela. “And then he was with me through my whole major league career until this year.”
Before Mendoza switched boroughs, Torres said his old bench coach knew how to handle success and failure, staying positive throughout, but also getting on him when he needed to hear it.
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And one of Mendoza’s messages rang especially true to Torres.
“He would always tell me, ‘It’s not how you start, it’s how you finish.’ And that’s what happened with both of us this year: The Mets started really slow and then played really well, and they’re in the playoffs right now. And I played better in the second half and hopefully in the postseason.”
Torres is having a fall to remember, having closed out what was a shaky season heading into free agency with an excellent September and following that up with a solid start to the playoffs — all out of the leadoff spot.
In his last 24 regular-season games, Torres had an OPS of .876 after putting up an OPS of just .673 through Sept. 1.
And while Torres went just 3-for-15 against the Royals, he had a homer and a double, as well as five walks and scored a team-high four runs in the series.
The Mets also began to rewrite their 2024 story in September and Mendoza got them a wild-card spot and postseason series wins against Milwaukee and Philadelphia.
“I’m really happy for him,’’ Torres said. “He’s always helped me and he deserves this. I thought he would be a good manager, for sure. I’m glad he got the opportunity and I hope he keeps going.”
