Mets eager to trumpet Díaz's grand return in 2024

NEW YORK – The ninth inning will be different for the Mets in 2024. Unlike last year, the disappointments should be few and far between. The team already knows that right-hander Edwin Díaz will be the man with most of the save opportunities.

And we know how his inning will start off. After Díaz opens the bullpen gate, it will be pomp and circumstance. As Díaz jogs to the mound -- as early as Opening Day on Friday at Citi Field -- “Narco” by Blasterjaxx and Timmy Trumpet, will be heard. The fans will go nuts, clapping their hands and dancing to the beat while Díaz is given a standing ovation.

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The Mets faithful remember how it was in 2022 when Díaz was lights-out. He had a season to remember that year, saving 32 games, posting a 1.31 ERA and winning the Trevor Hoffman Award as the best reliever in the National League.

Last season was a different story. Díaz didn’t play after he sustained a complete right patellar tendon tear during the World Baseball Classic on March 16. His absence hurt the Mets’ bullpen, which went 26-36 with a 4.45 ERA and 34 saves in 52 opportunities. The season was a disappointment overall, and the Mets finished fourth in the National League East with a 75-87 record. It was difficult for Díaz to watch.

Díaz was hoping to return that September, but New York was out of the postseason race by then, and he had to wait until Spring Training to get back on the mound.

“Being out a year, sitting in the clubhouse and watching them play every single day was tough,” he said. “I was supporting them, but at the same time, I was thinking, 'I wish I could be on the mound and help the team to win.' It was tough, because it was my first time being injured my entire career. Sitting down was tough.”

While he wasn’t the manager last year, new Mets skipper Carlos Mendoza can’t wait to get on the bullpen phone to call on Diaz to pitch the ninth. The skipper received a preview on March 11, when Díaz played his first exhibition game and struck out the side against the Marlins.

“It’s pretty cool. To be able to manage the game knowing that you have him available for that ninth inning is a different feeling,” Mendoza said. “We have to get the ball to him in the ninth. Obviously, we know the trumpets and things like that. We’ll all have chills. I experienced it during Spring Training. Even though it was a Spring Training game, it was special. It’s nice to have him back fully healthy [and] feeling good. It’s a good feeling to have.”

Díaz said he will not be nervous when he makes his regular season debut in 2024. It will be his first MLB appearance since Oct. 9, 2022, against the Padres in the NL Wild Card Series.

“I will feel really excited, because it will be the first time since 2022 I will pitch at home, pitching in a big league game,” Díaz said. “When they sound the trumpets, I know the fans will get loud. I will feel the chills. But at the same time, I will try to do my job.”

Díaz's expectations for the Mets are high this season. He's already thinking about the postseason.

“Man, I like everything. I like the energy in the clubhouse. I think we have a really good team. We improved our defense. The hitting department is really good. Our bullpen and starting pitching [are] really good. I think we have a really good team. When we compete this year, we have a chance to make the playoffs.”