The New York Mets are dangerously close to falling out of playoff positioning.
Carlos Mendoza Facing Backlash for Defending Controversial Decision After Guardians Loss originally appeared on Athlon Sports.
The New York Mets-Cleveland Guardians game was the type of seesaw affair that is thrilling for the neutral viewer, but stress-inducing for fans of each team. It ended in heartbreak for the Mets faithful, as the Guardians won 7-6 in 10 innings.
Cleveland went up 5-0 in the top of the sixth after Gabriel Arias' three-run homer, but Pete Alonso hit a three-run shot of his own in the bottom frame to pull New York back within two. It was Alonso's 251st career homer, putting him just one behind Daryl Strawberry for the franchise record.
The 30-year-old then hit an RBI single in the eighth before Mark Vientos tied the game with a sacrifice fly in the same frame. The Mets could have won on Francisco Lindor's ninth-inning double to right, but third base coach Mike Sarbaugh held up the speedy Tyrone Taylor despite cutoff man Carlos Santana bobbling the ball. The Guardians followed up with two runs in the 10th, and New York only scored one.
Mets manager Carlos Mendoza defended Sarbaugh postgame, via SNY.
"I think it was the right decision there," he said. "The ball didn't go all the way to the wall, you know? You get Taylor thrown out of the play right there with [Juan] Soto and Pete coming up, you're gonna be second-guessing that decision. But I thought it was 100% the right one. When he's making the decision, the ball's all the way to the cutoff man. You can't wait [and see] whether Santana bobbles the ball after the fact, the decision's already made..."
New York fans on social media aren't buying the explanation.
"If the Mets win a World Series, it will be because of the talent and FO, not this guy," one said.
"Have some accountability, man," another said. "The guy made a dumb play. Say that and fire him. We can’t lose games like this."
"It's never Mendy or his band of idiots' fault," another said.
"Tyrone was 3-4 steps past third (slowing down, mind you) by the time the ball hit Santana’s glove," another said. "It would’ve taken a perfect throw to get him. It was the wrong move, Mendy.
"Soto would still be up with Lindor in scoring position even if Taylor was out," another said. "Mendoza is LOSTTTTT."
"When he's making the decision, the ball's all the way to the cut-off man"
— SNY (@SNYtv) August 5, 2025
Carlos Mendoza says that third base coach Mike Sarbaugh made the right decision to hold Tyrone Taylor at third base on Francisco Lindor's hit in the 9th inning: pic.twitter.com/k97stIDjip
Mets Could Drop Out of Wild Card Positioning
New York is 4-6 in its last 10 and just a half-game ahead of the San Diego Padres for the second NL Wild Card spot, who are playing the Arizona Diamondbacks as of this writing. However, it is just 1.5 games behind the Philadelphia Phillies for first place in the NL East.
The Cincinnati Reds are 3.5 games behind the Padres for the third and final Wild Card spot, and they have almost two months to catch up. The Mets can't afford a long-term slide, as they could fall out of playoff positioning entirely despite having a star-studded roster.
Related: Pete Alonso Announces Plan for Retirement as $24 Million Mets Decision Nears
Related: Juan Soto Had Four Words For Padres Fans on Tuesday
This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Aug 5, 2025, where it first appeared.
Category: Baseball
