Collins’ deal extended
NEW YORK — Three days later, Terry Collins keeps getting asked the same question.
Collins was going to relieve Matt Harvey with a two-run lead and World Series Game 5 heading to the ninth inning on Sunday night, then allowed Harvey to persuade him not to make the change. Harvey gave up a walk and an RBI double, closer Jeurys Familia came in and allowed the tying run to score with help from a shaky defense, and the Kansas City Royals went on to win in 12 innings to take the title.
So what would Collins do differently?
“I would have brought in Familia. That’s what I’d do different,” he said to laughter. “Other than that, I would have not done anything different.”
After the Mets’ first World Series appearance since 2000, Collins was rewarded with a two-year contract. General Manager Sandy Alderson approached Collins on Monday, the sides finalized the deal Tuesday and announced it at a news conference Wednesday.
Collins said Sunday night he would have trouble sleeping for a few days. He received about 20 supportive texts from baseball people, and that helped ease the self-second guessing. Collins thought back to an exchange after the game with pitching coach Dan Warthen.
“He said, ‘Look, everybody agreed with what you did,’ ” Collins explained. “I said, everybody but me.”
“To be honest, it was a no-win situation,” Collins went on. “If I bring in Familia and he gives up two, you’re
an idiot.”
That left Collins to think: “You know what, we made a decision. It didn’t work. Let’s get ready for next year.”
At 66 the oldest manager in the major leagues, Collins said the challenge will be greater. He told the players that early Monday morning after the final out.
“We will now be the hunted. There will be targets on the backs,” he recalled. “Next year that effort has got to be more, because it’s going to be that much harder. No longer are we going to sneak up on anybody. … We’ve got to walk out there with a little bit of a swagger that we’re legit and this wasn’t a fluke.”
New York ended a streak of six consecutive losing seasons since Citi Field opened, finished at 90-72 to win the NL East by seven games over second-place Washington, then beat the Los Angeles Dodgers in a five-game division series and swept the Chicago Cubs in the NL Championship Series.