WHO’S CRYIN’ NOW!
Nearly 2 years to night he shed tears, Wilmer hits walkoff homer to cap Amazin’ comeback
As if Wilmer Flores needs anything more to endear himself to Mets fans, second baseman hits winning home run in ninth inning to complete rally from five runs down in 6-5 win Saturday night at Citi Field, just less than 2 years after he cried upon thinking he was being traded.
This was one week shy of the two-year anniversary of tears and confusion, the day Wilmer Flores cried on the field when word got to him that multiple reports indicated he was going to be traded to Milwaukee. Two days later, on July 31, 2015, he hit a walk-off home run against Washington that helped steer the Mets on a course toward a World Series appearance, instantly earning folk-hero status.
It seems all but certain the Mets are going to miss the playoffs this season, but Flores, the Mets and their fans had every right to revel Saturday night in a bit of deja vu, Flores ripping a walk-off, solo homer in the ninth inning to give the Mets a 6-5 win over the A’s, their fourth straight victory. It was his second career walk-off homer and the Mets’ first of the season.
“The night we all thought he was traded, I said, ‘You know, you have to understand, there’s a team out there that wants you really bad. You should be happy with the way you’re playing to be wanted like that,’” Terry Collins said. “That speaks volumes about the way the players feel about playing here, especially in this town and being a part of this organization. Of course he’s got that great smile, and he should have a lot of fans around here.”
Flores cried that night because he had grown to love being a Met and being in New York. That’s what happens when an organization makes your dreams come true, the Venezuelan signing as an international free agent on Aug. 6, 2007 when he was only 16 years old.
He badly wanted to remain here, a feeling which has only grown over the last two years.
“You get used to one place and you obviously don’t want to leave,” Flores said. “I’ve got all my friends here. When you feel comfortable in one place you want to stay.”
Flores, who played second base Saturday, has seen a big reduction in playing time this month after essentially being a full-time starter in June. He earned that role by hitting .379 in 23 games (14 starts) in May. In 26 appearances (25 starts) in June, he hit .255 with four homers and a .287 on-base percentage.
In his 50 starts this season, Flores is hitting .296 with seven homers, 22 RBI, 12 doubles and 24 runs. He’s hitting .192 in 26 at-bats as a substitute. He hit a tying, pinch-hit homer on Thursday in the eighth inning.
“When he was playing every day I think it wore him down, I really do,” Collins said. “He was swinging so good, he got so hot, he played so many days. I just think it beat him up a little bit. He’s had some rest and looks great.”
Flores, who has six career walk-off RBI, said he did not think about his walk-off homer from two years ago as he was rounding the bases on Saturday. It seems foolish to think the Mets (45-50) can go on the kind of run the rest of the season that they did in 2015 as they’re 10 games out of a wild-card spot.
“I think in the situation we’re in right now, we’re not thinking about it,” Flores said. “Every time we’re out there we’re thinking about winning and thinking about how to win today. We’re not thinking about, we’re some games out or we’re not playing good. But every time we’re out there we’re thinking about winning.”
There were no tears on Saturday, but there was a Flores walkoff once again frenzying a fan base with which he has seemed to forge a permanent bond.
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