This Week in Mets Quotes: Lindor hopes not to be booed, Pillar alleges that the Mets are in first place

Your 2021 New York Mets: Reminding fans we’re in first place.

“It’s something that’s never really discussed, the fact that we’re in first place. With everything that’s going on, it doesn’t necessarily feel like that all the time as far as feeling like we’re a first-place team. Our mindset and our confidence resembles that, but we’ve been tested. We’ve been pushed to the depths of our organization, and guys have just continued to come up and play well.” -Kevin Pillar [MLB]

Truly Amazin’.

“This team is incredible. I know we’ll battle through any adversity. What we’ve been doing is truly remarkable with having such prominent guys on the [IL]. And to have these guys step in and dominate, it’s been amazing to see.” -Marcus Stroman [MLB]

I mean, I don’t, but they keep doing it.

“It just goes to show how good this team is. No matter who we play, we expect to win.” -Dom Smith [MLB]

Perfectly encompassing this team, I had to double check McKinney’s first name since the quote only gave his last name. I wanted to say Jimmy.

“I’m just grateful for the opportunity to be here. Obviously, it’s on tough circumstances with guys going down — you never hope for that. But I’m just glad that I’m here. I’m trying to show what I can to the best of my abilities, and help the Mets win.” -Billy McKinney [MLB]

Don’t boo this man.

“I finally have some success on my side, and hopefully I continue this to help the team win. Hopefully we get more W’s on this road trip, and when I get home maybe I don’t get booed,” -Francisco Lindor [New York Post]

As I said last week, this aligns with the FanGraphs post suggesting Lindor was just a bit off.

“I am giving myself time to hit, and that is pretty much it. This whole entire time, I have been trying to see the ball and put my body in a good position to hit the baseball. My body wasn’t getting into a good position, and now I’m in a good position to hit the ball. My mind wanted to do something, but since I wasn’t in that good hitting position, I couldn’t do it. Right now, I’m there.” -Francisco Lindor [New York Post]

Just two guys talking about their roughly $340 million contracts.

“The number is very similar, but two different contracts and today when we were on the bases, I was saying Tatis is more on the wild side than me. I am a little calmer when running the bases — he is a very exciting player to watch, he is more daring. It’s fun to watch him and see him do his things. He can do things that I can’t do and vice versa. There’s things I can do that he can’t. Respect to him, he’s a fun player to watch and I’m just excited to watch this team. This is an exciting team, I like watching them play.” -Francisco Lindor [New York Post]

He’s not wrong.

“What do you say? [Jacob deGrom’s] really freaking good.” -Padres manager Jayce Tingler [MLB]

To be fair, putting the Mets in a position to win a deGrom start is basically the same as trying to beat Gibson’s record.

“Honestly, I try not to think about it. I try to go out there and just put us in a position to win.” -Jacob deGrom [MLB]

Just give us some innings, Peterson.

“We need to get him right. We need David Peterson. Lucchesi made adjustments and now he is giving us some innings, and I think Peterson can do the same thing.” -Luis Rojas [New York Post]

Marcus Stoman reacting to.../checks box score/...Brandon.../checks box score/...Drurey.../checks box score/...Drury.

“That was huge. I thanked him about a million times throughout the game. It’s a huge momentum shift right there when I’m able to get out of that inning pretty much unscathed … that gave me a lot of momentum to kind of propel me into the next innings.” -Marcus Stroman [MLB]

Presented with no commentary.

“I think that since the start of the game pitchers have been using substances. I mean, there’s a bag of rosin behind the mound right now to help guys dry their hands and get grip.” -Pete Alonso [The Athletic]

“For me, I think whether they’re using pine tar, rosin, Bullfrog or sunscreen and rosin or whatever they want to use to help control the ball, let them use it, because for me, I go in the box every single day and I see guys throwing harder and harder every day and I don’t want 99 (mph) slipping out of someone’s hand because they didn’t have enough feel for it.” -Pete Alonso [The Athletic]

“That’s a fact. Guys have talked about it, but I mean in 2019 there was a huge class of free-agent pitchers and that’s, quote-unquote, the juiced balls. And then 2020 was a strange year with the COVID season, but now that we’re back to playing a regular season with a ton of shortstops or position players that are going to be paid a lot of money, like high-caliber players, I mean yeah. It’s not a coincidence. That definitely is something that they do.” -Pete Alonso [The Athletic]

Mets Tweet of the Week

SiteBot FacePalm of the Week

AA Quote of the Week

“Pillar bleeds pine tar CONFIRMED” -Verklemptomaniac regarding Pillar correcting that his bat had pine tar and not his bloodied bat from being hit in the face