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During the 2020/2021 offseason, the Mets made an unprecedented move: they signed two players whose last name ends with -illar, Jonathan Villar and Kevin Pillar. While the names are pronounced differently (Vi-yar versus Pill-ar), the two bench pieces starters for the Mets have contributed a fair amount to their early success already.
Inspired by our own Maggie Wiggin on Twitter, we will declare an “-illar of the Day,” celebrating which player had a more productive (or less destructive) day for the Mets.
This is an unprecedented second straight week of -illar festivities without an injury break! Bring out the bubbly!
Game 55: Padres at Mets
This was a game that had significant contributions from both Kevin and Jonathan, with Pillar doubling and scoring a run in the fifth inning and Villar went 2-4 with a stolen base.
-illar of the Day: Tie!
Game 56: Padres at Mets
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Jonathan Villar turned on a ball and planted it deep into the Coca-Cola Corner to give the Mets an insurance run, so he gets the cookie today.
-illar of the Day: Jonathan Villar
Game 57: Padres at Mets
This game was not pleasant for either -illar, with Jonathan away from the team to deal with a family situation, and Kevin not collecting a hit. However, our Linda Surovich put it perfectly in her long recap:
In the eighth inning, there was a scary moment when Pete Alonso got struck in the helmet with a pitch. He was ok but Kevin Pillar batted two batters later after that incident. After all that he went through, stepping into the box after that earns him the nod.
-illar of the Day: Kevin Pillar
Game 58: Cubs at Mets
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In the fourth inning, Pillar drove in two runs with a double. We’ve got a streak going!
-illar of the Day: Kevin Pillar
Game 59: Cubs at Mets
This is another tie for the -illar Bros. Jonathan scored the winning run and Kevin cut off Eric Sogard’s single and started a beautiful relay to throw out Jake Marisnick at the plate, keeping the lead in the Mets’ favor.
-illar of the Day: Tie!
Game 60: Cubs at Mets
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Pillar continued his hot streak, driving in two of the Mets’ six runs in their third straight victory of the Cubbies.
-illar of the Day: Kevin Pillar
The Tally So Far:
Jonathan Villar: 20 wins, 4 ties
Kevin Pillar: 17 wins, 4 ties
Other -illars: 5
OF Doom is catching up to Jonathan Virtual Reality!
This was a fun week, though since both -illars were excellent all week, I didn’t get to bust out any -illar goofs. Maybe next week!