Baseball is a six-degrees-of-separation sort of sport, after all. Most lifers end up finding their way through several organizations. Lines cross and cross again. So it’s probably not surprising that the opposing managers in the National League Division Series that began Saturday at Citizens Bank Park have a previously existing relationship.
In 2013, Rob Thomson was Joe Girardi’s bench coach for the Yankees. Carlos Mendoza was the organization’s roving minor league infield instructor, a promotion from his previous positions as coach and manager for the Staten Island Yankees, Gulf Coast League Yankees and Charleston RiverDogs.
Now, of course, Thomson has taken the Phillies to the postseason for the third straight year and Mendoza did the same in his rookie year as a big league manager for the Mets.
“Every spring training we’d invite all the coordinators to come and help out with Major League camp. He was a fascinating guy because it was right at the time when a lot of (extreme defensive) shifting was starting to come into the game. I really didn’t understand much about it, but he did. So I learned a lot about infield positioning from him.
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“We’d sit and talk about situations. I love Mendy. He’s a really good baseball man. He understands the game. He understands the player. He respects players and knows how to treat them. He understands how difficult this game is. I have a lot of respect for him.”
Mendoza’s ability to relate was tested right away. The Mets were 11 games under .500 through July 2 but he never lost the clubhouse. They had the best record in baseball from that point to the end of the season.
Despite their closeness, Thomson said this series won’t have a different feel for him.
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“Not really,” he said. “I mean, you know, players are playing. We’re just managing the game. It’s not like he’s hitting and I’m pitching.”
And it’s not like Mendoza is going to do anything to help his old buddy, either. Thomson found out that Kodai Senga would be the surprise starter for the Mets in Game 1 when Mendoza announced it, just like everybody else.
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