Reed Garrett picks up first career save in Mets win over Dodgers: ‘It was a dream come true’
Fans are used to seeing Edwin Diaz closing out games, but on Saturday the Mets leaned on Reed Garrett to pick up the win against the Dodgers, and in the process, Garrett picked up his first career save.
Heading into Saturday’s game, it seemed like the 31-year-old would not be available after throwing 33 pitches the night before but manager Carlos Mendoza called upon him and he rewarded his skipper by striking out the side to seal the 6-4 win.
“It says a lot [about him],” Mendoza said after the game about Garrett bouncing back a day later. “Even yesterday when he got into trouble he kept making pitches…. But to go out there today and to have that type of outing and being aggressive in the zone, in this situation in the ninth, up two with a good lineup, their job is to get outs and that’s what he did.”
Garrett hadn’t allowed a run to score in 10 innings this season before two Joey Wendle errors in Friday’s game allowed two unearned runs to score. Despite the fielding errors, Garrett wasn’t efficient -- he blamed the adrenaline and the electricity of the game -- but he was able to get control of himself on Saturday.
“Today I did the best I could to slow everything down and I executed my pitches,” Garrett said. “Today was a battle, everyone went out there and competed…It’s one of those things where I was reading the game and I just did the best I could to stay locked in.”
And execute his pitches is what he’s done all season. The 31-year-old righty is having a career season. After pitching for four teams in three years, including the Mets, Garrett has found his place in New York’s bullpen and has quickly become one of Mendoza’s most trusted relievers.
So much so that after Diaz was used in the eighth inning to get the toughest part of the Dodgers lineup out, he went to Garrett despite the high pitch count from a day before.
Garrett credits one simple change in his mentality. He now attacks the strike zone, something he admittedly wasn’t doing, which got him in trouble with walks and being predictable to hitters. In 10.2 innings pitched this season, he’s giving up just three walks while striking out 21 batters, a career-high.
“He’s doing amazing. I’m happy for him, stepping up in the ninth and striking out the side, that’s really good,” Diaz said of Garrett. “I can’t only pitch the ninth, I could come in early in the game and do my job and we have someone who can do their job in the ninth.”
The Mets have played 20 games so far this season, and Garrett has three wins on his side already, and now his first career save.
“I can’t take credit for that. Our offense is never out of a game,” Garret said. “We’re really scratching and clawing every at-bat, every inning. It’s a lot of fun to see.”
When asked how he felt to be called upon to close out the game in the ninth, the Virginia native was all smiles.
“It was incredible. It was one of those things you dream about as a kid. It was a dream come true.”
