Yes, those are the Subway Squawkers with Jeurys Familia! Last night, Hennessy V.S.O.P. Privilege hosted an event in association with LatinoBaseball.com to honor the Mets closer, and Lisa and I had the chance to ask him a few questions.
Familia mixes a drink at the Hennessy event.
All photos: Donald Traill for Associated Press
Even though the Mets have the same record this season as they did at this point last year (36-32), expectations are now much higher. So I asked Familia if he thought there was more pressure this year.
“No, there’s no pressure for us,” Familia said. “The experience we had last year in the World Series and playing in the playoffs, we don’t feel the pressure anymore. These games are a little crazy. We’ve also had bad times. But everybody knows we can do better and we’re going to do better. We want to do the best we can and try to win everything this year.”
Met starting pitchers are known not just for their arms, but for their bats. As a reliever, Familia does not get much of a chance to come to the plate, but wondered if he liked to hit.
“Oh, yeah, I like to hit, though I don’t have to,” Familia said. “But I have two base hits!” he added with a laugh. “Bullpen guys don’t have the opportunity to practice. But starting pitchers hit almost every day.”
Engraved bottle with Familia cocktail
(For his career, Familia has two hits in four regular-season at bats, so he’s a .500 hitter! Familia is also 0-for-1 in the postseason.)
Of course, the most important number for Familia is his 22 saves, tied for the major-league lead.
And let’s hope Familia saying the team does not feel more pressure despite increased expectations also extends to the front office. A few days ago, the Mets did not appear to be interested in bringing back Jose Reyes or signing Cuban infielder Yulieski Gourriel. Now both are said to be possibilities, along with demoting Michael Conforto. If the Mets honestly believe there is a good move to be made, that’s one thing. But it’s a little early for panic moves.
Check back later for Lisa’s interview with Familia.
