Juan Lagares received his Gold Glove Award before Friday night’s game. The center fielder quickly reminded everyone why he may need to create room in his home for several more, making three breathtaking catches in the Mets’ sixth straight win, a 4-1 victory over the Marlins at Citi Field, including a diving catch in the seventh inning that saved a run.
“He couldn’t pick a better night to make those plays after he got the Gold Glove,” manager Terry Collins said. “When you’re pitching and you know you can make a mistake and you got a guy who can run stuff down in center field like that, it gives you all the confidence in the world to pound the strike zone.”
With baserunners at first and second and one out in the seventh, J.T. Realmuto lofted a bloop into shallow center field off the end of the bat. Lagares actually hesitated at first — a rarity for the fleet-footed outfielder — but picked up speed as he came in, went into a headlong dive and snared the ball just before it could scrape the grass.
Collins said he didn’t think Lagares had a chance. The center fielder even said he was “a little surprised” he was able to make the play. But then again, he goes after every ball, even ones he believes are out of reach.
“I always think I want to get it,” Lagares said. “I need to go hard to every ball and try to get it. That’s what I want to do.”
It was the last of his three impressive catches. He easily tracked down a Adeiny Hechavarria shot most outfielders would struggle to reach in the second inning. In the third, he sprinted back to haul in a Christian Yelich rocket at the warning track in left-center field, and then came his diving catch in the seventh.
“Young Torii Hunter,” fellow outfielder Michael Cuddyer said, when asked if he has seen anyone play the outfield like Lagares. “Very comparable.”
Until the Mets moved him to outfield in 2009, Lagares was actually a shortstop, experience he said has helped him upon the switch. You need quick reflexes and anticipation to play the infield. He also credited his relationship with Brewers outfielder and former Met Carlos Gomez. The two frequently talk and have played together in winter ball in the Dominican Republic.
“He has a lot more years than me in the big leagues,” Lagares said. “He taught me to play hard. That’s the only [thing] we can control in this game.”
Gomez won his first Gold Glove in 2013, but Lagares beat him last year. He was caught off guard when he found out about the award last November.
“I was a little surprised,” he said. “The team called me. I didn’t know what to say at that moment. I called my family, my friends.
“I just feel happy, finally I got the glove. I tried to go out there and keep doing the same thing, play hard.”
