The goal, of course, is to win games and eventually a championship.

But maybe the Mets will win over a country along the way.

“This naming of Carlos Mendoza as manager has made Venezuela very happy,” said Daniel Álvarez-Montes, a baseball reporter for El Extrabase. “We’ve only had one full-time [Venezuelan manager] in Ozzie [Guillen]. I remember the Ozzie-mania in Venezuela, and everyone rooting for the White Sox to win the World Series.

“I feel that’s something that might happen with Mendoza going to the Mets.”