NEW YORK — A few hours before the Mets' series finale against the Braves on Sunday, a meeting was convened in the home batting cage. In addition to Brandon Nimmo, manager Carlos Mendoza, head trainer Joe Golia and two hitting coaches were also in attendance. Theme: Nemo's tight right intercostal space.
About 24 hours earlier, Nimmo had adjusted his intercostal muscles (a small but important midsection muscle) during the loss to the Braves. Mendoza's first instinct was to completely shut Nimmo down, and he told his starting left fielder the same thing. Nimmo understood. But when he arrived at Citi Field on Sunday feeling only a dull pain in his right side, Nimmo began convincing his manager to change his mind.
“Please come and watch me enter the cage,” Nemo begged.
So was Mendoza. When the group began to challenge Nimmo with high-speed pitches from the pitching machine, his swing appeared normal. His middle was not barking. Performance test results were good enough that everyone agreed that Nemo was fit enough to play.
What they could not have imagined was the impact Nimmo would ultimately have, hitting a walk-off two-run homer in the ninth inning, leading the Mets to a 4-3 victory over the Braves.
“For him to go through what he did yesterday and today, just to be able to come out and show what kind of player he is,” teammate Jeff McNeil said.
From the time he was ejected from Saturday's game until he entered Sunday's game as a pinch runner in the bottom of the seventh inning, Nimmo did everything he could to quickly heal his chest pain. Intercostal muscle injuries are tricky injuries and often take him more than 6 to 8 weeks to heal. Mr. Nimmo's concerns, reinforced by Mr. Mendoza and Mr. Golia's comments, were that trying to do too much too soon would be a grave mistake. Considering it's still mid-May, this gamble didn't seem worth it.
But as Nimmo said Saturday night, “24 hours is a long time to play baseball.” He spent that time icing his abdomen and taking advantage of several treatments the Mets have available in the clubhouse, including laser therapy, heat therapy and electrical stimulation. Golia and the other trainers poked and prodded him. By Sunday afternoon, Nimmo felt strong enough to begin his political career.
“I wanted to see it myself,” Mendoza said. “I was like, 'Really?'” Does it feel that good? 'But once I took a look, it was clear that he was ready to leave today. ”
By game time, all involved agreed to the decision. In the eyes of Mets trainers, it was no longer a gamble. Use of Nimmo did not constitute a medical risk. Mendoza was fully motivated to do so, but only if the match situation warranted doing so.
Pete Alonso hit tying hits in the third and sixth innings, forcing Luis Severino into a run each time. Coach Mendoza, hoping to take the lead for the first time in the seventh inning, appointed Nimmo as a pinch runner. Although he didn't score, Nimmo made an impact in the game half an inning later with a leaping twist catch that took an extra base hit from Matt Olson at the warning line. When Nemo landed on the ground, he lightly collided with the outfield fence.
“It was a great first test,” Nimmo said. “Hey, get out of my way right now.”
In the end, the Braves took the lead, but McNeil's drag bunt against left-hander AJ Minter sparked a comeback in the ninth inning. Tomás Nido followed with a sacrifice hit to Nimmo, who ran a full count and smashed a 90 mph cutter over the right-center field fence.
“Pure adrenaline,” he said with a big grin, describing the feeling as he rounded the bases, fist-pumping at various points along the route. As Nimmo soared over home plate, Francisco Lindor met him in the air, wrapped his arm around the outfielder and dragged him into a pile of other teammates.
His intercostal muscles also survived the interaction.
“Even if we weren't really sure if we were going to be okay, we are now, because when Francisco hugged me, I almost gasped for air,” Nimmo said with a laugh. “It was great and I would love to do it again.”