New York Mets' José Iglesias Records 1st Multi-Home Run Game in 12-Year MLB Career

It took José Iglesias 1,124 games to do it, but the New York Mets infielder and emerging Latin pop star finally hit two home runs against the Colorado Rockies on Friday night.

Jul 12, 2024; New York City, New York, USA; New York Mets second baseman Jose Iglesias (11) celebrates after hitting a solo home run in the second inning against the Colorado Rockies at Citi Field. / Wendell Cruz-USA TODAY Sports

José Iglesias had appeared in 1,123 MLB games entering Friday.

The New York Mets infielder had 48 career home runs to that point, averaging one every 23 games or 86 plate appearances. For as respectable as a career he's had, Iglesias has never been known as a prolific power hitter.

While he certainly won't be changing that narrative anytime soon, Iglesias showed off plenty of pop against the Colorado Rockies on Friday night.

The second baseman went back-to-back with third baseman Mark Vientos in the second inning, launching a 389-foot solo home run to left. After grounding out to short in the third, Iglesias led off the bottom of the fifth with his second solo homer of the night.

This one went 399 feet to left-center, giving the Mets a 7-2 lead, on top of lifting Iglesias to a major career milestone.

Friday marked Iglesias' first multi-home run performance in his MLB career, which dates back to 2011.

HIT IT 🎶 pic.twitter.com/4CM2ZR3yGv

— New York Mets (@Mets) July 13, 2024

The 34-year-old is now batting .347 with three home runs, 16 RBI, a .940 OPS and a 0.8 WAR since joining the Mets back on May 31. He had been on a minor league contract to that point, after spending all of 2023 in the Miami Marlins and San Diego Padres' respective farm systems.

Since spending four seasons with the Boston Red Sox and five with the Detroit Tigers, the 2013 AL Rookie of the Year runner-up and 2015 All-Star has been bouncing around from team to team on a yearly basis. He has now racked up 1,077 hits and a 12.5 WAR in the big leagues, batting .280 with a .705 OPS.

Iglesias' return to the big leagues couldn't be going any better, and he has converted his stellar play at the plate into genuine star power as well. The Cuban-American ballplayer has been recording music under the stage name Candelita, releasing a song "OMG" that topped the Latin pop charts in June.

That track has become intertwined with the Mets' resurgence this summer.

After starting the season 24-35, New York is now 48-45, in line to earn an NL Wild Card spot. And whenever a Mets player hits a home run, they celebrate with an "OMG" sign back in the dugout.

From Iglesias performing "OMG" live at Citi Field to the song blasting over the loudspeakers during his two trots around the bases Friday, the veteran has become an instant fan-favorite in Queens.

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