Gary Cohen Offers High Praise for First-Year Mets Manager

Gary Cohen thinks the future is bright for the New York Mets with Carlos Mendoza as their manager after his successful rookie season.

Oct 13, 2024; Los Angeles, California, USA; New York Mets manager Carlos Mendoza (64) speaks to the media before game one of the NLCS for the 2024 MLB Playoffs at Dodger Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kiyoshi Mio-Imagn Images / Kiyoshi Mio-Imagn Images

Despite the New York Mets falling short in the NLCS to the Los Angeles Dodgers, Gary Cohen believes the future is bright with manager Carlos Mendoza at the helm.

Speaking on SNY's postgame show after New York's 10-4 loss to the Dodgers in Game 6 on Sunday, the Mets play-by-play announcer thinks the team has something special in their first-year skipper.

"He is going to go down as one of the great managers of all-time. That's how highly I think of Carlos Mendoza." - Gary Cohen

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"He is going to go down as one of the great managers of all-time. That's how highly I think of Carlos Mendoza," Cohen said.

Those are strong words from Cohen about Mendoza after the Mets played in their first NLCS since 2015.

The veteran broadcaster also talked about how Mets fans weren't going to exactly know how Mendoza would do as a first-time MLB manager until the team had its first losing streak.

"I remember the day when Carlos Mendoza was introduced as the Mets manager and I was asked how he was going to do," Cohen said. "I said, 'We won't really know about him until the first losing streak which turned out to be the first week of the season."'

With that losing streak happening at the beginning of the season and with their 0-5 start and dreadful month of May, Mendoza's ability to keep his team together and remain positive had Cohen impressed.

"He was able to keep his cool throughout it and you realized we were dealing with a special person, a special personality," said Cohen. "With the ability to think the game, to observe the game, to incorporate the analytics, to communicate with his players, to use his feel within games, he was as good a first-year manager as I have honestly ever seen."

After an incredible run to the postseason which was filled with many heroic comebacks, it is safe to say that the Mets may have found their skipper for the long haul in Mendoza. Gary Cohen certainly approves.