Edwin Diaz was sure to avoid repeating the worst moment of his career on Monday.
Diaz and the New York Mets won the first game of their doubleheader against the Atlanta Braves to clinch a spot in the MLB postseason. After getting the final out, the Mets celebrated on the field, but the Mets closer claims he avoided a previous mistake.
In his post-game comments, Diaz claimed he purposely didn't jump around during the celebration, staying on his feet to avoid a past catastrophe.
Back in March of 2023, Diaz was pitching for Puerto Rico in the 2023 World Baseball Classic. After he secured the final out in the ninth inning against the Dominican Republic to send his country to the quarterfinals, the on-field celebration got ugly. Diaz tore the patellar tendon in his right knee while jumping to celebrate and he missed the entire 2023 MLB season.
It's safe to say he probably has a bit of celebration PTSD after that incident.
On Monday, Diaz entered with one out in the eighth inning of the first game. The Mets had a 6-3 lead. He four runs came across before he was able to end the inning and New York went to the top of the ninth trailing 7-6. Luckily, Francisco Lindor blasted a two-run home run to give the Mets a lead again 8-7.
Diaz was back out for the ninth and was able to pitch around a one-out single to close the game out and clinch the Mets' spot in the postseason.
He was wise to keep his end of the celebration muted.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Edwin Diaz Wisely Protected Himself During Mets' On-Field Celebration.
