New York Mets manager Carlos Mendoza will watch tonight’s World Baseball Classic championship game with conflicting views. As his ballclub continues through spring training, a battle is about to set the stage. Nolan McLean, arguably one of the Mets who will start the season on the opening day roster, takes the mound against Venezuela with a championship at stake. He detailed his thoughts to New York Post writers Joseph Staszewski and Dan Martin.
“I have mixed feelings,” Mendoza said Monday at Clover Park before the Mets faced the Nationals. “I’m not gonna lie.”
On one hand, McLean gets the opportunity to start in a game with significance in March. That cannot go understated. Most envision the Mets as a playoff contender. While they do have Freddy Peralta and Kodai Senga in the rotation, a young hurler like McLean gives the team not only flexibility but also another starter who can help alleviate the burden on the bullpen with strong outings.
GettyNew York Mets pitcher Nolan McLean during a 2025 game against the Seattle Mariners.
Mendoza gets the opportunity to see how the rookie reacts to immense pressure to deliver. That type of atmosphere cannot be recreated or fostered in spring training.
With that said, another issue with historical ties lurks at the surface. In 2023, a former closer, pitching for Puerto Rico, celebrated a victory after the game. In the process, he tore the patellar tendon. As a result, the closer missed the entire season. Granted, the WBC means a great deal to the players. However, the anxiety in and around their MLB clubs resonates league-wide.
Pitching, regardless of who stands atop the mound, is an activity filled with peril from a career point of view. The torque and speed of the arm bending backward, then flying forward, place strain on ligaments and tendons. For fear that soreness, fatigue, or worse, injuries can arise, Mendoza probably hopes McLean breezes through a couple of innings, pitches well, and walks back to the dugout unharmed.
Nolan McLean strikes out the side in the first inning for team USA! 🇺🇸 pic.twitter.com/QiEMKxkHZA
— Mets’d Up Podcast (@MetsdUp) March 11, 2026
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National Pride Could Also Factor Into the Manager’s Viewing
Mendoza will watch the game with a manager’s eye, keeping an eye on how his pitcher performs. However, the Mets skipper will be looking at his countrymen playing for Venezuela. Mendoza grew up in Barquisimeto. He maintains connections to his family and the baseball scene.
In the last few months, the country underwent serious upheaval and change. However, baseball remains Venezuela’s national pastime. So, the country, en masse, could watch its national team play. When the Mets hired Mendoza, he became the second Venezuelan manager in Major League Baseball history. Ozzie Guillen, the former Chicago White Sox manager, led the team to a World Series championship in 2005.
GettyNew York Mets manager Carlos Mendoza during a 2025 game against the San Diego Padres.
Back in 2023, fellow Venezuelan, Mets catcher Fernando Alvarez discussed what Mendoza means to his country.
“Everyone is turning into Mets fans over there. That’s all everyone talks about, and they’re, honestly, solely fans of the Mets now because we have a Venezuelan manager. So, it’s obviously something that’s really big in the country.“I’m super proud of the story, of his background, what it’s taken him to get to this point.”
Wilyer Abreu crushes a 3-run homer to give Venezuela a 7-5 lead over Japan!
Adam Amin with the call for Fox. ⚾️💣🎙️ #WBC pic.twitter.com/AiogtbuwTA
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) March 15, 2026
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Long Journey Gives Mets Manager Perspective
Mendoza never played in the majors. Instead, he played 13 seasons in the minors. From 1997 to 2009, he played infield at various levels. The Mets manager bounced from Single-A to Triple-A, also making stops in the independent leagues. Alvarez believes that Mendoza’s place in baseball could serve as a catalyst.
“It feels really good and I’m really proud of it,” Alvarez said through Suriel. “It brings me a lot of pride and joy that he’s been given this opportunity. I think he’s one of those people that can open the doors for other Venezuelan managers in the future because of the skill sets that he has.”
If McLean can sail through his start physically unscathed, that would be the ideal situation for the manager.
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