Mets manager Luis Rojas said that Tuesday’s move to pull Marcus Stroman after six efficient innings and 89 pitches was a group was a collaborative decision, and Stroman backed that up when he talked with reporters following New York’s 7-6 loss in 11 innings.
“That’s just the decision that was made in the game,” Stroman said. “I don’t think it has anything to do with the outcome.”
Stroman was relieved by Aaron Loup, who cruised through a scoreless seventh before Jeurys Familia gave up the lead with two runs in the eighth, but Stroman doubled down on his belief that the approach to play it safe with his stamina did not lead to Tuesday’s loss, which served as a missed chance to make up ground in the playoff race.
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“You never know how the game is gonna play out at all,” Stroman said. “You can’t say ‘Oh, if he would have stayed in, we would have won the game.’ Loup came in and was dominant…it just didn’t play out in our favor. You can’t nitpick like that. I could have went out there in the seventh and gave up three homers.”
After opting out of last season due to COVID-19, Stroman is now up to 169 innings and a league-high 31 starts this season, and has been the team’s most valuable starter. But with their playoff hopes fading, the Mets won’t push Stroman, even in high-leverage spots, which has led many to question New York’s urgency to salvage the season. But Stroman wouldn’t hear any of it on Tuesday.
“I’ve thrown a lot this year,” Stroman said. “I know nobody talks about it between you guys, I didn’t throw at all last year, I had zero innings pitched last year, and now I’ve made the most starts in the big leagues. So I don’t know, maybe that had something to do with it. Maybe it’s Luis [Rojas] and the coaches looking out for my best interests.”
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