WILLIAMSPORT, Pa. -- As the Mets ventured around the Little League complex early Sunday ahead of the Little League Classic, Mark Vientos hesitated. Was he going to slide down the famous hill at Lamade Field?
Vientos had always wanted to as a kid, but he’d never gotten the chance. Still, he wasn’t sure.
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It took some cajoling from the horde of Little Leaguers surrounding him (and a few Mets staffers), but eventually, he did.
There was zero hesitation in Vientos’ swing 10 hours later, when he stepped to the plate vs. the Mariners and launched a three-run homer to right field, igniting the Mets’ offense en route to a 7-3 victory in the Classic.
“I faced my fears today,” Vientos joked postgame. “That was always a childhood dream of mine, to go down that hill.”
“Did you fall?” asked Francisco Lindor, sitting next to Vientos.
“No, I didn’t -- I'm an athlete, bro,” Vientos replied. “But I was nervous, and then a couple other guys pushed me to do it. But it was fun.”
Vientos sure is an athlete, as is evidenced by that 103.5 mph dinger off George Kirby, which sent all Little Leaguers in attendance wild with excitement as it soared over the right-field wall, the ball urged along by an excited Sean Manaea in the ESPN broadcast booth at the time. Vientos finished the night 2-for-3 with four RBIs, leading the Mets to their first win streak since their seven-game stretch from July 20-27. It also marked their first series victory since the end of that win streak, when they swept the Giants in three games.
And so much of the game centered on Vientos.
It has been a tough year for the third baseman. After starting almost every day last season and being such a central part of the Mets’ push to the postseason, Vientos started his 2025 campaign rather lackluster. He didn’t hit above .200 until late April, then spent most of June on the injured list with a right hamstring strain.
Since he has been back in the Majors, Vientos has been starting less than before -- sometimes with multiple games between starts -- and has had a slow beginning of August.
“It hasn't been easy for him,” manager Carlos Mendoza said. “A lot of ups and downs. Started the year not the way he wanted it or anticipated it, [or how] we anticipated it. And it hasn't been easy for him the past couple of weeks, with inconsistent playing time. And he plays one game, maybe sits for a few. … It's not an easy role, but that's kind of like the messaging with him and some of the other younger players, like, they’ve got to stay ready.”
Vientos is trying to do just that, and both he and his manager hope the performance Sunday can serve as a jumping-off point.
“To his credit, proud of him, because to have a game like that against a really good arm is pretty impressive,” Mendoza said. “We need him. We need all of those guys. He was a big part of this team last year, and he's going to be a big part moving forward. We saw it tonight. He's too good of a player, and hopefully he can just take off from today.”
Vientos had some help, and not just from the raucous cheers (and attempts at starting the wave) from the kids in the stands -- though perhaps one did give him some extra luck ahead of the home run.
“It was awesome, it was awesome,” Vientos said. “Right before that at-bat, one of the kids told me, he's like, ‘Hey, Vientos, if you hit a home run, you’ve got to give me your bat!’ Unfortunately, I was looking for the kid and I couldn't find him after that, but that was pretty sick.”
Vientos’ teammates did help, too, of course. Clay Holmes allowed just one run over five innings. Francisco Lindor and Francisco Alvarez each tallied three hits and an RBI. (Alvarez did exit following the seventh inning after injuring his right thumb diving into second on a double. He’ll head to New York on the off-day Monday to undergo an MRI.)
But at the end of the day, beyond the final box score and the “W” in the win column, Sunday was about the kids. And Vientos is beyond happy to have given them a worthy performance -- both on the field, and on the hill.
“Being around the kids and this environment just brings back memories of just playing with guys you grew up with around your neighborhood,” Vientos said. “You were just playing the game, very simple, simple -- just see ball, hit ball. And I feel like when we're doing well, I feel like it's very simple -- we tend to talk in that manner. So it was fun. It was fun to be out here.”