Mets' Edwin Diaz relishes chance to pitch against brother, Alexis, for first time

NEW YORK — The trash talk between Edwin and Alexis Diaz will have to hold off for another day.

On Friday night, the brothers and Naguabo, Puerto Rico natives, pitched in the same game for the first time as major leaguers. With their parents, grandmother and sister, among others, in attendance, the Mets and Reds closers traded scoreless ninth innings, much to the satisfaction of everyone involved.

In a tie game, the Mets' Edwin Diaz struck out the side in the top of the inning before the Reds' Alexis Diaz recorded three outs, freezing Harrison Bader for a strikeout and working around a hit batter.

"We both did good, so he can’t say anything to me, I can’t say anything to him," Edwin said with a chuckle. "Let’s see how the next two games and we’ll see if we talk a little bit of trash after."

As the ninth inning unfolded, Edwin was torn. He wanted to see his brother pitch well but knew the stakes for the Mets, who entered the night tied for the final National League wild card spot.

The best-case scenario unfolded for the Diazes. After a scoreless ninth, Mark Vientos clubbed a walk-off two-run home run in the 10th inning to lift the Mets to a 6-4 victory at Citi Field.

"He just did good and then we got the W, so I’m happy," Edwin said.

"It was pretty cool," Carlos Mendoza said. "(Edwin) goes out there and gets three outs and then here comes the brother. I'm like we've got a chance to win it here. It's pretty neat that we got two guys that are elite at what they do."

Edwin said that they plan to save both team's lineup card to commemorate the first matchup between the two closers.

With Edwin two years older than his brother, they never grew up on the same team or playing against each other. They teamed up for Puerto Rico in the 2023 World Baseball Classic, but that came with a rough ending when Edwin suffered a torn patellar tendon in his knee after closing the ninth inning of a knockout game.

Friday's event was an exciting one, not only for the Diaz family but for their Puerto Rico community, as well.

"A lot of people helped my family when we were growing up (with) every trip," Edwin said. "There was a lot of people here who helped my parents today. We feel proud. Always when we are there in the offseason, we try to give some to our community always. We feel really excited. We are doing really good in the big leagues."

Edwin Diaz finding his rhythm

Over the last week, Edwin is looking a lot like his 2022 form when he won the Reliever of the Year award.

On Friday, three of Edwin's pitches registered at 100 mph on the radar gun, including one at the top of the zone to strike out Elly De La Cruz for the first out of the ninth.

"I know I have it in my pocket, and now we are playing playoff games and we gotta go," Edwin said. "We gotta win every single game. I’m just going out and competing. My level is really up right now. I just want to go out and pitch and get the W for my team."

Since losing in back-to-back outings against the Padres and Diamondbacks, Diaz feels that he has found something mechanically to become more effective.

In the five outings since, Edwin has tossed five perfect innings with 12 strikeouts.

"That was a good sign for him to be able to bounce back quickly, we didn't see that at the beginning of the year. It took him a couple of outings," Mendoza said. "Right now, that's what really good closers do - short-term memory and their ability to turn the page. Diaz is if not the best, right there with the best."

This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: Mets' Edwin Diaz relishes chance to pitch against brother, Alexis, for first time