Max Kranick couldn’t imagine it.
After studying final week that he made the Mets’ Opening Day roster, the right-handed reliever obtained a congratulatory textual content message from David Wright, his favourite participant rising up.
“I was sitting with [catcher] Hayden Senger on the bus and I just showed him my phone,” Kranick recalled Friday. “Like, ‘Is this real?’ It was pretty cool. Really nice of him to send a text and congratulate me. It was a cool moment. Definitely my coolest moment so far.”
However that wasn’t the one cool second in retailer for the 27-year-old.
Kranick hails from Jessup, Pa. — about 135 miles from Citi Subject — and was raised a Mets fan. His father, John Kranick Sr., used to attend Opening Day at Shea Stadium yearly.
The Mets started this season in Houston, after which visited Miami, earlier than they returned to Queens for Friday’s residence opener — a 5-0 win over the Toronto Blue Jays.
Kranick obtained the final six outs of Friday’s victory, placing out one and permitting just one hit.
“I was looking forward to that moment, for sure,” Kranick mentioned of pitching at Citi Subject, “so [it was] good to get that one out of the way.”
Kranick has now hurled 5.2 scoreless innings this season, additional fueling what’s been a feel-good comeback story.
The fitting-hander made his MLB debut with the Pittsburgh Pirates in 2021 as a beginning pitcher, however Tommy John surgical procedure largely derailed his 2022 and 2023 seasons.
The Mets claimed him off waivers earlier than the 2024 season, and he pitched to a 3.82 ERA over 70.2 innings spanning three minor-league ranges final 12 months.
Kranick’s season debut on March 29 marked his first MLB look in practically three years.
“He’s a great dude,” Mets reliever Reed Garrett mentioned. “Good dude to hang out with outside the field, even better guy to have on your team. It’s been a lot of fun. He’s just attacking guys, going right after them, and he’s executing his pitches at a really high rate right now.”
On Tuesday, Kranick pitched the ultimate three innings of a 4-2 loss in Miami, serving to to protect others within the Mets’ bullpen.
Kranick, Garrett and A.J. Minter mixed to throw 3.2 scoreless innings of aid in Friday’s win.
“Kranick continues to do a hell of a job,” supervisor Carlos Mendoza mentioned after Friday’s victory. “On a day where we needed him to finish that game, he ended up doing that. That goes a long way when you’re protecting the bullpen.”
Including to Friday’s Citi Subject debut was that Kranick had 11 company in attendance. Amongst them was his father, whom he mentioned had not been to an Opening Day in seven to 10 years.
“Closing the game out was an awesome moment,” Kranick mentioned. “I’ll remember this one forever.”
