Mets' Carlos Mendoza lets another controversial call stand after saying team missed challenge in Saturday loss

One of baseball’s oddest situations led to a arguable retired telephone astatine archetypal basal successful Sunday afternoon’s matchup betwixt the Los Angeles Angels and New York Mets.

Mets prima outfielder Juan Soto grounded a shot to archetypal basal erstwhile Nolan Schanuel, and the fielder had the shot stuck successful the webbing of his mitt — the oddity successful question.

Schanuel was trying to crook a treble play, but aft realizing helium couldn’t get the shot retired of his glove, helium decided to effort to get Soto astatine archetypal basal to guarantee an out.

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Juan Soto of the New York Mets reacts aft hitting an RBI azygous during the 5th inning against the Pittsburgh Pirates connected Opening Day astatine Citi Field successful New York City connected March 26, 2026. (Ishika Samant/Getty Images)

However, Soto was booking it down the archetypal basal line, and Schanuel was forced to flip the glove, shot inactive successful the webbing, to pitcher Jack Kochanowicz covering the bag. It was a precise adjacent play, but the umpire signaled that Soto was retired contempt the madness that transpired crossed conscionable a fewer seconds successful the apical of the 3rd inning.

But portion Soto believed helium was harmless successful general, the Mets seat was screaming toward the tract that Kochanowicz ne'er afloat secured Schanuel’s glove, bobbling it arsenic Soto crossed archetypal base.

No 1 would’ve blamed Mets manager Carlos Mendoza for challenging the telephone connected the field, but helium told umpires to support going — an absorbing determination considering what happened conscionable the crippled anterior connected Saturday night.

Mendoza was criticized for not challenging a telephone successful Saturday’s 4-3 nonaccomplishment to the Angels, which whitethorn person seen a antithetic effect considering a decisive tally was scored by Los Angeles.

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New York Mets manager Carlos Mendoza returns to the dugout aft a pitching alteration during the seventh inning against the Washington Nationals astatine Citi Field successful New York City connected April 29, 2026. (Heather Khalifa/Getty Images)

As Jo Adell lined a deed to right-center tract successful the bottommost of the archetypal inning with 2 outs, Mets close fielder Austin Slater threw a effect to Bo Bichette astatine 3rd base, and helium tagged retired Jorge Soler to extremity the inning. But adjacent much important, Bichette’s tag connected Soler was placed earlier the tally scored for the Angels connected the replay.

But Mendoza ne'er challenged the call, and it yet wounded his squad successful the end.

"[The replay room] missed it," Mendoza told reporters aft the crippled erstwhile asked astir not challenging. "We called, and helium missed it. [Replay analyst] Harrison [Friedland] is 1 of the champion astatine his job, and, you know, evidently it ends up being a large play erstwhile you suffer by 1 run.

"I besides deliberation we had chances, and we didn’t currency in."

Luckily for the Mets, this nonaccomplishment to situation didn’t wounded them successful the end, defeating the Angels, 5-1, to get to 12-22 connected the season.

Los Angeles Angels archetypal baseman Nolan Schanuel runs to 2nd basal successful the archetypal inning against the New York Mets astatine Angel Stadium successful Anaheim, Calif., connected May 2, 2026. (Kirby Lee/Imagn Images)

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It’s been a unsmooth commencement to the 2026 run for New York, a squad galore expected to vie for a playoff spot. Instead, they person endured a 12-game losing streak precocious and are present warring to get backmost to astatine slightest .500.

The Mets request immoderate things connected the diamond to spell their way, but nonaccomplishment to situation reviewable plays similar these is simply a mode they could get momentum tipping successful their favor.

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