It’s been a wild first half of the 2024 MLB season for the New York Mets. Between the dismal start, Jorge López’s glove-throwing incident and post-match comments and the recent lucky charm called Grimace, it has been an exciting season.
The latest phenomenon in the Mets world is infielder José Iglesias, who went by his alias Candelita during a postgame concert following the team’s 7-2 win over the Houston Astros on Friday night.
A crowd of 32,465 fans at Citi Field first enjoyed the Mets’ twelfth victory in their last fourteen games. Then they were able to hear the veteran infielder, who signed a minor league contract in December, sing his hit “OMG” while still in uniform.
It wasn’t just the Mets fans who enjoyed the show. Iglesias’ teammates — plus Mr. and Mrs. Met — lined the first base side of the field to cheer him on before joining him in the infield.
“That was a special moment,” said Iglesias, who noted he wouldn’t have performed if the Mets had lost. “That [shows] how tight we are. … We’re riding it and enjoying it. One day at a time. That’s what we have to do now.
“This group has become a family. It’s awesome. We have great people here. We get along, we care about each other, and we play good baseball.”
Iglesias has used “OMG” as his walkup song since joining the Mets from Triple-A Syracuse on May 31. The team is 17-6 since his call-up and is now just one game out of the final NL wild card spot.
“OMG” was set to be released on streaming platforms in July, but was pushed back a week ahead of schedule.
“It’s hard to express what I’m feeling right now,” Iglesias said. “There are a lot of emotions. It was a great game. The guys are doing it again. It’s a dream come true. I’m very humbled by it. … I’m floating right now.”
