The tearful, heroic, and confusing week for Wilmer Flores needs a deep rewind
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- Опубликовано: 12 сен 2024
- Wilmer Flores wasn't supposed to be here. Flores came up as a New York Met, grinding his way through their farm system since he was a scrawny teenager. And in 2015, he finally got his opportunity to be an everyday member of the big-league club. But on July 29 of that year, the Mets got rid of him. New York needed a big upgrade, and agreed to part ways with Flores in a trade to acquire a big bat, Carlos Gomez.
And yet, two days later, here he still is, with a chance to walk it off against the division rival Washington Nationals. It's been a dramatic, and even tearful, couple of days, but Wilmer Flores has a chance to make magic. Before he does that, we should revisit the trade that wasn't, track the surprising moves of these 2015 Mets, and relive the exciting events that have already transpired. We need to rewind.
Directed and edited by Brian Torres
Written and produced by Seth Rosenthal
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Not only was this never supposed to happen, this hit saved the 2015 season for the Mets. They swept the Nats and never looked back
And then what happened? :D
@@solophentii3468they won a pennant. Still worth something
That post deadline run was a joy ride
Then they ran into my Royals. Sorry matt harvey.
@@solophentii3468they went on to beat the Dodgers and cubs before losing a tough series to the defending AL champions
Only two teams make the world series and there have been many better regular season teams that haven't
This kind of moment is exactly what this video series is all about. I had zero knowledge of nor context for this event before watching the video and now I know the broad strokes and a few key details of what Mets fans likely consider a significant memory in the history of their team and this player's career. Well done, y'all!
Watch the documentary "Five Days in Flushing". It is an hour long documentary on this story told by the coaches and players.
Dude it’s everything for us. I appreciate you watching. I am too as a mets fan with tears in my eyes
@@dno718super cool seeing these awesome stories that other fanbases get to have. Makes me wish the White Sox could have more of them than just 2005.
@@m_hully27 dude the mariners series by Secret Base is unreal
I'll tell you, every Giants fan has learned to love this guy the same way over the last 5 years. He is a such great person and team player. Year after year, it always seemed at the outset like there was hardly any path for Flores to get much playing time - he was always the "utility guy" without a clear everyday spot. But somehow, one way or another, other people would struggle or get hurt, and Flores was always there to step in and make some big contributions. He played all over the infield, DHed, pinch-hit, never complained, and just kept hitting and helping spark the rest of the team.
It's really a shame that this year has been such a struggle for him, and now he's undergoing season-ending surgery in what may likely be the end of his time with the Giants.
As a Mets fan I'm glad y'all enjoying him I hate it that we let him go but I understood that it was necessary
He may never be an All-Star but he plays hard and as a fan that's all you can ask
I remember this day very well. I was at a party with my college friends when the game was happening, but I left early because I had gotten a rather bad headache. The 11th ended right as I got back home and I went to lay down to rest my head. About 3 minutes later, my dad started yelling and ran into my room to say "Wilmer just hit a walk-off homerun!" and; as I was laying there half dead, I smiled and said to myself "There you go Wilmer." Ever since then; he's been a Mets favorite. I was so sad when he left but I've been cheering for him ever since. I've been peeking in on Giants games the past few years just so I can see him hit. All time favorite of mine just for his personality. You rock Wilmer!
I was at this game with two friends - a Mets fan, a Nats fan, and myself, a baseball fan/impartial observer. The energy in Citi Field was electric. In addition to Flores getting ovation'd every time up, the crowd would also pop off each time the Cespedes trade news would pop up on the jumbotron (at least three times, likely more). What this video doesn't tell you is that Flores led off the bottom of the 9th. I leaned over to my Mets fan friend and said "wouldn't it be awesome if he walked it off right here". Alas, groundout to 2nd. When Flores hit it out, I said to him "better late than never!" One of the most fun rando baseball games I've ever been to
STFU NOBODY CARES! SMH
Wilmers parents introducing their sons like “yeah this is Wilmer, Wilmer and Wilmer”
Wil, Willy, and Wilmer
His dad’s name is also Wilmer Flores, btw.
@@armadillolover99So is his grandson, Wilmer
And then flores while running to home grasping the mets logo on his shirt to say "im a met" 😢😢😢😢😢
Gets me every single time
I CANNOT IMAGINE the emotion that young man felt at that moment. How poetically amazing of a moment after such a whirlwind of feelings. This is what makes sports so great. You dont have to be a Mets fan to absolutely love this story.
2015 feels like a 100 years ago
Not even 10 years ago
Really glad to see you guys telling this story. Arguably one of the couple most important moments in Mets history, if not in terms of stakes, in terms of narrative and reversal of fortunes, and a lot of people don't see that because it was hidden in the middle of a random weekend at the end of July. Playoff heartbreak is one thing, but nothing truly sucks more as a sports fan than watching your team be completely irrelevant year after year. Winning the big one feels great, but it's the hope of getting there that makes it fun to turn the game on or show up in the stands day after day. Not only had the Mets been completely irrelevant for almost a decade, but when they poked their nose into the competitive picture, they would instantly poop the bed (see the 2007/08 collapses, and losing almost every game out of the 2012 All Star Break), and they were almost always in the headlines for the wrong reason. It looked like the same thing was going to happen in 2015, and the week leading up to this game would be the perfect encapsulation. Their offense was so lifeless that they would routinely get into these 5 hour extra inning snoozefests stranding 18 runners on base and just waiting for someone to score. And only this stupid, bumbling, idiot franchise could leave their player in tears on the field in front of everyone, lose out on the deal, and if that weren't enough, go out and blow a 6 run lead the next day after making a stadium full of summer campers sit through two lengthy rain delays. It was one of those moments every Mets fan can see coming a mile away, where we zigged when we should have zagged and the whole season is about to fall off a cliff.
Then that Friday happened. The Mets were treading water heading into this series, and they woke up and wiped away a Nats team that had completely dominated them in the standings and on the scoreboard for the past three years. They were 52-50 heading into the night, and went 38-15 afterwards before they clinched the division and finally let off the gas. Obviously the Cespedes trade was a huge catalyst, and a whole bunch of players had to contribute, but the superstitious side of me doesn't think any of this happens without Wilmer's walk off. He literally woke this team up from a nine year slumber with one swing, ushered in the most fun three months of Mets baseball probably since 1969, and you couldn't write a cheesier Hollywood script for it if you tried. Everyone remembers what follows - Ces becoming a legend for two months, the Rally Parakeet, the winning streaks, David Wright coming back from injury and blasting one into the upper deck in his very first at bat, then scoring that run to finish off the Nats for good on Labor Day. Doing it all with the most likable and interesting cast of characters. Wilmer was the catalyst for it all.
I grew up in Upstate, spending those years where you can obsess about sports because you don't have other things to worry about waiting for this team to give us a moment to cheer for. Even the week before it was obvious that this weekend series would be a season defining one, for better or worse, and we decided to finally make the five hour trip and catch my first game in person that Saturday. I remember staying up late into the night to catch the end of this game, knowing I'd have to be up in four short hours to get ready to leave, and knowing when the ball cleared the fence that this was officially going to be a team people would remember for a long time. Then catching my first live game and seeing Lucas Duda hit his eighth home run in a week to carry them to another win. This was finally a group that would make the highs and lows of a long season worth it. Mets Baseball wasn't long, slow 74-88 torture anymore.
Wilmer ended up becoming the Mets all-time leader in walk-off RBIs, it seemed like every time that big spot came up it was his turn in the lineup and he would come through over and over again. Fitting. He might not be anywhere notable on their all time WAR leaderboard, but he will always be special to everyone who followed that 2015 season. With Steve Cohen's money and the New York media market I'm sure there will eventually be a new World Series flag flying at Citi Field, but not even that will hit me right in the feels the way Wilmer grabbing his jersey as he rounded third base at the end of that night did. He won a whole city's heart overnight.
This comment is the definition of Mets fandom better than anything else I've ever read. Supporting this team since the 80s up to this point has been cruel and exhilarating in equal parts.
Oh how I miss Wilmer so much 😢
The bond between a franchise player and their hometown fans is one of the purest things in sports. Beautiful.
I was right out of college, all in on this 2015 Mets roster. At this moment, I knew this team could win it all. The 2015 Mets will always be one of my favorite teams.
I mean as a Met fan your age you probably don't have a ton of other options for favorite teams? 2000, 2006, 2015, 2022?
This was absolutely one of the best episodes of Rewinder ever. The pacing, the writing, the detail, Seth's vocal quality....
This is sublime work. Truly! Secret Base is outstanding.
In an era where there is no loyalty in sports from both teams and players, as a Mets fan, it was awesome to see he actually WANTED to be a Met. Very rare. Will always have a soft spot for Wilmer Flores, good luck dude!
Rewinder: the Miracle of Istanbul
Collapse: how the Montreal Canadiens failed to reach sniffing distance of lord Stanley for 28 years
Untitled: pavel Bure
Untitled: Joe Thornton
Beef history: Real Madrid vs Barcelona
Beef history: the old firm, rangers vs Celtic
Beef history: the derby of the eternal enemies, panathinaikos vs olympiacos
Rewinder: 2004 Olympic swimming relay
Beef history: John roseboro vs Juan marichal, a beef that ended in a lifelong friendship
Rewinder: game 6, 1975
Untitled: Ted Williams
Untitled: Johan Cruyff in the World Cup
Collapse: how the islanders dynasty of the early 80s broke apart in disarray and near bankruptcy
Collapse: how injuries, age, and tragedy brought down the Larry bird Celtics
Collapse: How the White Sox went from World Series champions to one of the worst-run franchises in baseball
Moment in History: 2022, ALDS Game 1, Astros vs Mariners, Bottom of the 9th, Alvarez vs Ray.
Say what you will about the Astros, but that moment was magic.
Nobody needs to know anything about that Istanbul Fluke
Untitled: Dale Jr.
How NASCAR's most popular driver failed to win a cup title
Rewinder:
-Burrows slays the dragon (2010)
-Joe Carter Walkoff (1993)
Thanks, Secret Base. Mets fans could really use this episode right now.
After they just did a rewind on the Castillo dropped pop up, yeah they owed us this one.
I've never heard this story. Literal chills!
Wilmers younger brothers are also Wilmer, but he has an older brother named Ronny, so his parents tried something new and were like “nah, this ain’t it”
Sounds more like they tried the new name of Wilmer and stuck with it.
@@wanderlustwarrior Nah, Wilmer’s his dad’s name also so it wasn’t new. And I think the other 2 Wilmers have different moms.
So glad this got covered, one of the most magical moments I've ever seen as a Mets fan. This was the moment I knew 2015 was a special year, it was just too incredible a moment to ignore. Love you Wilmer, always
Okay…that got me a little teary eyed myself…happy now? 😅 I miss those Mets years…those guys were dear to my heart! 😢
Despite the unfortunate ending that season, the 2015 Mets' season was definitely a top 10 season of the franchise, and it was a wild and amazing ride. This moment was the defining turning point.
The Scott Stevens hit on Paul Kariya in the 2003 Stanley Cup Finals and Kariya's comeback goal deserves a deep rewind.
Agreed, absolute legendary moment
Royals fan here...this was vaguely alluded to in the World Series that year. They showed him teary-eyed and said that he had been involved in a trade that didn't go through but didn't elaborate further. Not blaming anyone on that; there's a lot of storylines during the World Series lol. Still, nice to get some context and elaboration on what seemed like a cool story. I wonder if Jon Bois, also a Royals fan, had anything to do with that. Keep up the great work guys...love the channel!
Those 2015 New York Mets then went all the way to the World Series, but unfortunately lost to the Kansas City Royals.
One of the great moments in sportsmanship and team sports in general. Flores is so great.
welcome to a moment in history gives me chills every time i hear yall say it lol
I remember watching that game on my birthday. That was a crazy year with so many highs and lows.
This is my new favorite video of this channel. i've always been an NBA fan and never much of a baseball fan. Most of the videos I've enjoyed on Secret Base were those of sports events I knew about. like MJ's last shot and so forth. But I've got to know a great moment in sports because of you guys. It may not be that significant in terms of sports history, but this is what sports is about. pro sports gives fans enjoyable moments and lasting memories, and i bet this is a great memory many Mets fans cherish.
Thanks for the video.
Such a magical season. I miss quality starting pitching. And clutch hitting.
There was also the game in between the Flores games. A day game against the Padres where the Mets blew a huge lead and then had to wait out a long rain delay to play the bottom of the ninth and lose. All the air had been let out of the tires, and only made the series against the Nats seem that much bigger. But what a series it was. Wilmer and then Cespedes. And Wilmer, despite no longer being on the team, is a forever Met.
Mets need way better clutch hitting and situational hitting as well as speed...
I’ve been waiting for this video forever 🥹
Nine years later and I'm tearing up thinking about The Wilmer Flores Game - capital T, capital G. One of my favorite ever moments as a Mets fan. Thank you Wilmer!
As a met fan you made me come to tears. I loved thru it. Loved Wilmer
I literally learned about this just now and am tearing up
That was the most lopsided seasons in the history of the National League. The other five division winners had a worse record than the third place team in the central. The Central was like one of those weird “groups of death“ in the World Cup where you’ve got, Argentina, England, Mexico, and the best team in Africa. The Cardinals and Cubs had a tough divisional series and the Cubs ran out of gas in the LCS.
I’m not even a fan of baseball, and this gave me chills in the best way possible. I love stories like this, and this whole series of events, to that home run, will forever be magical to Wilmer, and I love that for him.
I hate to do this as a Browns fan but...
Will Hill's kick six vs Cleveland is insanity and demands a rewind
That's just cruelty to yourself!
Even for non-Mets fans like myself, this is one of my favorite baseball moments ever. It gets me every time.
This remains one of my favorite baseball moments in my life, and I'm not even a Mets fan. Wilmer Flores would actually produce damn good clutch numbers, with many walk-off hits after his most memorable.
I'm not a baseball fan, have no connection to any team or fanbase involved in this story, and I love it so much. This series does a fantastic job of being earnest and telling us about the best part of sports. Teams are made of people and those people are important.
I love these videos. Im not even a baseball fan but after 14min I'm like "yeah of course I'm a Wilmer Flores fan."
my favorite baseball player of all time. i'm still holding out hope the mets will bring him home someday.
This moment makes me emotional. I loved this 2015 team.
The A's 20th game winning streak Homer deserves a rewind
Just watch moneyball bruh
They made a Hollywood movie about that one lmao
Yeah, I remember that game! I jumped SOO high when he hit that ball, I hit my head on the ceiling!!! Let's Go Mets! 🧡💙
The video cut away before showing him hitting home grabbing the front of his jersey demonstrating his pride as a met.
Been waiting for this one for years
The home run call by Gary Cohen still gives me chills and tears
thank you for this. wilmer means so much to this fan base, even still, and that year will resonate with me for the rest of my life
Gary with an amazing call is the cherry on top
If I was going from the Mets to the Brewers, I'd cry too.
still crazy to me that i was at the gomez trade game - was wild to experience in person
Funny how years later, Gomez became a Met again.
i will never forget watching this live
I was at this game with my parents. They left after the tenth to drive back to CT, but I was living in Manhattan and the super express train wouldn’t run until the game officially ended, so it made no sense to leave any earlier. Plus, you just had a feeling that something special was going to happen…
Something that wasn’t brought up in this video was the game in between. The Mets had lost to San Diego the night of the Flores “trade” (I actually was there, such a weird atmosphere). The next day was the finale of the series, and they quickly jump out to a 7-1 lead after six. They still had a 7-5 lead with two outs in the ninth when the rain forced a 44 minute delay. Once it ended, the Padres immediately put two runners on and Justin Upton hit a three-run home run.
They get the final out, but then comes ANOTHER rain delay that takes nearly three hours. A lot of people were wondering if they’d just call the game, and if they did, the Mets would win since the score goes back to the 7-5 lead after 8 complete innings. Instead the weather clears, and they go down 1-2-3 in the bottom of the ninth.
It felt typical Mets for those two games and THEN to have Washington coming in. What came next…Amazin.
honestly one of the best episodes u guys have done
What a magical year I miss this team so much Cespedes, David, Conforto, Duda what a time I only hope that we can get back to these heights still loyal to the last out always and forever 💙🧡
Understand how dumb a move that was by Alderson and how lucky medicals saved him. Giving up a young fireballer, and anyoung mlb ready SS. For aging Carlos Gomez? Who was never that elite. Insane.
Not that the team appreciated Wheeler. Letting him leave was the biggest mistake of the past decade.
It was like something out of a movie
traded for him in the Show and he's taking my Reds to the ploffs. Love this man
This made me cry so much this morning
theres a reason why us mets fans will always love this man, no matter whwrfe he goes.
I can’t believe the narration didn’t mention it was Wilmer Flores night!
Wilmer Flores is MY Mr. Met
This is the best channel on RUclips that does stuff on the history of sports. I love this channel
As a DieHard Mets fan I still love Wilmer
Yeah he wasn't an All-Star but he played hard for this franchise and as a fan that's all you can ask for
I watched all these games at 15 years old with my dad. I was sad for Flores but excited to get one of my favorite 2k07 players, Carlos Gomez. As soon as Wilmer stepped up to bat in the bottom of the inning I think all the Mets fans knew he was going yard.
Not highlighted in this video is how he tugged at the Mets logo on his uniform as he headed for home plate, one of the most iconic bits of imagery in team history.
Greatest regular season Met moment ever
As a Mets fan this is so bittersweet. It hurts.
It’s saved the Mets season a lit a rocket to the 2015 World Series
It's hard to explain the emotions of that week; I drove down to the Jersey shore with my girlfriend and listened as the Mets blew a game against the Padres after a rain delay, having to calm myself down in the middle of a damn takeout place because I figured the season was over. Then our hearts broke for Wilmer, plus it felt very "LOLMETS". But then? Good God, how things change: Gomez trade's off, Cespedes is on the way, Wilmer hits the walkoff, Mets take game 2, suddenly I'm scrambling to get tickets to the Sunday night ESPN game where Syndergaard pitches them into 1st place and the stadium is on fire...all in less than a week.
Yeah, 2015 was something I still can't quite believe happened. Hate how it ended, that World Series could've just as easily ended 4-1 Mets.
In the moment, I had a burning hatred for the Mets as a Mets fan. Terry Collins screeching post game that he had no idea that Flores had been traded. "Him going "Where??? To WHO?" was upsetting as just another "lolmets" moment in a never ending onslaught of lolmets moments. How could you not know? Its your job to know. How could an organization be so infuriatingly incompetent? How could he leave Flores out there?
Im very glad Wilmer wasn't actually traded for Carlos Gomez. He was pretty cooked.
M-E-T-S! Met fans still talk about 2015, it feels like we won that year even though we didn't. That whole season was surreal.
I would love for you guys to do a rewinder for Pat Maroon's double OT against the Stars in 2019
There’s a close up of him coming home after hitting the HR where he puts his hand on the “Mets” part of his jersey, showing that’s his team! We will forever love Wilmer for everything he’s done!
Even a Braves fan appreciates this.
Flores would spend three more seasons with the Mets, leaving in free agency after over a decade in the system. He hit a home run in his first game back at Citi Field, and was met with cheers from a crowd that couldn’t help but love him in spit of their best interest. After a one season contract with the Diamondbacks, Flores found a new home with the Giants. He is currently in his fifth season with the Giants, and recently had to step down for the remainder of the season due to necessary knee surgery. It’s unclear if he’ll return for his second third year option with the team next year, but I hope he can stay there until he retires.
This moment being narrated by Gary Cohen makes it 100x better
This reminded me why I love sports no 🧢
"Nah im fine, not hurt, I'm feeling really sexy"
The days between Wilmer crying and homering, everyone clowned on the classic Mets ineptitude and mismanagement
And then this team went on a run and made the damn World Series. One of my favorite rosters ever
The ultimate “I’m not even supposed to BE HERE today” moment
Why did this make me cry?
I have loved his time on the Giants, always seems like a great likable guy
I was at the Padres @ Mets game when the news of the Flores-Gomez "trade" broke. It was definitely surreal.
SECRET BASE UPLOAD BABY LETS GOOOOO
Love Wilmer flores will always be grateful.
Aaaaah... That's better... Last Rewinder took my soul.
A great Mets moment. Wilmer good dude
I was at this game, it was awesome!
Seth is the absolute best
The guy's heart was in the right place. That's what I like to see, players who want to be Mets.
Before this Secret Base video, I got a paid ad for the Secret Base patreon. Dude, you could have just put that into the actual video and not given Google a cut of the money you paid yourself to advertise.
Edit: Dude, got the SAME AD as a mid roll.
Edit: Out of curiosity, I let the end of videos ads play too. You guessed it, same ad. RUclips is just taking your money for no value guys.
I got that ad too. Idk why they don’t just put it at the beginning/end of the video
Also whoever is the sponsor of the video for like the last 2+ months has been the other ad. Which does not happen anywhere else which either means that are losing a lot of money or that could have for just doing a sponsor read in the video.
Damn I didn't even know youtube had ads
Wilmer Flores might have just become my favorite player...
I still wish y'all would rewind Whit Merrifield's CWS walkoff in 2010. Lots of MLB talent in that series to talk about and it was the final game at Rosenblatt Stadium
Every baseball fan wants 26 Wilmers on their team
absolutely elite video
Kansas vs Memphis. 2008 National Championship. Mario's Miracle deserves a Deep Rewind.
Este canal es top, siempre aprendo historias del deporte