José Iglesias is a man of many talents.
The veteran infielder was mic’d up for ESPN during the Mets’ 12-3 drubbing of the Yankees on Wednesday from the Bronx. Iglesias turned a nifty double play with the help of a nice defensive stop from third baseman Mark Vientos, further fueling the idea that perhaps players being mic’d up isn’t as big an in-game distraction as we were led to believe.
Of course, there are examples of Kiké Hernandez and Jeremy Peña making defensive gaffes.
Still, there are plenty of instances where this doesn’t interfere. Iglesias provided one Wednesday, and we’ve also seen things like Trea Turner making an incredible play while mic’d up for the All-Star Game on Fox. Iglesias and Turner are both plus defenders, so perhaps that has something to do with it.
In any event, Wednesday’s fine defensive play by the Mets’ infielder was another example of how some players can handle the added pressure of being mic’d up while still performing at a high level. And, of course, Iglesias, who moonlights as the Latin pop star named Candelita with his hit single, “OMG,” had to add a little flair of his own.
OMG!
A mic’d up Jose Iglesias turns the double play with a little flair. pic.twitter.com/xauPbLMEkB
— MLB (@MLB) July 24, 2024
After Vientos made the diving stop, Iglesias signaled that he was on the second base bag. After he turned the double play, he let out an audible, “There we go,” before pointing at “Swaggy V” (Vientos) as he ran off the field.
“Look at Swaggy V; he’s feeling it,” Iglesias said. “Thank you, guys, I love you.”
As the ESPN cameras found Iglesias, he found them too and began belting out his hit song.
“Oh my god! Todo lo malo échalo pa’ allá”
The Spanish portion roughly translates to “throw everything bad away.”
And that fits in with the discussion of getting rid of players being mic’d up in Major League Baseball and across all sports. So much for it ruining the sport.
It sure didn’t look like Iglesias, who told the ESPN crew numerous times that he loved them, was too distracted to make any plays.
[MLB]
