Reed Garrett waits for the phone to ring, but it might as well be an alarm.
Through nearly four weeks of the season, there hasn’t been a better fireman in baseball.
“I think it’s just one of those things where the phone rings and my name is being called, and things have gone well so far,” Garrett said before the Mets beat the Phillies 5-1 at Citi Field on Tuesday.
Entering play, no one in MLB had inherited more base runners (nine) without allowing one to score.
Garrett, who himself had pitched 9 ²/₃ innings without an earned run, had not allowed anyone else’s runner to score, either.
Garrett routinely enters danger and routinely leaves still breathing (and often roaring off the mound).
On Monday, Tylor Megill walked Bryce Harper and gave the ball to Garrett with one out in the sixth inning of a game the Mets led by two runs.
Garrett did allow a two-out single to Max Kepler, but he used a sinker to strike out J.T. Realmuto and ensure his perfect streak continued.
The 32-year-old did not realize entering the season that his role essentially would become bailing out the team frequently in the middle innings, but he’s happy to do so.
He feels well equipped for the gig particularly after making seven playoff appearances last season, allowing runs in two.
“I try to stay as even-keeled with adrenaline as I can,” Garrett said. “I think pitching in the playoffs last year and getting the experience that I got last year has definitely contributed to my comfort out there.”
He is comfortable in his role on the team and comfortable simply on the team.
The Mets claimed Garrett, then a journeyman, from the Orioles in June 2023.
He spent all of the ensuing offseason on the Mets roster, then broke out last year and returned this spring as a proven commodity.
This spring represented the first time in Garrett’s major league career, which began in 2019 with the Tigers, that he spent consecutive spring trainings with the same team.
“Just being around the same group of people and having the same coaching staff and having the same people talk to you about where you were last year and what you did and stuff like that — I think that has been beneficial for me,” Garrett said.
Brandon Nimmo wasn’t in the starting lineup Tuesday, with manager Carlos Mendoza noting the Mets facing a tough lefty in Cristopher Sánchez and the team in the midst of a 13-day stretch in the schedule without a day off.
Nimmo, who was bothered by plantar fasciitis in his left foot last year, said the issue hasn’t bothered him this season.
“We’re in a good spot,’’ Nimmo said. “I just want to keep on top of it.”
Nimmo is just 5-for-31 with no extra-base hits, a walk and eight strikeouts in his last eight games.
Mark Vientos, who left Saturday’s game with groin discomfort and sat Sunday and Monday, returned to the starting lineup and played third base.