Carlos Mendoza would have preferred being at Yankee Stadium on Friday night for what would have been Game 1 of the World Series.
Instead, five days after the Mets’ magical run came to an end in Los Angeles, the first-year manager was at Madison Square Garden with his father and his two sons taking in the Knicks home opener against the Pacers.
“One hundred percent, we wanted to be playing right now,” Mendoza told The Post before the game. “We came up short unfortunately, so here we are now: offseason mode.
“But it was a pretty good run. Nobody expected us to get to where we got. But we have expectations now, and we’ve gotta embrace those. The goal is to be playing deep into October, year after year.”
The 44-year-old Mendoza, of course, was hired last offseason from the Yankees, with whom he served as Aaron Boone’s bench coach from 2018-23.
game on Oct. 25, 2024. Screengrab
He admitted that facing the Yanks in the Fall Classic would’ve had “a little bit” more meaning to him “but not really.”
“You want to get there. Whoever you’re playing, you want to be there. And we’re not there,” Mendoza said. “Subway Series would have been special, but again, we’re not there.
“I’m proud of Boonie, proud of the whole organization because it hasn’t been easy for them, especially the past few years, winning 90 games, 100 games and getting knocked out of the playoffs. It’s not easy. But I’m proud of them. There are a lot of people that I [have] got a lot of respect for in that organization.
Mendoza, who said his sons Andres and Adrian are “big basketball fans,” spoke during warm-ups with Knicks president Leon Rose and Senior VP of basketball operations Gerson Rosas.
He also met with coach Tom Thibodeau before the game. Mets shortstop Francisco Lindor also was slated to attend the home opener.
“I got my family with me, and I don’t get to do something like this often,” Mendoza said. “This is awesome. This is something, as a baseball coach or manager, you don’t get to do all the time. But I definitely wish I was at the baseball field right now.”
The Mets overcame a 24-35 start to finish with an 89-73 record to earn a wild-card spot in the National League.
After defeating the Brewers and the Phillies in the playoffs, Mendoza’s team lost to the Dodgers in six games in the NLCS.