Jeurys Familia: 2015 NL Champion Mets Closer (2012 - 2019) (2020-2021)

Jeurys Familia was born on October 10th, 1989, in Santa Domingo, Dominican Republic. The six four, right-handed pitcher signed with the New York Mets in 2008.

Familia began his career in A ball; with the Gulf Coast Mets in 2008 going 2-2 with the leagues 8th best ERA at 2.79. He advanced to Savannah going 10-6 in 2009 then to St. Lucie in 2010 where he went 6-9 with a high 5.58 ERA.

Surprisingly he was chosen to play in the Futures game, where he came in relief in the 7th inning with his team down 7-1. He served up three straight doubles, including one to Mike Trout.

In 2011 he went to AA Binghamton going 4-4 as a starting pitcher with a 3.49 ERA in 17 starts. He was promoted to AAA Buffalo the next year going an overall 9-9 with a 4.73 ERA, making 28 starts.

MLB Debut: Familia got a September call up & debuted with the Mets on September 4th, 2012, pitching one inning of scoreless relief in a 5-1 loss at St. Louis.

He would finish three games that month, unable to close out a 16-1 debacle against the Philadelphia Phillies at Citi Field. That day he allowed five runs on three hits in that 9th inning. On October 1st, he got his first start which came in Miami against the Marlins. He only allowed one hit but walked six batters & was removed after four innings.

2013: Familia started out the season on the Mets roster, debuting on April 4th, in the third game of the season. He allowed an earned run in each of his first two outings then settled in making four scoreless appearances. On May 3rd, he earned his first career save, pitching the 10th inning in a 7-5 win at Atlanta over the Braves.

On June 9th he underwent surgery to have bone spurs removed from his elbow & went on the DL. He wasn't expected to pitch again in 2013 but made a return on September 17th, pitching part of the 9th inning in a 8-5 loss to the San Francisco Giants.

“It’s really a tribute to how the kid worked to get back because we certainly didn’t expect him to be back this year at all,” Manager Terry Collins said. He allowed two hits, two walks & an earned run in his return.

2014: Familia was the Mets work horse out of the bullpen, leading the club in appearances (76) while posting the pen's best ERA (2.21). 

He was the 2014 Opening Day losing pitcher at Citi Field, starting the 10th inning of a 5-5 tie with the Washington Nats, he gave up two hits, a passed ball & sac fly before getting relieved by John Lannan. Lannan would eventually serve up a three run HR.

Two games later he gave up two more runs in another Met loss to Washington & his ERA soared to over twenty. On April 25th he earned his first win of the year, coming against the Miami Marlins, getting him to 1-2.

Familia settled in nicely & after the All Star break earned his second win of the year & earned five straight holds lowering his ERA to 1.81. In mid August he earned three saves from August 9th to August 20th.

In September he suffered a loss to the Marlins in Miami in an ugly inning where he gave up a double, a walk, a wild pitch, an error & a fielders choice run scoring play. But he then earned seven more holds as well as a save finishing off the year as the Mets main 8th inning guy leading to Jenrry Mejia.

In 2014 he was 2-5 with 23 holds, 16 games finished, 73 strike outs & 32 walks in 77 innings of work.

Off Season Drama Terry Collins had planned on using Jenry Mejia as the Mets closer in 2015 with Familia being used as the setup man. But that all changed when Mejia was suspended after being caught dirty using banned substances. 

A lack of arms in the bullpen made Familia the Mets closer. He took the opportunity & went with, becoming one of the best closers in the game. helping get the Mets to the 2015 World Series.

2015 Mets Pennant Season: On April 12th he earned his first save of the season, it came in Atlanta in a 4-3 win over the Braves. From there he went on a roll, Familia saved 13 straight games going into mid-May without blowing a save. 

On May 18th he blew a save against the St. Louis Cardinals resulting in a 2-1 Mets loss. It would be another month before he blew his next save.

On June 15th his son was born to fiancée Bianca, Familia stayed with the Mets & earned a save that night against the Braves. By the end of June, he had notched 21 saves & had a 1.23 ERA. 

At the All-Star break, Familia had 27 saves & was posting a 1.25 ERA. He just missed out getting voted on to the NL All Star team. By this time, he was the talk of the league, as players would leave the batter's box shaking their heads after seeing his stuff.

There was a bit of concern after the break, as Familia had two of his worst outings of the year in back-to-back games. He blew a save against the LA Dodgers, but the Mets rallied for a win.

Then four days later on July 26th, he gave up a season high: three runs to the San Diego Padres, taking the loss. Familia did not have a save in eleven days as the Mets reached a low point in the season.

But things turned around for everyone when GM Sandy Alderson added some key players to the mix, Michael Conforto, Steven Matz, Kelly Johnson Juan Uribe, Tyler Clippard & slugger Yoenis Cespedes all helped turn the club around. 

On August 1st, Familia was back, earning another save his 28th of the season. Over the next two months as the Mets went on to win the NL Eastern Division, Familia did not blow another save. He recorded 16 more saves in the final two months of the season. 

On October 4th in the final game of the Mets regular season, Familia closed out the 1-0 win over

the Washington Nationals at Citi Field. It was his 43rd save of the year tying a Mets single season record formerly held by Armando Benitez. 

His 43 saves were third best in the NL, Familia was tops in the league in games finished with 65. He posted a 1.85 ERA, a 2-2 record with 86 strike outs & 19 walks in 78 innings of work. 

Familia had at least two strike outs in an inning twenty times on the year, striking out the side three times on the year as well. There was only one week during the season (July 30-Aug 7th) his ERA was over two.

Post Season- 2015 NLDS: In the NLDS against the Los Angeles Dodgers, Familia came on in the 8th inning of Game #1 relieving Tyler Clippard with two outs & two on. He got Justin Turner to line out to first base. He then retired the side in order in the 9th, earning a save after a fine outing by Jacob deGrom. 

Familia closed out the Mets 13-7 blow out in Game #3 at Citi Field. He also finished off the Game #4 Mets loss to Clayton Kershaw.

In Game #5 Terry Collins asked his closer to get a six out save to finish off the series. Familia relieved Noah Syndergaard in the 8th inning holding on to a 3-2 lead.

He closed out the game striking out AJ Ellis & Howie Kendrick as the Mets advanced to their first NLCS since 2006. 

Familia leaped in the air then fell to his knees in celebration paying homage to Jesse Orosco after his memorable pose after closing out Game #7 of the 1986 World Series. 

Trivia: Jeurys Familia retired all 16 batters he faced in the NLDS.

2015 NLCS: In Game #1 of the NLCS against the Chicago Cubs at Citi Field, Familia relieved Matt Harvey in the 8th inning after he gave up a HR to Kyle Schwarber. 

The Mets still had a 4-2 lead, Familia git the final four outs sealing the Mets win.

Familia earned the Game #2 save as well in a 4-1 Mets win highlighted by Daniel Murphy's fifth post season HR. 

In Game #3 Murphy homered again, Yoenis Cespedes & Lucas Duda added RBI's in Jacob deGrom's victory, Familia earned his third save in as many NLCS games.

The Mets closed out the series with a 8-3 win at Wrigley Field with Familia closing it out.

In the NLCS sweep over the Chicago Cubs, Familia earned three saves in four games, in four innings he allowed no runs on two hits, two walks & three strike outs, keeping his post season ERA at 0.00.

2015 World Series: In the World Series against the Kansas City Royals, Familia had a rough time as well as a lot of bad breaks. 

In Game #1 he served up a 9th inning game tying HR to Alex Gordon, it was the first save he had blown in two months. The Mets went on to the extra inning loss.

He would not pitch in Game #2.

In Game #3 David Wright & Curtis Granderson led the way with HRs, Familia closed out the 9th inning retiring the side in order for the save. The Mets had been still down 2-1 in the Series.

In Game #4 the Mets had a 3-2 lead going into the 8th inning. Tyler Clippard put two men on with walks & Terry Collins went to Familia. 

A possible double play ball to Daniel Murphy was booted, the tying run scored & now there was just one out with two men on. 

Familia gave up back to back RBI singles to Mike Moustakas & Salvador Perez giving the Royals a 5-3 lead. The Mets lost the game & were now down three games to one.

In the final Game #5, Familia relieved Matt Harvey after a valiant effort which got him to the 9th
inning. After Harvey gave up a run on an Eric Hosmer double, Familia came in to a 2-1 Mets lead. Hosmer scored on a weak ground ball to short, tying the game earning Familia his second blown save in a row. The Mets went on to the extra inning loss ending their season.

Trivia: His three blown saves in a single World Series is a record.  Overall, in the post season Familia pitched 14.2 innings in 12 games, allowing just one earned run (two runs overall) five hits with nine strike outs & two walks.

After the Pennant: Familia picked up his role as the Mets closer & one of the top relievers in baseball. He sailed through April, with eight saves & a 2.25 ERA. On May 25th, he set a Mets franchise record, converting 32 consecutive opportunities, breaking Billy Wagners old record. 

He would save 16 games & have two wins before suffering his first loss, which came on May 29th in Los Angeles. That came during a rough stretch at the end of May, in his previous outing on May 27th, he allowed four runs but the Mets pulled out a 6-5 win.

2016 New York Mets All Stars @ All Star Game Intros

On June 24th, he set another team record starting out the year converting 25 consecutive save opportunities to open a season. In June into mid-July he allowed just one run in 17.2 innings of work, earning fifteen more saves, totaling 33 up to that point. 

2016 All Star: That year Mets Manager named him to the NL All Star team joining Noah Syndergaard & Bartolo Colon. He did not pitch in the game.

It wasn't until July 27th & after he had notched 36 saves to his credit, that Familia blew his first save. 

By that point he had set the All-Time MLB regular season mark by converting 53 straight save opportunities.

In the 9th inning at Citi Field, the Cardinals Yadier Molina doubled to tie the game & pinch hitter Kolten Wong also doubled to put the Cars ahead & get the win. 

The next night he blew another allowing two more runs, this time to the Colorado Rockies. 

It seems the workload had caused him some fatigue, but it was enough for the media to say his performances were a matter of concern.

In August he allowed just one earned run, this in his third blown save coming against the San Diego Padres. That night Will Meyers hit the only HR Familia would give up all regular season, the only other of 2016 came in the NL Wild Card Game, resulting in a loss.

Mets All Time Single Season Save Record: On September 1st at Citi Field, Familia set the New York Mets all-time single season save mark with his 44th save. He broke the record of 43 held by himself & Armando Benitez. 

As the Mets rolled through September to capture the NL tops Wild Card spot, Familia saved seven more games & on October 1st, set a Mets franchise record with 51 saves on the season. He did suffer another loss that month, coming on September 21st against the Atlanta Braves.

For the 2016 season he led the NL in saves with 51 & games finished with 67.  He became just the second Mets closer in team history along with John Franco to lead the league in saves. He posted a 2.55 ERA going 3-4 with 84 strike outs & 31 walks (six intentional) in 77.2 innings in 78 appearances.

2016 Wild Card Game: Familia was brought into the scoreless game against the San Francisco Giants, in the 9th inning and surrendered a leadoff double to Brandon Crawford. He struck out former Met Angel Pagan then walked Joe Panick. 

The big blow came from Conner Gillaspie, a three-run shot ending the Mets 2016 season as Madison Bumgarner completed the 3-0 shut out.

Family Drama: On Halloween, 2016, Familia was arrested in Ft. Lee New Jersey, on a domestic violence charge following a frantic telephone call to 911 by his wife Bianca, who said he had been drinking a little, and going crazy.

He pleaded not guilty & a few weeks later his wife asked that all the charges be dropped. The case was dismissed due to lack of evidence. But MLB felt they still had to do something so as not to be seen like the NFL. So he was suspended for the first 15 games of the season.

2017: He was activated on April 20th & made his season debut that night. He would finish off four games & appear in another until recording his first save, which came on April 29th. 

May started out well with two saves & a May 8th win recorded against the San Francisco Giants at home. But on May 11th he was diagnosed with n arterial clot in his right shoulder & had surgery the next day. He would be out for three months & by the time he returned the Mets were 56-72, done for the year.

It would be another month until he recorded his next save and close out the season with three saves & a win in the final nine games of the season.

2018: He began 2018 strong, collecting seven straight saves & an April 15th win over the Milwaukee Brewers. This o course came during the Mets fantastic start, but the bottom soon fell out for everyone. 

Familia blew three games in the next ten days, but rebounded to pitch well enough to have 17 saves with a 2.88 ERA & A 4-4 win loss record by July 15th. 

It was then the Mets parted ways with him as he was traded to the Oakland Athletics for two minor leaguers (Will Toffey & Bobby Whal) for their playoff run.

Mets Career: In seven years with the Mets, Familia was 13-17 with 123 saves (third all-time  in Mets history, behind John Franco & Armando Benitez) while posing a 2.66 ERA in 313 appearances, placing him 9th on the Mets all-time list in that category.

Post Mets Career: In 30 games in Oakland, he served as a setup man to reliever Blake Treinen (38 saves) going 4-2 with a 3.45 ERA. He pitched one scoreless inning in the AL Wild Card game & was granted free agency at the end of the season.

In December 2018 he agreed to a contract to come back to the New York Mets. But this time he would be in a setup role as the Mets also acquired Edwin Diaz from the Seattle Mariners.

But much of his anticipated return did not work out as planned. Although he made 66 appearances & ended up 4-2 he posted a 5.70 ERA. 

The season started out well as he earned a hold on Opening Day. On April 1st he earned a win in the Mets 11-8 win over the Marlins in Miami. 

But on April 6th he earned a win even though he had given up the lead & allowed three runs, including two HRs to the Washington Nat's. HRs by Pete Alonso & Robinson Cano tied the game & short time Met Keon Broxton singled in the winning run in the 8th. 

Familia would allow runs in six of is next eight games, blowing his first save on April 30th, as his ERA ballooned up to 6.28.

Over the next two months he blew two more games & saw his ERA go as high as 7.81. On June 14th he gave up four runs to the Cardinals & then three runs to the Braves in his next  appearance.

During the Mets hot streak in August, he earned two more wins & collected his 12th hold by August 31st. On September 1st he gave up two runs to the Phils, finishing up a 5-2 loss. On September 4th, Familia lasted 2/3's of an inning against the Nat's before allowing three runs. He closed out the year with two holds at the end of September.

2020-2022: Familia returned in the 2020 Covid 19 shortened season to go 2-0. In 2021 the Mets had a new look & enjoyed early success in first place before it all fell apart. Familia began the year at 3-0 & took his first loss in mid-June. He went on to win his next three decisions as wee & was 6-1 with eight holds & a 3.18 ERA. 

He finished the year at 9-4, a career high in victories. He made 65 appearances & closed out 16 games. He struck out 72 batters walked 27 in 59.1 innings.

In 2022 he pitched for both the Philadelphia Phillies & Boston Red Sox.

Career Stats: In his eight-year career Familia was 34-28 with 125 saves. He struck out 58 batters & walked 253 in 543 innings of work in 547 appearances.

Family: Familia built a house for his parents in the Dominican Republic, the only delay came when he paid for a leg surgery for his father, that had plagued him since he was a child. 

Jeurys & his wife Bianca have a son.