"Gave up everything in life" - New Mets manager Carlos Mendoza shares tearful reflection of wife Francis sacrificing career and homeland for him

The New York Mets promptly selected Carlos Mendoza, a former New York Yankee bench coach, as their new manager after losing out on Craig Counsell.

Following the announcement, Mendoza spoke to Emily Reppert of MLB.com. He thanked his wife, Francis, for giving up her career and life in their native Venezuela to support his baseball dreams during his inaugural press conference on Tuesday at Citi Field:

“You gave up everything in life,” Mendoza began. "I remember having this conversation with you: ‘Are you sure you want to do this?’

"You gave up your career as a dentist back in Venezuela, your mom, your sister and all the people that you love, and you said, ‘I’m going to do this with you.’ And here we are, Francis. I love you so much, and I can’t wait for this new chapter in our lives.”

Mets manager Carlos Mendoza makes a bold promise

As soon as Carlos Mendoza was named the new Mets manager, he told the media that he would wear No. 28 and in explaining why, made a bold statement:

"Because I’ll lead the Mets to a World Championship before the Yankees get their 28th ring."

"Carlos Mendoza will wear #28 for the New York Mets. When asked why he chose #28 he said “Because I’ll lead the Mets to a World Championship before the Yankees get their 28th ring”."

The choice of Carlos Mendoza deviates from the Mets' recent practice of appointing prominent managers. Mendoza is taking the helm to get the Mets their first World Series since 1986, even though this is his first major league managerial position.

Now that the managerial post has been filled, the Mets need to surround Mendoza with a strong coaching staff. To help the rookie manager in this important function, it is expected that they will search for a bench coach with prior big league managing experience.

The Mets appear to be set for a busy winter as they prepare for next season.