As the New York Mets continue their improbable playoff run, third baseman Mark Vientos has become a main character in what fans hope will be an ongoing Cinderella story. The Mets, who squeaked into the postseason as the National League’s No. 6 seed, defeated the No. 3 Milwaukee Brewers two games to one in the Wild Card round. They are currently tied at one game apiece with their division-rival Philadelphia Phillies, the No. 2 seed, in the best-of-five National League Division Series.
On May 30, the Mets sat at 23-33 and in fourth place in the N.L. East. From May 31 on, the Mets were one of the best teams in baseball, finishing with 89 wins. Vientos, the 24-year-old third baseman who joined the team in late April and is playing in his first full big-league season, had a key role in that turnaround.
On Sept. 6, Vientos punctuated his season with a pair of two-run home runs, the second of which was an extra-innings walk-off, giving the Mets their eighth straight win. That’s when flags were raised for Jewish fans. Vientos’ teammates, in the heat of their celebration, pulled his jersey off, revealing a Hebrew tattoo on Vientos’ chest. Vientos, who is not Jewish, has the word “הפלפמ” with the numbers “4:6” inked on his chest.
The word, as many observers pointed out, is gibberish, and appears to be a misspelling of Philippians, the New Testament book, which is transliterated differently in Hebrew. Philippians 4:6 begins, “Do not be anxious about anything,” and Vientos cited the verse on Twitter in 2017. But as the playoff march unfolds, fans could well come face-to-face with the misspelling again, as Vientos has continued his star turn in October.
He collected three hits, two runs and two RBIs in the Wild Card series, and through the first two games of the NLDS, Vientos already has five hits, two home runs, five RBIs and three runs scored. While Vientos’ tattoo appears to be a red herring, this NLDS has provided plenty of fodder for Jewish fans. Vientos’ teammate, center fielder Harrison Bader, is Jewish and has a sartorial flourish of his own, a Star of David he’s worn on his belt this season. On the other side, the Phillies boast Jewish catcher Garrett Stubbs. (Jewish reliever Max Lazar didn’t make the team’s NLDS roster.)
Both teams have prominent Jews off the field, too. The Mets are owned by billionaire Steve Cohen and are led by David Stearns, the team’s president of baseball operations. And Team Israel alum Sam Fuld, an eight-year MLB veteran, is the Phillies’ general manager.
