#Luis Rojas enjoys winning Mets debut and ‘protein shake’ celebration

Luis Rojas had plenty of time to sit around and think about Friday.

The rookie manager did not have to wait nearly as long for his first win.

The 38-year-old’s first shot at big-league managing went off without a hitch as the Mets edged the Braves 1-0 on Opening Day at Citi Field.

Rojas, who was named the Mets’ manager in January during a tumultuous offseason in which Carlos Beltran was hired for the job and then fired, made all the right moves to secure his first career win in the shortened 60-game season.

“Very excited,” Rojas said. “We played really good baseball today.”

The Mets marked Rojas’ first win with a postgame celebration — first when Edwin Diaz and Wilson Ramos presented him the game ball. Then once they got inside, they showered him with a mix of ingredients that left him feeling sticky and smelly by the time he sat down for his Zoom call with the media.

“Right now, I got this different smell on me,” Rojas said. “I don’t know what they threw on me, but they threw a lot of stuff. I know there’s some protein shake and maybe some Jell-O mix that feels sticky. The smell’s getting a little different with time.

“They did it right.”

Rojas navigated his way through the necessary pitching changes — Jacob deGrom for five innings, Seth Lugo for two, Justin Wilson for one and Edwin Diaz for the save. His lineup construction paid off when Yoenis Cespedes provided the only offense needed with a solo home run in the seventh inning. In the next half inning, he made defensive replacements, subbing out Robinson Cano and J.D. Davis for Andres Gimenez and Jake Marisnick. He also successfully challenged a call, securing Jeff McNeil a double after he was initially called out in the fourth inning.

Rojas’ big day was not complete without a talk with his dad, Felipe Alou, both before and after the game. Because of COVID-19 restrictions, Rojas’ family was spread out across the map instead of being at Citi Field. Alou, the veteran manager, watched from Florida while Rojas’ wife and son watched from home in New York and his half-brother, Moises Alou, watched from the Dominican Republic.

In their pregame chat, Alou gave his son his blessing for a good season. Then Rojas went out and earned his first win — only 1,032 to go to catch his dad.

“It’s a great day,” Rojas said. “First win as a manager, I hope he’s really proud of the moment.”