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NEW YORK (AP) — Luis Rojas began his tenure as manager of the New York Mets by thanking his famous father, Felipe Alou.
Rojas was introduced by the Mets on Friday as the replacement for Carlos Beltrán, whose tenure was cut short last week after just 84 days.
Felipe Alou was a three-time All-Star who managed Montreal for 10 seasons and San Francisco for four. Rojas called him his “college, university of baseball” and said he "taught me the game of baseball and life and helped me balance that through this journey."
Rojas had been the Mets quality control coach last year and was elevated after the newly hired Beltrán was implicated for his role as a player in 2017 in the Houston Astros sign-stealing scandal.
Rojas also praised his brother, six-time All-Star Moises Alou.
"You were very impactful," Rojas said. "Our discussions led to great ideas that helped me a lot throughout my career."
Beltrán was introduced on Nov. 4, three days after he was hired, and the gathering was held in the spacious Foxwoods Club high above the field. Rojas, hired Thursday, greeted media in the more Spartan news conference room near the clubhouse. Other parts of the ballpark were being readied for the Mets' first fan fest this weekend.
General manager Brodie Van Wagenen called the 38-year-old Rojas a "consistent voice that our players are familiar with and that our players believe in."
Defining expectations, Van Wagenen said Rojas takes over a team “built to win right now.”
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