Carlos Mendoza has been in professional baseball since 1997, when he signed with the San Francisco Giants out of Venezuela.
A playing career that lasted over a dozen years followed before Mendoza, now 44, became a coach in the Yankees’ system in 2009.
That coaching career included a season as manager in 2012, when Mendoza managed a young Brett Gardner and Gary Sanchez with Single-A Charleston and led to seven seasons spent on the Yankees bench in The Bronx.
So what if he had to wait another day to manage his first major league game?
“I try to stay calm and take one day at a time,’’ Mendoza said when he was asked Wednesday about the Mets’ Opening Day game against the Brewers at Citi Field — and the start of his major league managerial career — which ended up being delayed because of rain.
“We’ve got a lot to do,” Mendoza said. “A lot of preparation, I’m pretty sure.”
The waiting will be over on Friday at Citi Field following Thursday’s rainout.
Mendoza has long been respected around the game and was confident he was the right man for this job.
But even he acknowledged there was a learning curve during spring training, when he sat in the manager’s chair.
“The first day on the job in spring training, it kind of hit me,” Mendoza said. “When everything runs through your desk and you’re the one making the final call.”
Now, he just wants to prove he’s up to the task.
“Look, this is something I’ve been dreaming of my whole life [and] been preparing for my whole life,’’ Mendoza said. “I know I’m ready. I’m really looking forward to it. This is a special group, special people. It’s a great team that we have and we’re ready to go. Every step along the way, as a coach, as a player, I’ve been in this game for almost 30 years and here I am now about to embrace and experience my first Opening Day as a manager.”
Mendoza impressed at least one of his veteran players during the spring.
“He seems ready,” Francisco Lindor said Wednesday. “He’s extremely optimistic. In spring training, with everything, he seemed ahead of every move. I can’t wait to see when the lights are on and watch him go about it. I’m sure he’ll be very prepared for [Opening Day].”
And once the rain fades away and Mendoza takes the trip to Queens on Friday, there will be a difference, even though he has had a lot of success as a coach in New York.
“I’m not gonna lie, I remember when I was a player, when I was a coach, when I was a manager in the minor leagues, [or] a coach in the big leagues, Opening Day is a special day,” Mendoza said. “It means a lot. I’m pretty sure I will feel the butterflies going through the ceremonies, but once the game starts, it’s business as usual. We’ll be ready. We’ll be prepared. I’m pretty sure it’s gonna be emotional.”