Jose Iglesias didn't start Friday's game for the Mets, but he started the postgame celebration and fireworks show.
Shortly after the Mets beat the Astros, 7-2, Iglesias emerged from the dugout, took a microphone and performed his new single, "OMG," for the 32,465 fans in attendance. With the stadium lights shut off, Iglesias -- who released the song on Friday under his stage name, Candelita -- strolled out near second base and exhorted the fans, "New York City! Let's keep the party going!" as the song started playing on the sound system.
Backed by The Queens Crew, the Mets' dance team, Iglesias sang along with the track as his teammates watched from the first baseline. When the second chorus came around, they swarmed Iglesias on the field, shouting along and waving their hands in the air.
“That was a special moment,” Iglesias said after the performance. “That [shows] how tight we are. ... We are riding in it and enjoying it. One day at a time. That’s what we have to do right now.
“This group has become a family. It’s great. We have great human beings here. We are clicking, we care about each other and we are playing good baseball.”
The plan for the postgame performance was put in place before the game, though Iglesias said it would only go on if the Mets won.
“This is all about winning. This is not about me. It’s about the team,” he said. “This is about continuing to have good energy, competing every at-bat, every pitch, every inning, and one day at a time.”
Originally scheduled for release in July, "OMG" dropped on streaming services earlier in the day, in part because of lobbying from veteran J.D. Martinez. The night before, Iglesias performed it at a Mets charity dinner at Citi Field.
Iglesias joined the Mets on May 31 and made the single his walk-up song.
“It’s hard to express what I feel right now,” he said. “There is a lot of emotions. It was a great game. The guys get the job done one more time. It’s a dream come true. I’m very humble about it. … I’m floating right now.”
MLB.com's Bill Ladson contributed to this report.