PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla. — Antonio Bastardo is one serious man.
And that is exactly the attitude the Mets need to clean up their eighth-inning bullpen woes.
Bastardo does not want manager Terry Collins to have to extend closer Jeurys Familia by bringing him in for four- or five-out saves. The lefty said he will handle it — whether he is facing left-handed hitters or right-handed hitters.
That eighth inning belongs to him.
“I know the Mets needed help and that is why I signed here,’’ Bastardo, 30, told The Post on Wednesday, his first interview since signing with the Mets as a free agent for two years, $12 million.