New York Mets middle infielders Francisco Lindor and Javier Baez upset fans at Citi Field by flashing thumbs down in their direction.
While beef between players and fans usually occurs between the home fans and the road team, the Mets have always had their own way of doing things. This particular scenario has been brewing for a long time, as Lindor has been on the receiving end of boos all season long.
Lindor has used the negative energy as fuel for his fire in the past but the two players have heard it go on for long enough and now, they’re fed up.
Deesha Thosar, a beat reporter who covers the team, relayed the message from Baez (via NY Daily News):
“We’re not machines, we’re going to struggle. … It just feels bad when I strikeout and I get booed. … We’re going to do the same thing to let them know how it feels.”
Baez, who made his debut with the team less than a month ago in late July and hasn’t had the warmest welcome, wanted fans to have a taste of their own medicine. As he put it, simply put, they are going to get booed when the team has success.
Regardless of where you stand on the issue, Baez has a point. You expect to get jeered when you’re on the road but when you’re at home, a more welcome environment would certainly help.
I’m here for it 😂😂😂😂 https://t.co/dvNUlV8VG8
— Donovan Mitchell (@spidadmitchell) August 29, 2021
Lifelong Mets fan and NBA star Donovan Mitchell didn’t seem to mind, anyway. Mets president Sandy Alderson, however, doesn’t agree.
As he noted, fans are “understandably frustrated” by the recent performance of the team. The executive said that he loves New York fans for how “loyal, passionate, knowledgeable and more than willing to express themselves” they are for their team. He added that they have “every right” to express their disappointment with the on-field product.
The players and the organization are “equally” frustrated, per Alderson, but he will hold a team meeting to tell them players cannot be negative towards fans (via Mets):
“In a post-game press conference today, Javy Baez stated that his “thumbs down” gesture during the game was a message to fans who recently have booed him and other players for poor performance. These comments, and any gestures by him or other players with a similar intent, are totally unacceptable and will not be tolerated.”
Frankly, there are far worse things that have happened within the Mets organization and in comparison, this feels like small potatoes.
However, this somehow isn’t the first time (!) the team has issued a statement about a gesture someone within the organization gave towards the crowd. It’s also not the first time that someone putting their thumbs down at Citi Field has made headlines.
But this time around, we have more photographic evidence. Scroll down for the best photos we could find of the new incidents in question: