The Minnesota Twins beat the New York Mets Tuesday night, and now that city's mayor getting flack for his team's losing streak.
Fans in Queens say the bad luck began when New York Mayor Zoran Mamdani met the Mets mascot and posed for a picture.
That was on April 9, and the team hasn't won a game since.
The 12th straight came Tuesday night against the Minnesota Twins, who won 5-3 after a late-inning rally. The mayor's response?
"I will accept being addressed as Mayor Bambino," he said.
It's a nod to a New York Post headline playing on the famous "Curse of the Bambino" which was blamed for the Red Sox 86-year drought after they traded Babe Ruth to the Yankees in 1920.
"There's a lot of baseball left to be played, and I am still keeping the faith," assures Mayor Mamdani.
That is little reassurance to Mets fans who are letting the team know about it - as New York fans tend to do.
Embattled closer Devin Williams allowed a tiebreaking RBI single to Luke Keaschall in the ninth inning and the Twins contributed to that misery Tuesday.
With an opening-day payroll of $352.2 million that tops the majors, the Mets have baseball's worst record at 7-16. The skid is their longest since they dropped 12 straight from Aug. 10-23, 2002. No team has made the playoffs after a season in which it lost 12 in a row.
New York is hitting .194 during the losing streak while being outscored 67-22. The Mets didn’t have slugger Juan Soto for any of that stretch, but he is expected to come off the injured list Wednesday after missing the last 16 games with a strained right calf.
“I’ve never been a part of something like this,” Williams said. “I think we just need to get the one win out of the way and I think everything else will take care of itself. But it’s obviously proving pretty difficult right now.”
Fans began chanting “Fire Mendy!” in reference to manager Carlos Mendoza as Williams loaded the bases. Austin Warren relieved Williams and received an ovation when he struck out Royce Lewis. The crowd then chanted his name after he struck out the next two batters, Brooks Lee and Byron Buxton.
Mendoza, in his third season as manager after six seasons on the Yankees’ coaching staff, said before the game he wouldn’t mind a frosty reception because he knows how fans will react if the team fares better.
“They’re also going to be right behind you when we flip it around,” Mendoza said. “We’ve seen that before, too, so it’s nothing new for us that have been here. We expect those guys to continue to support us, but we’ve got to do better for them, too.
“It’s all part of it. It comes with the territory. Wouldn’t want it any other way.”
Twins will try to extend the Mets losing streak Wednesday night.
"I will accept being addressed as Mayor Bambino," Mamdani said
"I will accept being addressed as Mayor Bambino," Mamdani said
