The New York Mets’ poor run this season has turned into a political talking point with some people blaming New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani for the team’s struggles.
The idea started as a joke online after Mamdani was seen hugging the Mets’ mascots, Mr and Mrs Met at Citi Field on April 9. Since then, fans and commentators have linked that moment to the team’s 11-game losing streak.
The “Curse of the Mambino”
The idea of a “Mamdani curse” quickly spread, after Fox News host Sean Hannity talked about it. On his show, Hannity showed a clip of Mayor Zohran Mamdani hugging Mr Met and linked it to the Mets’ losing streak.
“And by the way, the New York Mets? They are on an 11-game losing streak, including, oh, right after the mayor met and hugged the team mascot, Mr Met, at Citi Field on April 9, a phenomenon people are calling the ‘Mamdani Curse.’ It’s kind of hard to lose 11 games in a row in baseball, but he pulled it off,” Hannity said.
His colleague Emily Compagno laughed and added, “It’s not enough that he has to destroy our city, but he has to destroy our sports too.”
The New York Post also highlighted the story on its front page with the headline “Curse of the Mambino,” which is a reference to the famous “Curse of the Bambino,” a superstition linked to the Boston Red Sox after they sold Babe Ruth in 1919.
The joke spread on social media as well. One user on X wrote, “The Mets are embracing Mamdani Socialism: they’re spreading wins around to teams with far lower payrolls.”
While another wrote, “Keep him away from my Knicks!!!”
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So what happened at the Mets?
According to The Independent, before Mayor Mamdani’s visit, the Mets were doing fairly well. They had a 7-4 start to the season, won four games in a row and last won on April 7 against the Diamondbacks. Star player Juan Soto was performing strongly, batting .355 before he got injured with a calf strain on April 3.
After that, things went downhill. The Mets were swept by the Athletics, Dodgers, and Cubs and are now on an 11-game losing streak which is their worst run since 2004. This is especially disappointing because the team has spent a lot of money. Their luxury tax payroll is about $381 million with an extra $126 million in taxes, making total spending around $507 million. Even with the second-highest payroll in Major League Baseball after the Los Angeles Dodgers, they continue to lose, as per AP.
What does Mamdani say?
Mamdani himself reacted in a lighthearted way. Speaking on Tuesday during an event about early childhood education, he joked about the situation.
“I’ll first say that there’s a lot of baseball left to be played, and I am still keeping the faith, as I know that many Mets fans are across the city though I will accept being addressed as Mayor Mambino for the day,” he said.
