The New York Mets weren’t the only team underperforming Friday night against the Milwaukee Brewers.
An 8-4 loss to the National League Central champions ended their playoff hopes, but the Mets had to deal with an all-around bad game from home plate umpire Ramon de Jesus. Given the importance of the game, it’s no wonder the team was furious with a wildly inconsistent strike zone.
Twelve of the calls De Jesus made were inaccurate, eight of which were paid for by New York City. Things came to a head in the top of the fourth inning, when the Mets were trying to recover from a 5-2 deficit. Francisco Alvarez represented the tying hit at the plate, struggling to extend his at-bat to 10 pitches despite hitting a called strike clearly out of the zone. Milwaukee starting pitcher Frankie Montas’ 10th pitch appeared to be ball 4, but De Jesus called it a strike 3 and ended the inning.
Alvarez and Mets manager Carlos Mendoza were furious about the call. In particular, Mendoza, who usually maintained a calm demeanor, was sent off by De Jesus for using abusive language. It was the second time this season that Mendoza was ejected from a game (the first was on July 12).
Carlos Mendoza was sent off after Francisco Alvarez was called for a questionable strike three. pic.twitter.com/n7LkG6wIAo
— SNY (@SNYtv) September 28, 2024
After the game, Mendoza acknowledged how difficult it was for the umpires to call balls and strikes, but the quality of the overall strike zone still remains, especially considering how tough the Mets had to win. I was irritated.
“They have a hard job. I know they work really hard,” Mendoza said. “I didn’t agree with that. He didn’t have a good game behind the plate. I wasn’t happy with that call, but the other calls. I know they’re trying. But we have to move on.”
Carlos Mendoza on Ramon de Jesus’ job as home plate umpire tonight:
“They’re working hard. I know they’re working really hard. He didn’t have a good game behind the plate. We’ve got to move on.” pic.twitter.com/allwZeXS9f
— SNY (@SNYtv) September 28, 2024
Mendoza hinted that Milwaukee was called in favor of a borderline pitch early in the first inning. This led to starting pitcher Sean Manaea issuing two walks before allowing a grand slam to Reece Hoskins to start the game early. But the at-bat against Alvarez was the straw that broke the camel’s back.
Mendoza said, “Not at all (I was surprised by the sending off).” “I had to go out there and protect Albie.”
With the Mets’ final loss, they are now tied with the Atlanta Braves (who won their game against the Kansas City Royals) for the third and final wild card spot. Both teams have identical records at 87 wins and 71 losses, and a doubleheader is scheduled for Monday. This puts New York at a huge disadvantage, as they will likely need to win at least three of their final four games to secure a playoff berth.
