Fans tear into Jeff McNeil after Mets' 5-4 loss vs. Nationals

The New York Mets' momentum came to a screeching halt as they were defeated by the Washington Nationals in the opening game of their three-game series on Friday. The primary villain, at least in the eyes of the team's fans, was All-Star utility man Jeff McNeil. He made his season debut after starting the season on the shelf with an oblique strain.

With the game tied at 4-4 in the bottom of the ninth and a runner on first, Nationals slugger James Wood smacked a grounder straight to the direction of McNeil near second base. The two-time All-Star, however, mishandled it and the ball rolled to center field, giving C.J. Abrams the chance to run home for the walk-off single.

To say that the Mets fans were livid would be an understatement.

"Does anyone actually like Jeff McNeil????" a fan questioned.

"Send Jeff to the shadow realm and play Acuna everyday," a fan suggested.

"Thank Mendoza for putting back McNeil," one fan sarcastically stated.

Fans were up in arms at skipper Carlos Mendoza's decision to pick McNeil, suggesting that Luisangel Acuña would have been a better fit for the position.

"Good thing they benched young, athletic, fast Acuna for old b*lls Jeff McNeil," a fan shared.

"Send McNeil back to AAA," a fan said.

"God u should’ve made that damn play wt*!!! Let Acuna start please!!!" a fan exclaimed.

The powerhouse Metropolitans would have another shot at redemption against the Nationals on the road. First pitch for Game 2 is at 4:05 p.m. ET on Saturday.

James Wood's first walk-off hit lifts Nationals past surging Mets

The Washington Nationals overcame the New York Mets courtesy of young slugger James Wood's walk-off single in the ninth inning.

With the game tied, the 22-year-old brought home C.J. Abrams from first base after All-Star Jeff McNeil mishandled a grounder at second base. Wood is having a sensational start for the Nats as he is tied for the second-most home runs hit in all of the majors with eight.

The Nationals' 5-4 victory over the Mets ended the latter's seven-game winning streak. Although severely outmatched on paper, Washington has played "kingslayer" to top teams in the league so far this year.

Washington was victorious in the back-to-back series it played against the postseason dark horse Diamondbacks and the reigning champion Dodgers to start off April.

About the author

Daniel Santiago is a journalist who has been reporting on baseball at Sportskeeda since 2022. He was drawn towards the sport after the underlying statistics and the analysis surrounding it grabbed his attention.

Daniel particularly enjoys furnishing reports about historic events in baseball and analyzing the game through a statistic-based outlook, based on Fangraphs and Baseball-Reference. This is in line with how he enjoyed watching baseball as a pastime. As a writer, he is very particular about cross-checking from reputable sources and doing his due diligence.

He became a lifelong Hideki Matsui fan after his exploits in the 2009 World Series for the New York Yankees. Among the current generation, Daniel's favorites include Shohei Ohtani and Jung Hoo Lee. Daniel is a huge follower of Asian baseball and both Ohtani and Lee have been in the top echelon of their respective leagues during their time with the NPB and KBO.

His favorite moment as a baseball fan was the final at-bat of the 2023 World Baseball Classic between Shohei Ohtani and Mike Trout. He believes there aren't many words to fittingly describe the intensity of the moment.

As an avid sports fan, Daniel watches other sports and Esports when not writing about baseball.

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Edited by Daniel Santiago