"Welcome to the America Ace" - Mets fans congratulate Jose Quintana as veteran pitcher becomes US citizen

On Thursday, New York Mets pitcher Jose Quintana officially became a United States citizen. The veteran hurler left camp to go to Miami to take his naturalization test and passed the exam easily.

For the last six years, Quintana has been living in Miami on a green card. Now, he and his wife Michelle, who became a U.S. citizen three weeks ago, can rest easy. His oldest daughter, who is eight, is studying to become a citizen as well.

Quintana also has another daughter who was born in the United States, which automatically makes her a U.S. citizen. It will not be long until the entire Quintana family becomes legal citizens.

Mets fans took to social media to congratulate Jose Quintana. It could not have been easy to study for the test while trying to get ready for the upcoming season. It shows just how dedicated Quintana is.

"Welcome to America ace!" one fan posted.

"That's awesome! Congratulations Jose!" another fan posted.

Quintana stated that the test was not too hard, and he had fun doing it. He celebrated with his family afterward, taking a trip to see Cirque du Soleil, a famous circus that includes acrobats and dance performances.

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Can Jose Quintana lead the Mets after a disastrous 2023 season?

New York Mets - Jose Quintana (Image via Getty)

There is no denying that the New York Mets had a poor season last year. They finished with a 75-87 record, 29 games behind the Atlanta Braves and four games ahead of the Washington Nationals.

The team's season was done at the trade deadline when they sent Justin Verlander to the Houston Astros and Max Scherzer to the Texas Rangers.

This year, pitching will be a big focus. The team's ace, Kodai Senga, will not be ready for Opening Day as he is dealing with inflammation. This leaves Jose Quintana as the team's top pitcher to start the year, followed by Luis Severino and Sean Manaea.

Quintana is coming off a season where he started 13 games. During that stretch, he compiled a 3-6 record with a 3.57 ERA on 75.2 innings of work. Those are not the most promising numbers heading into the 2024 season.

Quintana will have to buckle down to put his team in the best position to win. So far, through four games this spring, he has an 0-1 record with a 4.15 ERA while striking out 12 batters in 13 innings.