Mamdani laughs off blame for Mets’ losing streak: ‘I am still keeping the faith’

Forget Juan Soto’s calf injury.

Nevermind the offensive struggles or a few blow-up outings by the starting pitchers.

No, some Republican lawmakers have tried to blame Mayor Mamdani for the Mets’ prolonged losing streak, linking his Citi Field visit on April 9 to the team’s historic rut.

Mamdani laughed off those digs Tuesday morning while voicing his support for his favorite MLB team.

“There’s a lot of baseball left to be played,” Mamdani said at an unrelated press conference. “And I am still keeping the faith, as I know that many Mets fans are across the city.”

The Mets entered Tuesday on an 11-game losing streak and the worst record (7-15) in the National League. They totaled only 19 runs over those 11 games.

The second of those losses occurred on the day Mamdani, a former assemblyman who represented Astoria, stopped by Citi Field and posed for photos with Mr. and Mrs. Met.

“I will keep my fingers crossed, as every Mets fan does,” Mamdani said. “And I think that this [suggestion of a curse] is part and parcel of what it means to be the mayor. You take it in stride.”

This isn’t the first time a Mets streak has coincided with a notable Citi Field visit. In June of 2024, the McDonald’s mascot Grimace threw out the ceremonial first pitch before a game in Queens.

The Mets then rattled off seven consecutive victories, kicking off a dramatic season turnaround that resulted in a trip to the NLCS. Grimace thus became an unlikely rally symbol for those Mets and even returned to the stadium during that playoff run.

Meanwhile, this is the second time in recent days that Mamdani, 34, has crossed into the sports stratosphere.

Last week, when he was asked about the high ticket prices for the Knicks’ first-round playoff series against the Atlanta Hawks, Mamdani jokingly pointed to a notorious New York sports villain.

“I would say that I blame Trae Young,” Mamdani said, referring to the former Hawks star who tormented the Knicks during the teams’ previous playoff meeting in 2021.

“And I think it’s always important to blame Trae Young.”

Young, now of the Washington Wizards, caught wind of Mamdani’s jab and wrote on social media, “Remember what happened the last time the mayor of that city had my name in his mouth during a time like this.”