As if the New York Yankees or the New York Mets – two teams with some of the highest payrolls in the league – need any help from MLB or the umpires' union to break out of their much-deserved slumps. The Yankees received just that on Sunday afternoon. While the Mets took the first two games of the Subway Series against their crosstown rivals, it was the Yankees who emerged victorious in the final contest, 6-4, thanks in part to a controversial strike call which got Carlos Mendoza ejected.
Carlos Mendoza has been ejected for arguing balls and strikes with home plate umpire John Bacon pic.twitter.com/aJrDvmn4Ay
— SNY (@SNYtv) July 6, 2025
Not great! The typically reserved Mendoza refused to go quietly into the night, and yelled at the home plate umpire from the Mets dugout. When he was thrown out of the game itself, Mets fans erupted, and rightly so. The strike call was a few inches off the plate, and while not human umpire is perfect, this is why fans have longed called for some form of ABS.
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Mets fans are furious over brutal call in ninth inning of loss to Yankees
In fact, that wasn't even the only pitch in the same at-bat which drew the ire of Mets fans. MLB.com's gameday pitch tracker tells the whole story. Add in a questionable check swing call to end the game, and fans in Queens had some real beef. While the Yankees were desperate for a victory, the Mets also hoped to keep pace with the NL East-leading Phillies. Instead, the Mets failed to sweep their Bronx neighbors, and thus fell a game back in the division.
It's been a tough go of it for both of these teams. The Yankees lost their AL East lead and then some, as the Blue Jays have won eight straight games, four of which came against New York in Toronto. The Mets, meanwhile, are trying to recover after their own early-season advantage fell by the wayside. The Mets and Phillies have been battling for much of the last month.
Mets have no one but themselves to blame for tough loss to Yankees
While some tough calls against them in the ninth inning were frustrating, the Mets should blame their own strategy – along with several clutch moments from the Yankees themselves – for such a painful defeat. It was Mendoza who opted not to intentionally walk Aaron Judge in the fifth inning with one on and one out. Judge routinely disposed of a Brandon Waddell pitch as a result. And it was Cody Bellinger who made a sliding grab to half the Mets comeback attempt in the later innings.
As frustrating as certain losses can be, blaming such a result on umpires when its unwarranted is a classic little brother move. The Mets would be better off avoiding such a complaint altogether.