Ron Darling whiffs with take on Mets reliever throwing behind Rhys Hoskins

Things couldn't have gotten off to much of a worse start for the New York Mets. Not only did they manage just one hit in their season opener against the Milwaukee Brewers, but they found themselves in the middle of controversy with Jeff McNeil taking exception to a late slide from former Phillies first baseman Rhys Hoskins.

The slide was deemed legal by the book, but it's abundantly clear that it was not the cleanest slide ever. Hoskins, a player coming off a torn ACL himself, clipped McNeil with his late slide and could've easily hurt New York's second baseman.

Hoskins has a history of tormenting the Mets, as his 15 home runs against them are the second-most he's hit against any opponent including this one from back in 2019 after the Mets threw a pitch that nearly hit him.

Mets fans let Hoskins know just how they felt about him by booing him loudly every time they saw him come up to the plate on Saturday, but the 31-year-old veteran had a monster day. Hoskins had hits in each of his first three at-bats including a two-run homer. His fourth at-bat was the most exciting, though, as reliever Yohan Ramirez, in his Mets debut, did what many Mets fans, including Ron Darling, believed he should've done earlier in the game.

Ramirez threw a pitch behind Hoskins with the Mets trailing 6-2 in the seventh inning. Doing so sent a message of sorts that Hoskins' slide from yesterday's game was not okay. It's a message that had to be sent according to Mets broadcaster Ron Darling, but it also came too late. This is an opinion many Mets fans share, and while it makes some sense, there are more reasons as to why that's the wrong take than the right one.

Ron Darling's take on Mets reliever throwing behind Rhys Hoskins would've caused more harm than good

"The message is about two hours late. You know, if you wanted to send a message for what happened yesterday to protect your second baseman, McNeil, his first at-bat, you brush him back. ...You don't throw at someone after he beat your head in."

Darling's argument makes sense. If the Mets really wanted to send a message, they should've done it in the first inning. By then, they would've still been in the game, for one, and Hoskins wouldn't have been too comfortable. Well, Hoskins was as comfortable as anyone and had a huge day, leading the Brewers to victory.

It's easy to say that the Mets should've thrown at him right away. But doing so would've caused more harm than good.

The major issue that comes with throwing at him in the first inning would be the repercussions. Ramirez was ejected from the game on a pitch that didn't even hit Hoskins. With that in mind, there's no chance Severino would not have been thrown out. The Mets would've lost their starting pitcher in the first inning of the second game of the year. That would have been less than ideal.

Losing Severino would've forced the Mets to use their bullpen for the remaining eight innings, and to make matters worse, their long reliever, Michael Tonkin, likely wouldn't have been available after throwing two innings in the opener. The Mets would've had trouble navigating not only this game, but tomorrow's game as well, thanks to depleting the bullpen.

This could have also led to a potential suspension if the league determines Ramirez was throwing at him on purpose. The last thing the Mets need right now is for a starting pitcher to be suspended after losing Kodai Senga due to injury.

Maybe have Severino throw a pitch or two inside to make Hoskins take a step back from the plate, but throwing at him would've caused so many issues that this Mets team just doesn't need. There's no disputing that throwing at Hoskins in the seventh in a game the Mets were losing handily is a bad look, but there really is no opportune time to do it.

The best message that the Mets could've sent was either simply getting Hoskins out and/or winning the game. Let their game do the talking. Throwing at Hoskins in the first inning wouldn't have accomplished either one, and almost certainly won't prevent him from sliding late into second base. Unfortunately, they failed to do either.