Mets fans delighted by Jesse Winker's ejection in ninth inning

Jesse Winker had struck out twice and grounded out against Noah Syndergaard, and then the Cincinnati outfielder was credited with fanning again to open the ninth Thursday at Citi Field. Actually, it was Kyle Farmer playing the part of Winker, finishing the at-bat after Winker raised an angry objection to Marty Foster’s strike zone.

The plate umpire threw Winker and manager David Bell out of the game after Winker fell behind 0-and-2 and erupted. The Mets went on to win, 1-0, gaining a split of the four-game series behind Syndergaard’s four-hitter and second home run.

The fans loved it. There were many who were delighted every time Winker failed, waving at him after striking out. There were boos for him, too.

Meet Citi Field’s newest villain. At least he was for this series.

“I don’t care,” Winker said of the fan reaction.

Winker beat the Mets on Monday night with a tiebreaking ninth-inning homer. He celebrated with glee, then waved goodbye at the fans beyond the leftfield fence after the final pitch. On Wednesday night, he caught the last out down the leftfield line in the Reds’ 1-0 win. Then came more waving toward the fans on that side.

But Winker indicated that all his waving was provoked by Mets fans.

Asked after the series finale if the fans down there had gotten on him, prompting his response, Winker said, “What do you think?”

He was told the guess would be yes.

“Yeah, but I mean, it’s baseball,” Winker said. “You’re playing on the road. Fans always get on you. It’s part of the game. It’s fun. Fan interaction. I think that’s what the game wants.”

An ejection in the ninth isn’t what you want.

“I mean, you never want to get ejected at all, really,” Winker said.

Bell raced out and gave Winker a heavy shove to get him away from Foster before picking up the argument.

“He sticks up for his players, and we all love that about him,” Winker said. “I wish I didn’t put him in that situation, but it’s a learning experience for me.”

Robinson Cano said he understood Winker’s frustration.

“For sure, yeah,” said the Mets’ second baseman, who struck out looking and trying to check his swing. “It was maybe like six, seven pitches on five or six different guys that were off the plate on our side. You don’t focus on the other side. But at least you understand.”

Winker owns a team-leading eight homers. One swing could’ve tied it. But Bell wasn’t blaming Foster.

“The story of the game is never the umpires,” Bell said. “It’s the players, and the fact today was that Noah Syndergaard pitched a great game.”