David Lennon: Hey, Mets fans . . . Bo Bichette agrees with you
The Mets' Bo Bichette strikes out swinging to close out the seventh inning against the Pittsburgh Pirates at Citi Field on Sunday. Credit: Newsday/Thomas A. Ferrara
There are two ways to go when a new Met hears boos for the first time in Flushing.
Push back in defiance, maybe even question the sanity of your own frustrated fan base. It’s a tactic I’ve witnessed often in these scenarios, one that tends to create more friction down the line. Not the smartest route.
Or do what Bo Bichette did Sunday after the Mets’ 4-3, 10-inning loss to the Pirates, a forgettable afternoon that featured another hitless, three-strikeout performance by the third baseman.
And yes, the loudest boos of this very young season rained down on Bichette when he whiffed to strand two runners in scoring position to end the seventh inning.
Afterward, he stood in the middle of the Mets’ clubhouse, surrounded by the media, staring back at the TV cameras, and owned it all: the .071 batting average, the eight strikeouts in 14 trips to the plate and especially the boos.
“If anything, I thought it took too long,” Bichette said of the fans letting loose on him. “But I get it. I thought my at-bats were terrible, too.”
That doesn’t excuse Bichette for mostly coming up empty through the Mets’ first three games, his total contribution amounting to an RBI single in the 11-7 Opening Day win over Pittsburgh. But sprinkling in a little self-deprecation certainly could help disarm the disgruntled population of Metsville, which believed they were getting the Bichette who was the clutch-performing contact machine from north of the border.
No one actually thinks this misfiring version of Bichette is going to stay on the fritz for very long. He’s a career .293 hitter — coming off a .311 season with Toronto — and batted .371 with runners in scoring position last year, tops in the majors.
But as Bichette has quickly discovered, life is very different now. The Blue Jays were the only team he had ever known, and being a big offseason signing — in his case, a three-year, $126 million deal (with an opt-out after this season) — ratchets up the pressure considerably.
And here we thought transferring to third base was going to be the hard part for Bichette, a lifelong shortstop.
It’s still baseball, sure. But when you pile on more money and greater expectations, players tend to squeeze the bat a little harder. The soft-spoken Bichette was particularly candid about that process Sunday, explaining what’s been going on inside his own head during these rough three games.
“I didn’t anticipate it, but I definitely felt that I wanted to have a moment — not only for my teammates but for the fans and everything,” Bichette said. “So that’s just something I have to manage.”
We’ve watched this play out numerous times before. Carlos Beltran repeatedly was booed during his debut season in Flushing. This July, he’ll be inducted into the Hall of Fame wearing a Mets cap. More recently, Francisco Lindor was booed during his first two months after signing a 10-year, $341 million extension and hitting .203 with three RBIs through his first 19 games. Two years ago, Lindor was the National League MVP runner-up to Shohei Ohtani and powered the Mets’ spectacular October run.
Lindor understands the personal weight Bichette is carrying. It’s a real thing and not so easily shrugged off.
“A hundred percent,” Lindor said. “He’s one of the best hitters in the game and he’s going to have a lot of big moments for us. This is only normal and we’re all on board with him. So I can’t wait for him to get going. It’s just that luck hasn’t been on his side.”
All Bichette needs is one timely swing, maybe a game-turning bloop single in a high-stakes spot. What’s made it so strange is how often he has struck out, which typically is not part of his package. Last year, his 14.5% strikeout rate was among the top 20 in the majors. At the moment, he’s at 57.1%, which is probably most surprising.
“Yeah, I’m not familiar with it either,” Bichette said with a wry smile.
File that under trying to do too much, and based on how the Mets’ vaunted offense sputtered in these three games against the Pirates, Bichette wasn’t alone in that regard. If not for Oneil Cruz botching those two fly balls on Opening Day and the Pirates forgetting how to run the bases Saturday night, the Mets could have been lucky to get one win rather than escaping with two.
But it’s highly doubtful that this collection of accomplished hitters will continue to malfunction, and that goes for Bichette, too. This was just a glitchy introduction to Flushing, and it sounds as if Bichette has the right attitude to shake it off quickly.
In fact, Marcus Semien — one of his closest teammates during their Toronto days together — knows firsthand that it won’t linger.
“When you’re the new guy, you go through spring training and do some good things,'' Semien said. “Then come the real games, and you’d love to get off to a great start, but you also have to realize you’re going to have ups and downs.
“I think he still is going to get off to a great start — it’s only Game 3. We’re going to look back after the first week or 10 games and say he did.”
Bichette right now would like to get there overnight. The good news? With the Mets leaving Queens for a seven-game road trip, at least he won’t have to worry about being booed by his own fans for a while. That’s got to help, right?
“Maybe,” he said, “But I got to figure out how to hit here anyways, so.”
Bichette batted 1.000 Sunday with the media corps. Now he’s just got to pull up the rest of the numbers, as soon as possible.
David Lennon is an award-winning columnist, a voter for baseball's Hall of Fame and has covered six no-hitters, including two perfect games.
