Mets pitcher throws ruthless shade at Yankees fans
Yesterday at 08:23 PM
The New York Mets’ Amazin’ Day event is about showing appreciation for the fans and stoking excitement for the 2025 MLB season. A.J. Minter figured out a way to do both of those things on Saturday afternoon.
The left-handed relief pitcher recently signed a two-year, $22 million contract with the team, but he already knows how to appeal to Queens. While participating in one of Saturday’s panels, Minter fired a direct shot at New York Yankees fans.
“You can tell Mets fans are truly baseball fans,” the 2021 World Series champion said, per SNY. “They get baseball, not like the other side of town. These are the true diehard fans. They’re going to be with you til the end. Got to face against y’all my whole career, and you always brought it every time. So {I} can’t wait to pitch for y’all now.”
"You can tell these Mets fans, these are truly baseball fans. They get baseball, not like the other side of town."
– A.J. Minter
Tri-State @Cadillacpic.twitter.com/jjDngQU29G
— SNY (@SNYtv) January 25, 2025
A.J. Minter is pumped to join the Mets
Minter logged 46 appearances against the Mets as a member of the Atlanta Braves, per StatMuse, with a bunch of those outings coming in Citi Field. Thus, he has some credibility when it comes to evaluating his new team’s fandom. He cannot speak so authoritatively on Yankee Stadium, however. The Bronx will remember his words if and when the southpaw takes the mound during the Subway Series this season.
The two New York fan bases have been slinging barbs at each other since Juan Soto swapped pinstripes in December. Perhaps the players are ready to join in on the fun. minter is quickly acclimating himself to the culture and building rapport with the Flushing fanatics. His most important contribution will ideally come in the bullpen, though.
Manager of the Year finalist Carlos Mendoza oversaw a decent relief unit that ranked in the top half of the NL, but Minter can potentially provide a crucial bridge to closer Edwin Diaz. The 31-year-old Texas native recorded a 2.62 ERA, 35 strikeouts and a measly .198 batting average against in 34.1 innings of work in 2024.
The Mets are investing good money in the hopes that A.J. Minter is a stabilizing force in the later innings. He is doing everything possible to start earning his contract right away. Based on his eagerness to lampoon rival supporters, one has to winder if there is a “mock Yankees fans” incentive in Minter’s deal.
Expect this narrative to heat up as the year progresses. The New York franchises first collide in May for a three-game series in Yankee Stadium.
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