Mar 29, 2026; New York City, New York, USA; New York Mets third baseman Bo Bichette (19) reacts after striking out to end the third inning against the Pittsburgh Pirates at Citi Field. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-Imagn Images
QUEENS, NY — After striking out swinging with runners at the corners to end the seventh inning of a 2-2 game, Bo Bichette earned his first Queens welcome from New York Mets fans: a chorus of boos that rang down from the decks of Citi Field.
“If anything, I thought it took too long,” Bichette said of the jeers. “But I get it. I thought my at-bats were terrible, too.”
The Mets’ new third baseman went 0-for-5 with three strikeouts in Sunday’s 4-3, extra-inning loss to the Pittsburgh Pirates on Sunday afternoon, including a groundout to shortstop with one out in the 10th inning and with the tying run in Juan Soto on second base.
Across his first three games with his new team after signing a three-year, $126 million deal over the winter, the long-time Blue Jay is 1-for-14 with a league-worst eight strikeouts.
Last year with Toronto, in which he batted .311, his strikeout rate was 14.5%, which ranked in MLB’s 86th percentile. In New York, it’s a staggering 57.1%, as the desire to make something big happen for his new team is starting to throw things off.
“I’m not familiar with [these levels of strikeouts], either,” Bichette said. “I mean, I think I’ve had stretches in my career where I strike out, but I think I just gotta be more committed in the process. I definitely find myself trying to have a moment out there. So I just gotta get back in the moment…
“I didn’t anticipate it, but I definitely felt that wanting to have a moment not only for my teammates, but for the fans and everything. So it’s just something I have to manage.”
Mets manager Carlos Mendoza attributes the early struggles to “missing good pitches early in counts,” and then opposing pitchers are “making him chase.” Bichette’s calling card has always been that of a free swinger, but his high contact rates are what have made him one of the premier hitters in the American League for years.
Perhaps a change of scenery early on could help him reset. The Mets are headed to St. Louis to play the Cardinals for what is the start of a week-long road trip
“Maybe,” Bichette began. “But I have to figure out how to hit here, anyway.”
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