Members of the New York Mets didn’t appreciate the antics of Chicago Cubs starter and former Met Marcus Stroman on Wednesday night.
As mentioned by Mike Puma of the New York Post, Stroman pounded his chest and yelled something toward the Mets’ dugout at Wrigley Field after he escaped an eighth-inning jam by getting New York rookie catcher Francisco Alvarez to hit into a double play:
“What did we do to him?” one unnamed Mets player remarked following Chicago’s 4-2 victory.
“Show some respect,” a different Mets player said about Stroman. “Be a professional. It isn’t all about you.”
Stroman seemed to address his actions via Twitter:
Stroman joined the Mets via a trade from the Toronto Blue Jays in the summer of 2019 but then opted out of the 2020 season shortened by the COVID-19 pandemic. Per ESPN stats, the 32-year-old led all Mets pitchers for the 2021 campaign with 10 wins but nevertheless was permitted to reach free agency in the fall of that year. He ultimately signed a three-year contract reportedly worth $71M with the Cubs in December 2021.
Per Danny Abriano of SNY, Stroman tweeted and later deleted in the winter of 2022 that he was “beyond thankful” to be away from the Mets.
“I really don’t play into it too much, to be honest with you,” Stroman claimed about facing his former club following Wednesday’s game, according to Phillip Martinez of SNY. “Younger me may have seen it as a revenge game but now I know how to pitch, I’m very good at what I do, it’s just a matter of getting to a point mechanically and rolling start after start and staying there.”
Stroman allowed two earned runs on four hits over eight innings en route to improving to 4-4 on the campaign via Wednesday’s victory. He is responsible for a 2.95 ERA this season.
Meanwhile, the 22-26 Cubs will look for a series sweep when they again host the 25-25 Mets on Thursday night.
