Let’s learn from the ones who spent like a contender and performed like a last-place team. Well, the New York Mets can teach that lesson better than anyone right now. Their 2026 season is officially dead, and after months of dysfunction, disappointment, and wasted money, their elimination from playoff contention feels less shocking than inevitable.
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The 2-1 loss to the Baltimore Orioles simply made the collapse official. But Citi Field was not interested in mourning quietly. Fans turned their frustration directly toward President of Baseball Operations David Stearns, with loud “Fire Stearns” chants ringing around the ballpark. Not every Mets fan was impressed, though. While the crowd wanted someone to blame, several fans online felt the spectacle only made an already embarrassing season look even worse.
With an expensive roster, a massive offseason overhaul and another missed postseason, the anger was always going to land on David Stearns. But even as “Fire Stearns” chants echoed through Citi Field, some Mets fans were more disgusted with their own crowd than the front office. “I’m so embarrassed to be a Mets fan tonight. What the f**k is this?” one fan vented on X, blasting the crowd for treating Pete Alonso “like he’s the second coming of Christ” before adding, “At this point, go be an Orioles fan.”
The fall has been brutal. In 2024, the Mets were playing in the NLCS and looked like a team ready to build something bigger. A year later, they completely unraveled. New York was 45-24 on June 12, 2025, owned the best record in baseball and led the NL East by 5½ games, only to go 38-55 over its final 93 games and miss the playoffs on Game 162 at 83-79.
Instead of standing pat, the Mets responded with a massive roster overhaul under David Stearns. He reshaped much of the roster and coaching staff, signed Bo Bichette to a three-year, $126 million deal and Jorge Polanco for two years and $40 million, while also bringing in Luis Robert Jr., Freddy Peralta, and Marcus Semien. New York entered 2026 with baseball’s highest Opening Day payroll at roughly $358 million.
Somehow, things got even worse. By September 14, New York had fallen to 69-81 and was officially eliminated from playoff contention. Stearns even fired manager Carlos Mendoza in June, but the change did little to save the season. In just two years, the Mets went from an NLCS appearance to a Game 162 collapse, then spent like a championship contender only to become one of baseball’s biggest disappointments in 2026.
Among the stars the Mets did not bring back in free agency was Pete “Polar Bear” Alonso, who signed a five-year, $155 million deal with the Baltimore Orioles. According to league sources, New York never made him a formal offer once he hit the market.
Still a fan favorite in Queens, Alonso returned to Citi Field on Monday as an opponent and helped Baltimore eliminate his former team. He went hitless in three at-bats with one walk, but the crowd welcomed him warmly throughout the night.
“I take it as they appreciate what I brought to the field and the pride of giving everything I have every single night. The years of effort and performance,” Alonso said postgame, per the New York Post.
Fans gave him standing ovations as he chased the 300th home run of his career. Alonso already owns the Mets’ franchise record for home runs, and seeing him return in an Orioles uniform only added to the frustration surrounding his departure. That anger soon shifted toward David Stearns, with “Fire Stearns” chants breaking out across Citi Field.
Online, though, not everyone supported the reaction.
Pete Alonso’s Return Turns Citi Field Against David Stearns
While former Met Pete Alonso is chasing his 300th career home run, Francisco Lindor is also doing the same. Both are standing at 299 homers at present. A fan expected equal appreciation from Citi Field attendees. That fan wrote on X, “They were all standing in anticipation of a 300th career home run from an opposing player. When our own player came up, also seeking their 300th home run, they all had their asses in their seats. It’s ridiculous at this point.”
Another fan was also displeased with the behavior. They remarked, “Far more embarrassing than what I was expecting…so I guess shame on me for thinking our fanbase wasn’t this dumb. But we are the Mets after all. Everything has to be this way.”
One user wrote, “If they are going to leave a tie game this early, they should move to LA and become Dodgers fans.” The Baltimore Orioles did not hit the go-ahead run until the top of the eighth. The teams were tied at 1-1 from the bottom of the fourth.
Another fan remarked I like Alonso, but my goodness, this is embarrassing.”
While referencing AJ Ewing’s game-tying home run, another fan said, “The “fans” were louder for his foul ball than AJ’s home run.”
The Metsies are understandably frustrated, but all they can do now is look forward to the next season.