Watch: Child Mets Fan Schools Phillies Karen in Classiness With Heartwarming Gesture

Not too long ago, the Phillies circle had established a queen of Karens—a ball snatched, a fan shamed, and social media ablaze. However, on Citi Field, everyone witnessed a refreshing reversal. In game 1 against the Rangers, the Queens might have lost 8-3, but what happened on the stands involving a young Mets fan became the highlight.

Jacob deGrom, a face that everyone knew, was on the mound at that moment. The former Mets ace, who now plays for the Rangers, had already made his appearance special by delivering seven innings, allowing just four hits, no walks, and giving up three runs while striking out two. After the sixth inning, while he was heading towards the dugout, deGrom saw a young Mets fan and gave him a baseball, which made the Mets fans happy. What occurred next made it extra special.

That boy, who already had two balls, ran up and gave one to another Mets fan right away. He reminded everyone that the stands can sometimes show better highlights than the scoreboard in one moment.

The exchange didn’t simply stay in the ballpark; it spread like wildfire. SNY shared the moment on X with the caption, “Jacob deGrom gave a baseball to a young Mets fan after the 6th inning. The kid then gave a ball to another fan.” The booth box couldn’t help but take notice. One announcer said, “Young man got two balls, his [brother behind him] took the other one, they got three total.” Another announcer spoke up in awe: “Who’s this one going to? Aww, look at that. That is nice.” It was a clip that stood out amidst a tough loss.

There’s mutual admiration between Jacob deGrom and Mets fans. When he stepped onto the mound at Citi Field in Rangers colors, the 41,040 fans welcomed him with a lot of cheers. The team made a tribute video to honor his contributions, showing that some connections are stronger than team loyalty.

DeGrom appreciated this support: “It was really cool.” He went on, “This is where it all started and, coming back here, I thought it was going to be a very special day. I’m thankful for the Mets for playing that. These fans were great to me when I was here. That was a really nice thing to do.” 

While the Phillies’ Karen became an unsettling story about entitlement, this little Mets fan created a completely different story. Friday night at Citifield was a mixed bag. Even sweet moments like this can’t hide the terrible truth that Mets fans will have to deal with this September.

Once rolling, now reeling: Mets face harsh playoff math

For the Mets fans, these little moments are becoming a moment because on the diamond, they’re finding anything worth celebrating. The NYM started the season well and was in a good spot for the playoffs, but now they have lost seven games in a row. Their most recent loss was to the Rangers, 8-3. That night showed how great Jacob deGrom is and how inconsistent the Mets’ offense and pitching have been.

The figures from the last eight games paint a sad narrative. The Mets have only won one game in that time, a 5-4 win over the Reds on September 5. Since then, they’ve lost every game, including two more to Cincinnati and a terrible four-game sweep by the Phillies, which ended with two massive blowouts (9-3 and 11-3).

The abrupt drop is scary for a squad that started the year as one of baseball’s best. Their hitters have gone cold at the worst possible time, and their pitchers are falling apart under duress, giving up runs. The Mets fans are restless and looking for answers because of that imbalance.

Although the loss doesn’t end New York’s chances of making the playoffs, they don’t have much room for mistakes. As the NL wild-card race gets closer, every loss takes away from their lead. If the Mets can’t soon find the spark that drove their early success, September might go from a postseason pursuit to another painful reminder of wasted chances.