The New York Mets scored just one home run against the Chicago Cubs at Wrigley Field, and the Mets fan who caught the ball didn’t even keep it.

New York Mets v Chicago Cubs
New York Mets v Chicago Cubs / Nuccio DiNuzzo/GettyImages

The New York Mets saw their magical winning streak end on Wednesday, but it helped position the team to make a push for the third wild card spot in the National League.

The Mets are heading into the final matchup of a three-game weekend series against the Chicago Cubs at Wrigley Field. So far, the two ball clubs have split the contests in lopsided affairs.

On Friday, New York rallied from their streak-ending loss by tagging Cubs pitcher Shota Imanaga for 10 runs on their way to an 11-1 victory. On Saturday, the Cubs avenged the loss with an 8-1 victory of their own.

The Cubs took an early 6-0 lead on Saturday before Mets catcher Francisco Alvarez tallied the only run of the day for his club in the top of the fifth inning. Alverez’ 433-foot homer left the plate with an exit velocity of 107 mph and traveled into the bleachers in left-center field, where it was caught by a fan.

Mets broadcasters criticize Mets fan for tossing ball back at Wrigley Field

Cubs fans are expected to throw back any home run balls from opposing teams at Wrigley Field. This home run, however, happened to be caught by a Mets fan. The fan appeared to lift the ball above his head with a “Let’s go, Mets” chant, and he was immediately met with Cubs fans urging him to throw the ball back.

Ultimately, he yielded to their wishes. Much to the dismay of SNY’s irritable Mets broadcasters, the fan threw the ball back onto the field.

“That is too much peer pressure,” play-by-play announcer Steve Gelbs said. “Grow a spine, man.”

“Obviously not a leader,” color commentator Ron Darling added.

Gelbs and Darling have far more important things to be worried about than a fan throwing back a baseball. It took the Cubs just one inning to jump to a 5-0 lead against Mets pitcher Tylor Megill. Cubs pitcher Jameson Tailon struck out a season-high 10 batters, recording his first game with double-digit strikeouts since 2021. The loss is the second in three games and dropped the Mets to a 36-39 record, putting them two games behind the San Diego Padres for the final NL wild card seed.

The Mets stormed back from irrelevancy with their seven-game winning streak, but they could fall back into the darkness just as easily as they came out of it. As the summer begins to heat up, a cluster of teams have found themselves within two games of the final wild card seed. The Mets could use every win they can get to distance themselves from their competition in the tight race.