New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani is responding to the viral claim that he is somehow to blame for the New York Mets’ 11-game losing streak.
“I’ll say there’s a lot of baseball left to be played and I am still keeping the faith, as I know that many Mets fans are across the city,” Mamdani told reporters during a Tuesday, April 12, press conference.
The Mets are 7-15 on the season and have not won a game since April 7, two days before Mamdani, 34, stopped by Citi Field and enjoyed a photo op with the team’s mascots, Mr. and Mrs. Met.
The New York Post had fun with Mamdani’s apparent jinx, using a photo of the mayor with the beloved mascots on the front page on Tuesday. The headline read “Curse of the Mambino,” a reference to the Boston Red Sox’ infamous Curse of the Bambino, which the team finally broke by winning the 2004 World Series for their first championship in 86 years.
“I will accept being addressed as Mayor Mambino for the day,” Mamdani added on Tuesday. “I will keep my fingers crossed as every Mets fan does and I think this is part and parcel to what it means to be the mayor, you take it in stride.”
While Mamdani does what he can to reverse the Mets’ fortunes from City Hall, the players are doing their best not to let their skid get to them.
“This feeling sucks. It’s not a good feeling,” shortstop Francisco Lindor said after their most recent loss, according to MLB.com. “We’re professionals and we got to find a way out of it. We got to do whatever it takes to end up on top after 27 outs, and sometimes 30 outs. It’s just not a good feeling. But nobody here is hanging their heads. Everybody’s got their heads up high, and they’re fighting for each other.”
Mamdani was sworn in as mayor in January 2026, and in the past week has made multiple headlines around the city’s pro sports teams. During a Thursday, April 16, press conference, he reignited New York’s rivalry with former Atlanta Hawks star Trae Young when asked about the high ticket prices for Knicks playoff games.
“I would say that I blame Trae Young,” he said, a reference to Young’s dominant 2021 playoff series against the Knicks in which the Hawks won, 4-1. “And I think it’s always important to blame Trae Young.”
Young, 27, saw the comments and took to X where he issued a warning to the mayor, reminding him of when former Mayor Bill de Blasio called him out during that 2021 series.
“Remember what happened the last time the Mayor of that City had my name in his mouth during a time like this… 😂✋🏽. #DontBlameMeWhenItHappensAgain,” he wrote.
