Skip to main content
SI

Mets’ ‘Curse of the Mambino,’ Explained: Zohran Mamdani Jokingly Addresses Role in Losing Streak

It all started when the mayor hugged Mr. and Mrs. Met back on April 9.
Madison Williams|
New York City mayor Zohran Mamdani is the center of a Mets curse deemed the “Curse of the Mambino.”
New York City mayor Zohran Mamdani is the center of a Mets curse deemed the “Curse of the Mambino.” | Caean Couto/Getty Images

In this story:

New York Mets

Everyone loves a good sports curse. Well, except for the fans of the team enduring the curse, of course. There’s the Madden Curse in the NFL, the Billy Goat Curse for Cubs fans and the Curse of the Bambino for Red Sox fans, to name a few.

Now, Mets fans are suffering from what media has deemed the “Curse of the Mambino.” Ahead of Tuesday night’s game vs. the Twins, New York is on an 11-game losing streak and ranks last in nearly all hitting categories in that span (.241 OBP and .245 SLG, for example). But, what could possibly be causing this horrid streak other than the Mets just plainly playing poorly? New Yorkers jokingly think NYC Mayor Zohran Mamdani might have something to do with it.

Back on April 9, Mamdani attended the Mets–Diamondbacks game at Citi Field. He greeted Mr. and Mrs. Met, the team’s beloved mascots, and hugged them both. New York went on to lose 7–1 to Arizona that night, and well, they haven’t won since. The team actually hasn’t won since April 7, marking 11 games in a row, but 10 of those losses have come since Mamdani met the team’s mascots.

Because of this interaction coinciding with the Mets’ losing streak, New Yorkers have nicknamed their new mayor “Mambino” for the time being. The nickname is a play on the infamous Curse of the Bambino, named after Babe Ruth. Boston didn’t win a championship from 1918 until 2004. Before the ‘04 World Series title, Ruth helped Boston win its first three championships. The Red Sox have since gone on to win the 2007, ‘13 and ‘18 titles, too.

It sounds like Mamdani is O.K. with that—becoming the reason for a city’s struggle, no matter what that entails, is part of the job for him.

“There’s a lot of baseball left to be played, and I am still keeping the faith as I know many Mets fans are across the city,” Mamdani said on Tuesday at a speaking event. “Though, I will accept being addressed as Mayor Mambino.”

Sports fans can be extremely superstitious, to say the least. The reporter then asked if Mamdani could “wave a magic wand” and officially end the curse, making the mayor laugh. The reporter also requested if Mamdani would sport a Mets hat to help the curse, in which the mayor said he does wear one from time-to-time.

“I will keep my fingers crossed just like every Mets fan does,” Mamdani replied. “I think this is part of what it means to be the mayor who takes it in stride.”

We’ll see if Mamdani works some magic to get the Mets back in the winning circle some time soon. Otherwise, there may be some mass chaos in New York—Mets fans do not like to lose. No baseball fans want to lose this much (we’re looking at you, White Sox and Rockies in recent years).

The Mets currently hold a 7–15 record, just barely better than the Royals’ dead-last 7–16 record nearly a month into the 2026 season.

More MLB from Sports Illustrated

Add us as a preferred source on Google
Published | Modified
Madison Williams
MADISON WILLIAMS

Madison Williams is a staff writer on the Breaking and Trending News team at Sports Illustrated, where she specializes in tennis but covers a wide range of sports from a national perspective. Before joining SI in 2022, Williams worked at The Sporting News. Having graduated from Augustana College, she completed a master’s in sports media at Northwestern University.

Home/MLB