Carlos Mendoza sends strong message about New York Mets fans booing him

Mets manager Carlos Mendoza got honest about his fan base booing him upon taking Nolan McLean out on August 16.

Jul 11, 2025; Kansas City, Missouri, USA; New York Mets manager Carlos Mendoza (64) watches from the dugout against the Kansas City Royals prior to a game at Kauffman Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Denny Medley-Imagn Images | Denny Medley-Imagn Images

After what had been a disappointing past few weeks to say the least, New York Mets fans were treated to a memorable MLB debut from top prospect Nolan McLean on August 16.

McLean pitched 5.1 innings of fantastic ball against the Seattle Mariners on Saturday, which included him racking up eight strikeouts while only giving up two hits. He did concede four walks, none of which ended up mattering, given that McLean didn't give up a single earned run.

Perhaps the highlight of McLean's first MLB outing came on behalf of his glove, as he made an incredible behind-the-back snag of a comebacker ground ball in the third inning, kickstarting a double play that got McLean out of a bases-loaded jam.

NOLAN McLEAN GOES BEHIND THE BACK TO START THE DOUBLE PLAY! pic.twitter.com/3Xu9PRV9om

— SNY (@SNYtv) August 16, 2025

When speaking about this insane play after the game, McLean said, "I guess the ball just found me on that one. Got a little lucky. Hit my glove. Wasn't really something you draw up, but it worked," per an August 16 article from ESPN's Jorge Castillo.

Carlos Mendoza Speaks About Getting Booed Amid McLean's Exit

Mets fans weren't ready for McLean's debut to end in the sixth inning. New York manager Carlos Mendoza learned this the hard way, as he was booed loudly by home fans when he came to take McLean out of the game.

However, those boos quickly turned into a standing ovation from all of Citi Field to give McLean his praise upon his exit.

Read more: Carlos Mendoza sends Nolan McLean clear message before Mets debut

Mendoza was very understanding about hearing these boos from his faithful fans, as he was quoted as saying of the boos, "I heard them loud and clear," per Castillo's aforementioned ESPN article.

"And if I was sitting in the stands, I would be booing myself too. I completely understand," Mendoza added. "But look, I have a responsibility here, No. 1, to win games. But, No. 2, we're talking about one of our best prospects that is making his major league debut. We have a plan in place. And I just had to make a decision. But I still love them."

Jun 28, 2025; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; New York Mets manager Carlos Mendoza (64) looks over the dugout railing before the game against the Pittsburgh Pirates at PNC Park. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images | Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images

Props to Mendoza for not taking these boos to heart and asserting that he understood where they were coming from. Of course, there's a case to be made that keeping McLean in at that point gave the Mets their best chance of winning, given how poorly the bullpen has been performing.

But Mendoza's decision didn't backfire, as the Mets were able to hang on for a 3-1 win, thus putting a cherry on top of McLean's awesome Saturday.