NY Mets didn’t do their part to dismantle radio host's cheating implication

About a week ago, Philadelphia radio host and former WFAN Program Director Spike Eskin implied the New York Mets should be investigated because of the difference between how they hit at home versus how they hit on the road. It was a reach for a radio host working at a station surviving on hot takes by a man who tried to turn New York’s number one radio station into the same tragic format. 

Not everything needs to be an argument between two hosts. Opinions don’t need to sound like they should be burning on a neighbor’s front stoop on mischief night. 

Without directly saying so but implying something like he’s Dennis Reynolds, Eskin got the clicks, views, and attention he was seeking with an unfounded claim. Unfortunately, the Mets didn’t do a good job dismissing the allegation.

The Mets lineup struggled this past week on the road, making this outrageous suggestion feel real

In 47 first-half games at home, the Mets have hit .251/.329/.427 with 63 home runs. On the road, where you might suspect they’d perform worse, they’ve batted .237/.317/.405 with 61 home runs in 50 games. The difference is minimal when you consider how teams generally play at home vs. on the road.

Any numbers can be used to spin the narrative however you please. Surely, there are statistics to bend fans in either direction. But with no definitive evidence and just a random assortment of thoughts, it feels irresponsible to make a claim like this: until of course the Mets slump through their final 6 games on the road.

We had a game in Baltimore versus the Orioles on Monday where it took them until the final outs to get the ball rolling. The birth of the Fab Four, amazingly not even a full week old, led the way. The team struggled to do much of anything in Thursday’s doubleheader versus the same O’s. Over the weekend, they weren’t a whole lot better despite winning two of three from the Kansas City Royals. Late runs on Friday and again on Sunday, a Juan Soto home run plus insurance on Saturday to provide the cream filling in KC, it was a mostly uneventful weekend for the offense that did their best to keep this conspiracy theory alive.

The Mets are 14th in runs scored this season with 426 of them, falling behind the Philadelphia Phillies at 438. Of them, 208 have come at home for an average of 4.42 per game. The other 218 have been road runs for an average of 4.36 per game. The total is 12th in MLB.

None of the numbers prove much of anything. The Mets are as close to expected on the road versus at home. But geez, could they have picked a more scripted performance this past week? 

The All-Star Break should provide radio sports talk show hosts with plenty of time to twiddle their thumbs and come up with some brand new conspiracy theory content pulled from out of thin air. Has anyone actually seen Bryce Harper’s birth certificate?