Mets fans weren’t eager to welcome Luis Rojas back to Citi Field

The 102-118 record Luis Rojas had as manager of the New York Mets didn’t earn him too many lifelong fans. Was it horrendous? Nah. It’s just too fresh and not good enough.

Far less memorable than Mickey Callaway (for the better), the two seasons with Rojas haven’t been completely forgotten just yet. When he returned with the New York Yankees on Tuesday night to begin the Subway Series, Mets fans showed him exactly how they feel.

Mets fans welcomed Luis Rojas back with boos

Booing is a topic that comes up every year for a team. It’s hard to go to enough sporting events and not hear it at some point. Last year’s boos focused heavily on the performance from Francisco Lindor and the reaction he had to it.

The 2021 Mets were not a mature team. A reason for it might have been the manager. Imagine, for a second, if someone on this current team even thought about pulling any of the nonsense players from last year did. Would Buck Showalter personally make sure they never appear in another big league game ever again?

Rojas was not the worst manager on the field. Behind the scenes, there’s no doubt there were issues. From early in the season with friction between Lindor and Jeff McNeil, to Javier Baez’s wild relationship with the fans, and all of the other stuff we never knew about it, the 2021 Mets were their own worst enemy.

Responsibility doesn’t fall solely on Rojas but we’re witnessing the difference between a guy who knows what he’s doing and someone who had far less experience managing people. It was easily his biggest weakness.

Now the third base coach for the Yankees, Tuesday’s game was his first trip back to Citi Field this year. An absolute G-level story in all that went on leading up to and during the game, it was probably a moment most Mets fans didn’t expect to experience.