BEAT THE METS

Mets Owner Publicly Bashes Struggling Team: ‘Numbers Don’t Lie’

The team’s precipitous fall from first place was underscored Wednesday morning in a very Mets-like way.

The New York Mets’ Mets-like nosedive out of first place in the NL East was punctuated Wednesday morning in a doubly Mets-like way, with billionaire team owner Steve Cohen publicly scolding his players online. “It’s hard to understand how professional hitters can be this unproductive,” Cohen tweeted on Wednesday morning after the Mets lost their fifth consecutive game and fell further out of contention after having held onto first place for most of the season. “The best teams have a more disciplined approach. The slugging and OPS numbers don’t lie.”

The hedge-fund manager purchased the Queens-based franchise last fall for $2.4 billion and vowed to usher in a new era of big spending and a win-now mentality for the club. But despite major offseason and midseason acquisitions, the Mets have struggled on offense, striking out ten times in a Tuesday loss to the San Francisco Giants, and prompting Cohen’s public rebuke.