"Grow a spine man” - Mets announcers flabbergasted as fan returns Francisco Alvarez homerun ball after "peer pressure" from Cubs fans

The New York Mets lost 1-8 to the Chicago Cubs on Saturday at Wrigley Field. Both teams will tie horns on Sunday to decide the series winner.

It was a disappointing outing from the Mets, particularly after Friday’s 11-1 win. Their only run came from catcher Francisco Alvarez in the fifth inning. However, a bizarre fan drama took place in the ballpark involving Alvarez’s home run ball. A Mets fan who caught Alvarez’s home run ball was pressured by surrounding Cubs supporters to return the ball.

Despite initially holding his ground, the Mets fan eventually gave in to the pressure and threw the ball back onto the field. This surprised the Mets announcer who commented on-air:

“That is too much peer pressure. Grow a spine man.”

That was Alvarez’s second consecutive homer against the Cubs. He went for 2-for-3 with a solo home run that opened the scorebook for the club. Alvarez was out for the entire May after tearing his left thumb ligament in April.

He returned in the series against the Miami Marlins this month. As of now, he has only played 26 games this season, scoring 15 RBIs and 10 runs with a stat line of .271/.319/.400 and a .719 OPS.

Are the Mets out of “Grimace Luck”?

Superstitions are common in sports, and recently the New York Mets have experienced one such thing. To celebrate mascot Grimace’s birthday, the Mets invited him to Citi Field on June 12 and gave him the honor of throwing the ceremonial first pitch.

Before the "Grimace Luck" started, the Mets had a season record of 29-37. However, since that game, the Mets went on a seven-game winning streak and won three series, sweeping the San Diego Padres in the process. Although the Texas Rangers broke the streak on Friday, the Mets have continued to perform well in their series.

However, it seems that it may be coming to an end as the team is struggling again. In Sunday's game, the Mets' offense failed to score, and only five batters succeeded in producing a hit. If not for Francisco Alvarez’s homer, the Mets would have lost the game without opening their scorebook.

Currently, the Mets are in fourth place in the NL East with a 36-39 record. They have one more game to see if their "Grimace Luck" is still intact, and they will be hoping to add some more wins before it completely runs out.