Zohran Mamdani sees the funny side of his ‘Mayor Mambino’ nickname after being accused of cursing the New York Mets amid their historic losing streak.
Following their 10th consecutive loss at the weekend, the Mets faithful pointed to a viral video of Mamdani meeting the team’s mascots – which was captured on the day of their last victory – as the reason for their stunning demise.
The clip, which has racked up almost five million views on X, shows the New York Mayor being embraced by Mr. and Mrs. Met in what was intended to be a light-hearted stop at Citi Field.
Since the video went viral on Saturday, the Mets’ losing streak has extended to 11 games following another defeat to the Chicago Cubs on Sunday, the longest skid in their history.
After ‘cursing’ the Mets, Mamdani was dubbed ‘Mayor Mambino’ by the New York Post on Tuesday, a clever play on the ‘Curse of the Bambino’ – a superstitious sports jinx associated with the Boston Red Sox over the sale of Babe Ruth to the Yankees.
‘There’s a lot of baseball to be played,’ the Mayor said at a press conference on Tuesday. ‘I’m still keeping the faith as I know that many Mets fans are across the city.’
Zohran Mamdani sees the funny side of his ‘Mayor Mambino’ nickname amid claims he ‘cursed’ the Mets
Since Mamdani was filmed meeting Mr. and Mrs. Mets this month the Mets have gone 0-11
The New York Mayor is ‘keeping the faith’ in his beloved team despite their stunning demise
He then joked: ‘I will accept being addressed as Mayor Mambino for the day. I think that this is part and parcel of what it means to be the mayor. You take it in stride.’
When asked if he’ll do anything to help out the team, Mamdani said he will continue to wear his Mets hat in support.
‘I’m going to send all the best wishes to the team,’ he added.
Despite the star power of Juan Soto, the Mets lineup has gone ice-cold, struggling to manufacture runs during the critical stretches of their current 11-game skid.
Manager Carlos Mendoza has found himself in the crosshairs of the Mets faithful, with critics questioning his bullpen management and ability to motivate the roster.
Next up for Mendoza’s team is the visit of the Minnesota Twins on Tuesday night, as part of a three-game series at Citi Field.
