Mets ask Francisco Alvarez to ‘tone it down’ with home run celebrations

The New York Mets enter their Friday night matchup against the San Diego Padres on a five-game winning streak with rookie catcher Francisco Alvarez a vital reason for their hot play after the team’s horrific month of June. But a celebration after a clutch home run from the 21-year-old caused some blowback from both the Arizona Diamondbacks and even some Mets coaches.

Alvarez hit a game-tying solo home run with two outs and two strikes against him in the ninth inning of New York’s win over the Diamondbacks on Wednesday night. After hitting the homer, Alvarez flipped his bat and briefly jogged backwards on his way to second base, flexing to the Mets dugout.

The next day, Diamondbacks pitcher Jose Ruiz hit Alvarez on the second pitch of an at-bat in a 9-0 game, prompting a brief bench-clearing conflict.

But the Diamondbacks were reportedly not the only ones who had an issue with Alvarez’s celebration. Mets third base coach Joey Cora spoke to Alvarez about how he should be more mindful when celebrating, especially with the team being below .500, Newsday reported.

Manager Buck Showalter agreed with Cora, but downplayed the situation and claimed all sides are on good terms.

“I’m not one of those guys that tries to force down somebody’s throat the way we [played back in the day],” Showalter told reporters. “That’s the way Joey [Cora] was brought up. I think he wants to have the kid — because he’s such a great kid, nobody wants anybody to get the wrong impression of him. It’s sincere. I’m telling you, it’s sincere.”

Alvarez said he understood why Cora and Showalter weren’t fans of his prolonged celebration.

“I definitely respect that. It’s making me a better player at this point,” Alvarez said, via Newsday. “I respect the old-school, the way that they were able to pave the way for all of us and how they handled their emotions in their career. At the same time, me being part of the younger players, we have a little bit more emotion. I’m not saying that it’s always appropriate for every single situation, but I also feel like it brings energy to the team, especially for the big moments like that.”

Benches clear between the Mets and Diamondbacks after Francisco Alvarez is hit by José Ruiz’s pitch

Alvarez, who homered in all three of New York’s victories in Arizona, has totaled 16 home runs and 33 RBIs while sporting a .227/.285/.505 batting line this season. He is one of a handful of top prospects who have been getting considerable playing time for the Mets this season.

New York is still six-and-a-half games behind the Philadelphia Phillies for the third National League Wild Card spot and 17.5 games behind the Atlanta Braves for first place in the NL East. 

It’s been a disappointing season thus far for the Mets, who are coming off a 101-win season in 2022 and sport a roughly $360 million payroll this year, the highest in MLB history.

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