Mets brutal season comes to head with 6-error game in doubleheader sweep, chants for former star out of anger

The New York Mets lost both games of a home doubleheader against the Chicago Cubs on June 24, 2026, falling 10-3 in the opener and 10-5 in the nightcap, with six errors in the second game – their most in a single contest since 2014. Each of the four starting infielders committed one error, a combination that had not occurred in franchise history since 1962, the team’s inaugural season.

The defensive collapse drew audible frustration from the Citi Field crowd, with fans chanting the name of Pete Alonso, the first baseman and long-time fan favorite who departed following the team’s collapse in the second half of the 2024 season. Alonso, along with outfielders Jeff McNeil and Brandon Nimmo and closer Edwin Díaz, were not retained as the organization shifted direction. Even shortstop Francisco Lindor, widely regarded as one of the more reliable defensive players at his position, committed an error on the first ground ball hit to him after returning from an injury layoff.

The loss extended New York’s losing streak to five games, during which they have been outscored 50-19. At 34-46 on the season, the Mets are on pace to finish with fewer than 70 wins – a threshold they have not fallen below in a 162-game season since 2003, when they went 66-95. The performance stands in sharp contrast to the 2024 campaign, when the club rallied from a slow start to reach the National League Championship Series. Chicago shortstop Dansby Swanson, entering the series hitting .183, went 7-for-12 against New York’s pitching staff and drove in 15 of his 46 runs on the season across the three-game set.

New York’s $329 million payroll – the largest in Major League Baseball this season – has produced a record tied for fourth-worst in the league. With the team more than a third of the way through the schedule and no indication of an imminent turnaround, the Mets face mounting pressure to reassess a roster built around a defensive identity that six errors in one game did little to support.