Bo Bichette hears boos from Mets fans as strikeouts mount - ESPN

NEW YORK — It took until the seventh inning of only his third game with the New York Mets for Bo Bichette to hear boos from the home crowd at Citi Field for the first time.

He was surprised they didn't voice their displeasure sooner.

«If anything, I thought it took too long,» Bichette said after the Mets' 4-3, 10-inning loss to the Pittsburgh Pirates. «I thought my at-bats were terrible, too.»

Bichette is 1-for-14 with eight strikeouts through his first three games — a startling stat line for an accomplished hitter with elite bat-to-ball skills. Last season with the Toronto Blue Jays, Bichette's 14.5% strikeout rate ranked in the 86th percentile across the majors. In the three-game series against the Pirates, it was more than 50%.

«I think he's getting good pitches early in counts and then they're making him chase, especially at the top of the zone,» Mets manager Carlos Mendoza said. «He's going to swing. He's going to go out there and he's going to hack. He's a good hitter.»

Bichette, 28, signed a three-year, $126 million contract with two opt-out clauses that effectively make it three one-year deals and a $40 million signing bonus over the offseason. He had never played third base as a professional after putting in seven seasons as the Blue Jays' shortstop.

On Sunday, he acknowledged learning to play third base has occasionally required more mental energy than he has spent on defense in the past. He spent extra time pregame Sunday fielding ground balls after committing a throwing error in the fourth inning Saturday — a mistake he attributed to rushing through his mechanics — but says he feels «pretty good» at his new position.

Bichette said he just didn't expect the transition to also affect his performance at the