Jesse Winker has cemented himself as a fan-favorite in just a few short months with the Mets.
One of few Mets trade deadline acquisitions, Winker’s boisterous personality has gotten under the skin of other teams and he was seen hilariously celebrating Wednesday’s NLDS-clinching win over the Phillies with what appeared to be a cigar in the clubhouse.
On the SNY postgame show, Winker was staring blankly into space in the clubhouse while smoking, as studio analysts laughed at the sight of him.
“Jesse Winker (laughter begins) he’s having a good time in there,” the broadcast featuring Todd Zeile, Gary Apple and Gary Cohen said after the game when the camera panned to Winker.
During this funny moment, Winker was not wearing the typical Mets celebration T-Shirt, instead rocking a backward hat and black tank top.
“Jesse Winker is OUR sociopath and we LOVE him,” one user wrote on X.
Winker also was seen FaceTiming Cavaliers star and Mets super-fan Donovan Mitchell after the game.
The bearded outfielder plays mostly against right-handed pitchers and has played in five of the Mets’ seven postseason games.
During Game 1 against the Brewers in the wild-card series, Winker hit a game-changing two-run triple and was seen barking back and forth with shortstop Willy Adames.
He then emphatically slammed his helmet after scoring an insurance run in the deciding Game 3.
Follow The Post’s coverage of the Mets in the postseason:
- Mets overcome arch rival Phillies to advance to NLCS as Lindor hits game-winning grand slam
- Francisco Lindor lights Citi Field on fire with wild go-ahead Mets grand slam
- Brandon Nimmo waited over a decade for this special Mets clincher
- Mets not a better team than us: Phillies’ Nick Castellanos
Winker had a disappointing season with the Brewers last season and signed with the Nationals this offseason before being shipped to Flushing.
He is expected to hit the open market as a free agent in 2024 if the Mets don’t re-sign him before that.
“He plays the game of baseball like a middle linebacker,” Pete Alonso said of Winker. “He’s just full intensity, full bore all the time. He’s always super high energy, and you love that.”
Winker figured to play a big part in whoever the Mets face next round as neither the Padres nor Dodgers have many left-handed pitchers at their disposal.
The Phillies, on the other hand, had Cristopher Sanchez and Ranger Suarez to hold Winker on the bench during the NLDS.
Game 1 of the NLCS will be in California on Sunday night, it’s just a question of whether the Mets will be flying to San Diego or Los Angeles.
