Mets fans boo Bichette as early strikeouts mount

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 plate.

“I think I just got to be more committed, more committed in the process,” Bichette said. “Definitely find myself trying to have, like, a moment out there. So I just got to get back to being me.”

Bichette said he had wanted to have that moment from the day he signed in January during the Mets’ offseason roster overhaul. He acknowledged not anticipating the desire to come through early to affect his performance.

“It’s early, but also there hasn’t been much to be happy about what I’ve done so far,” Bichette said. “We can talk about it being early, but we’ll figure some things out.”

Bichette had two chances for his moment late Sunday.

The score was tied at 2 with two outs and runners at second and third, and hard-throwing left-hander Mason Montgomery on the mound for Pittsburgh. A single would’ve given the Mets the cushion they needed for a season-opening sweep.

Instead, Bichette struck out on three pitches, whiffing through a 100 mph fastball to end the inning and result in his first taste of New York boos. Later, in the 10th inning, after Francisco Lindor was thrown out at the plate attempting to score from first base to tie the score, Bichette stepped into the batter’s box with the tying run on second base and one out. He grounded out to shortstop.

Moments later, the game and the Mets’ mini homestand to start the season was over. Next up: A six-game trip to St. Louis and San Francisco.

Will going on the road help?

“Maybe,” Bichette said. “but I got to figure out how to hit here anyways.”