{"id":263532,"date":"2026-04-12T04:50:08","date_gmt":"2026-04-12T04:50:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/263532\/"},"modified":"2026-04-12T04:50:08","modified_gmt":"2026-04-12T04:50:08","slug":"jeff-mcneils-emotional-return-to-citi-field-includes-2-hits-and-a-win","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/263532\/","title":{"rendered":"Jeff McNeil’s Emotional Return to Citi Field Includes 2 Hits and a Win"},"content":{"rendered":"

Got story updates? Submit your updates here. \u203a<\/a><\/p>\n

\"AAs Jeff McNeil returns to Citi Field as a visiting player, the fractured, multi-perspective cubist style reflects the complex emotions of the moment.Oakland Today<\/p>\n

Jeff McNeil, who was traded from the New York Mets to the Oakland Athletics in the offseason, made an emotional return to Citi Field on Friday night. McNeil received a video tribute and a standing ovation prior to his first at-bat, then went 2 for 4 with a ninth-inning RBI single in a 4-0 win for the Athletics.<\/p>\n

Why it matters<\/p>\n

McNeil was a fan favorite during his time with the Mets, winning the NL batting title in 2022. His return to Citi Field as a member of the opposing team highlights the bittersweet nature of trades and the emotional connections players can form with their longtime teams and fanbases.<\/p>\n

The details<\/p>\n

McNeil appeared to be holding back tears as he stood at the top step of the visiting dugout and watched a nearly minute-long tribute shortly before the first pitch. He then tipped the bill of his helmet twice in acknowledgment of the ovation from the announced crowd of 36,349 before stepping into the batter’s box. McNeil doubled in the fourth inning and made a defensive play to rob a hit in the fifth before lining out in the sixth and singling in the ninth to help the Athletics shut out both the Yankees and Mets on consecutive days.<\/p>\n

McNeil’s return to Citi Field came on Friday, April 10, 2026.McNeil turned 34 years old on Wednesday, April 8, 2026.<\/p>\n

The players<\/p>\n

Jeff McNeil<\/p>\n

A 34-year-old outfielder who was traded from the New York Mets to the Oakland Athletics in the offseason. McNeil spent his entire career with the Mets prior to the trade and won the NL batting title in 2022.<\/p>\n

David Stearns<\/p>\n

The general manager of the New York Mets who orchestrated the offseason overhaul that included trading McNeil to the Athletics.<\/p>\n

Brandon Nimmo<\/p>\n

A former Mets outfielder who was traded away by Stearns as part of the team’s offseason changes.<\/p>\n

Pete Alonso<\/a><\/p>\n

A former Mets first baseman who left the team as a free agent during the offseason.<\/p>\n

Edwin D\u00edaz<\/p>\n

A former Mets pitcher who left the team as a free agent during the offseason.<\/p>\n

Got photos? Submit your photos here. \u203a<\/a>
\n What they\u2019re saying<\/p>\n

\u201cSpent, up to now, my entire career with that team, so it’s pretty special. I got a little choked up up there. Just overall a super fun night.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u2014 Jeff McNeil, Athletics Outfielder<\/p>\n

\u201cI was looking through their lineup and I got (from a teammate): ‘Who do you know?’ I go, ‘Well, I haven’t played with a lot of these guys.’ It was definitely an interesting offseason for them.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u2014 Jeff McNeil, Athletics Outfielder<\/p>\n

\u201cI just tried to collect myself. It’s kind of nice when that first at-bat was over, you know? It’s just like, all right, let’s go play baseball.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u2014 Jeff McNeil, Athletics Outfielder<\/p>\n

\u201cSuper special day. I’m glad I got through it and now we just get to go play baseball.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u2014 Jeff McNeil, Athletics Outfielder<\/p>\n

What\u2019s next<\/p>\n

The Athletics and Mets will continue their series on Saturday, April 11, 2026 at Citi Field.<\/p>\n

The takeaway<\/p>\n

McNeil’s emotional return to Citi Field as a member of the visiting Athletics team underscores the bittersweet nature of trades in professional sports, where players can form deep connections with their longtime teams and fanbases only to have that bond severed by the business side of the game.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Got story updates? Submit your updates here. \u203a As Jeff McNeil returns to Citi Field as a visiting…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":263533,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[34],"tags":[143,145,144],"class_list":["post-263532","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-oakland","tag-oakland","tag-oakland-headlines","tag-oakland-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/263532","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=263532"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/263532\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/263533"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=263532"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=263532"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=263532"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}