The age-old adage of not being fooled by everything you read on the internet has taken a back seat during the Elon Musk era of Twitter. But what hasn’t changed is being able to decipher if certain pieces of information that are presented, are in fact happening at that moment.
It’s something that has duped countless Twitter users, including myself, from time to time. But, then you click the original Tweet or find the original date, shake your head, and move on.
Perhaps those in the New York sports media have a bit more faith in Mets fans than they should. If you have never frequented “Mets Twitter,” consider yourself lucky. It’s a microcosm of Mets fandom that brings out the best and worst in the fanbase. And if you are a Mets fan, it may make you contemplate throwing your phone into the nearest body of water.
There are a lot of notable accounts that have developed a following on “Mets Twitter.” Accounts like “Meek Phill,” who has over 23k followers, and is one of the more visible Mets fans on the site. “Meek” is one of Bartsool Sports’ main social guys, but is more prominently known for being a tortured Mets fan. He’s very honest and forthright with his opinions about the team and is generally always objective about the team’s success or shortcomings. Perhaps that’s why he was able to easily dupe multiple members of the media on Sunday.
More on that in a minute.
Prior to the Mets’ game against the St. Louis Cardinals on Sunday, New York’s social media team tweeted that it had activated Pete Alonso from the injured list and optioned first baseman/designated hitter Mark Vientos to Triple-A Syracuse.
Vientos’ demotion is a bit of a sore subject with Mets fans. He was tearing the cover off the ball in Syracuse and looks to have mastered that level. Unfortunately, he wasn’t getting regular at-bats at the Major League level, and naturally, he struggled. Vientos made 49 plate appearances in the majors since being called up on May 17th and slashed .178/.225/.244.
For whatever reason, the Mets, who aren’t exactly a team that has too much offense, had no plan for a player who has the team’s hardest-hit ball of the season. Yeah, he’s got some pop.
Anyways, Meek Phill tweeted out that Vientos in his first game back with Syracuse went 3-for-4 with two home runs and seven RBIs.
First game back in Syracuse and Mark Vientos is 3-4 with 2HR 7 RBI
AAA slash line now up to .432/.450/.800 pic.twitter.com/5FkVwzkL00
— Phill (@MeekPhill_) June 18, 2023
It’s certainly believable considering Vientos’ Triple-A prowess. The problem? The Syracuse Mets played in Buffalo on Sunday, not Charlotte, and Vientos wasn’t even in the lineup. The highlight in question is from a three-run home run that Vientos hit against the White Sox Triple-A affiliate dating back to Aug. 16, 2022.
https://twitter.com/SyracuseMets/status/1559682979068272644?s=20
Unfortunately, some were able to recognize that better than others. Niki Lattarulo, who was hosting SportsNite on SportsNet New York (SNY) just after 11 p.m. ET on Sunday night, shared the information as if it were genuine.
Fortunately for Lattarulo, she wasn’t the only one who got duped. On Monday’s edition of Carton & Roberts, Craig Carton was convinced that Vientos went 3-for-4 before his WFAN co-host Evan Roberts said that he too saw the same tweet and was “very confused.” He then proceeded to go check the Minor League Baseball app.
— Citihits (2026) (@MetsInfield) June 19, 2023
“I think the guy was being sarcastic,” Roberts said jokingly. “I don’t think Vientos played yesterday.”
They both fell for the video of the old clip. A tale as old as time. At least they both got a kick out of it.
[Meek Phill on Twitter; photo from John Jones/USA TODAY Sports]
About Sam Neumann
Since the beginning of 2023, Sam has been a staff writer for Awful Announcing and The Comeback. A 2021 graduate of Temple University, Sam is a Charlotte native, who currently calls Greenville, South Carolina his home. He also has a love/hate relationship with the New York Mets and Jets.