Mets hero Jesse Winker is leaving Milwaukee behind him: Hate them forever

At a Citi Field that once loathed Jesse Winker, he returned a banged up but healthy enough conquering hero.The former Mets nemesis who enjoyed needling fans as an opponent has won over Queens with both his play and style of play, passion with each swing, slide and occasional helmet spike.After two long weeks on the road — in which Winker was jeered particularly in Milwaukee in a series in which a subplot emerged concerning the former Brewer versus the current Brewers and their fans — Winker heard loud cheers when he was introduced as the Mets’ starting DH.Such a full circle moment will not happen with the Brewers.“As far as Milwaukee goes,” Winker said before the Mets and Phillies played Game 3 of the NLDS at Citi Field on Tuesday, “I’ll hate them forever.”Winker was a Brewer in 2023, when he did not hit well after offseason surgeries on his knee and a disc replacement.

He was making about $8 million in an arbitration year and “felt obligated to play, and I didn’t perform,” Winker said.He somewhat controversially cracked the postseason roster and received two at-bats as a pinch hitter in that year’s wild-card series against the Diamondbacks.

He struck out and grounded out and was booed loudly by his own team’s fans.Winker returned to Milwaukee during this year’s season-ending sprint and was drilled by a first-pitch, 97-mph Frankie Montas fastball in the butt in the fourth inning on Sept.27.

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Enjoy this Post Sports+ exclusive newsletter! Winker believed something similar would happen in the series and believes the Montas pitch was intentional.He said there is a “mutual respect” between him and Montas and said that “if you’re going to hit someone, that’s probably the right way to go abou...