New Yorkers can be a tough crowd. They demand victories and expect excellence. Even Derek Jeter did not always escape the wrath of Yankees fans. Late in April 2004, in the midst of an 11-2 loss to the Red Sox, Jeter flailed weakly at a two-strike pitch from Derek Lowe to see his average drop to .197. The fans let him hear it with a chorus of boos.
Mike Piazza, now one of the most beloved Mets of all time, heard those boos as well. When the Mets acquired him from the Marlins in 1998, the initial relationship between Piazza and Mets fans was uneasy.