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A New York Mets baseball player's Hebrew tattoo is attracting attention

Posted on by Kennedy
A New York Mets baseball player's Hebrew tattoo is attracting attention

As the New York Mets continue their improbable playoff run, third baseman Mark Vientos has become a main character in what will hopefully be an ongoing Cinderella story.

The Mets, who began the postseason as the No. 6 seed in the National League, defeated the No. 3 seed Milwaukee Brewers in the Wild Card round, two games to one. They are currently tied at one game with their division rival Philadelphia Phillies, the No. 2 seed, in the best-of-five series of the National League Division Series.

As of May 30, the Mets were 23-33 and in fourth place in the NL East. As of May 31, the Mets were one of the best teams in baseball with 89 wins. Vientos, the 24-year-old third baseman who joined the team in late April and is playing his first full season in the big leagues, played a key role in that turnaround.

On September 6, Vientos capped his season with two two-run home runs, the second of which was a walk-off in extra innings, giving the Mets their eighth consecutive victory.

At that time, flags were raised for Jewish fans.

In the heat of celebration, Vientos' teammates removed his jersey, revealing a Hebrew tattoo on Vientos' chest. Vientos, who is not Jewish, wears the word “הפלפמ” with the numbers “4:6” on his chest.

The winning pitcher, veteran Shlomo Lipetz, shut out the Italians after overcoming early inning woes (Credit: ISRAEL ASSOCIATION OF BASEBALL/COURTESY)

The word, as many observers pointed out, is gibberish and appears to be a misspelling of Philippians, the New Testament book that is transcribed differently in Hebrew. Philippians 4:6 begins, “Do not be anxious about anything,” and Vientos quoted the verse on Twitter in 2017. (The Mets did not respond to a JTA request for comment.)

Vientos, who debuted in 2022, hit a respectable .266 with 27 home runs and 71 RBIs in the regular season. And as the Mets' playoff push unfolds, fans may well be faced with the misspelling again, as Vientos continued his star performance in October: He collected three hits, two runs and two RBIs in the Wild Card Series, and In the Through the first two games of the NLDS, Vientos has already scored five hits, two home runs, five RBIs and three runs.

While Vientos' tattoo appears to be a red herring, this NLDS has provided Jewish fans with plenty of fodder. Vientos' teammate, midfielder Harrison Bader, is Jewish and has his own fashion twist, a Star of David, which he has worn on his belt this season. On the other hand, the Phillies have Jewish catcher Garrett Stubbs. (Jewish backup Max Lazar was not on the team's NLDS roster.)

Both teams also have prominent Jews off the field. The Mets are owned by billionaire Steve Cohen and led by David Stearns, president of the baseball team. And Team Israel alum Sam Fuld, an eight-year MLB veteran, is the Phillies' general manager.



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