The NL wild card spots are becoming increasingly scarce, so literally every ball and every shot counts. Unfortunately for the New York Mets, umpire Ramon De Jesus was behind home plate during Friday night’s clash with the Milwaukee Brewers.

Frustration on the Mets’ side boiled over in the beginning of the fourth inning when De Jesus called Francisco Alvarez out for a strikeout even though the pitch fell well below the strike zone.

Alvarez, thinking he had won a walk to load the bases, bounced angrily. Mendoza was even angrier and let the referee know.

Of course, kicking a referee in the face to block balls and punches is a surefire way to get ejected from the game. At least Mendoza got his money’s worth and let out all his frustrations before leaving the field.

Was Mendoza’s anger at this strike call justified? Absolutely. It was a terrible call, as the pitch tracker showed. And it wasn’t even the only questionable call in the fight.

But these weren’t the only questionable decisions made in the game against the Mets. Mets Twitter came with receipts.

The Mets are one of three teams fighting for the two remaining Wild Card spots in the National League. They even came into Friday’s game tied with the Diamondbacks and one game ahead of the Braves. Atlanta’s win over the Royals only put them a half game behind.

The evening in New York started badly, even without the referee’s involvement. Rhy Hoskins hit a grand slam in the first inning to give the Brewers an early lead. However, Mark Vientos tied it with a home run of his own. When Alvarez’s strikeout occurred, the Mets were down 5-2. They should have loaded their bases when the go-ahead shot came. Instead, the inning ended with nothing to show for it.

The weekend’s results all point to an all-important doubleheader against the Braves on Monday. Regardless of what the referees call the strike zone, New York will have to find a way to prevent a meltdown before they even have a chance to decide it in Atlanta.