John Rocker blasts NYC again with Zohran Mamdani favored to win mayoral election

New York City’s mayoral election seems to have only reinforced John Rocker’s feelings about the Big Apple.

The former Braves relief pitcher took to X on Tuesday to voice his opinion on the state of the race in which democratic socialist Zohran Mamdani is favored to win.

Rocker, who made headlines with his incendiary comments about New York during an interview for a Sports Illustrated feature in 1999, once again expressed his dislike of the city.

“25 years ago I criticized New York for it’s rapid decline into a third world country,” Rocker started his post. “I was forced to undergo Psychological Counseling, as if I were the crazy one. 25 years later, the city is voting in a muslim socialist for mayor. F–K NEW YORK.”

During his interview with journalist Jeff Pearlman in ’99, Rocker bashed New York and Mets fans while also saying he did not like “foreigners.”

“I’d retire first. It’s the most hectic, nerve-wracking city,” Rocker said when asked if he’d ever play in New York. “Imagine having to take the 7 Train to the ballpark looking like you’re riding through Beirut next to some kid with purple hair, next to some queer with AIDS, right next to some dude who just got out of jail for the fourth time, right next to some 20-year-old mom with four kids. It’s depressing.

“The biggest thing I don’t like about New York are the foreigners. You can walk an entire block in Times Square and not hear anybody speaking English. Asians and Koreans and Vietnamese and Indians and Russians and Spanish people and everything up there. How the hell did they get in this country?”

In the wake of blowback from the article, Rocker publicly apologized and was forced by MLB to undergo psychiatric counseling before being suspended 28 games. The ban was later cut in half.

When the Braves came to New York for the first time during the 2000 season, hundreds of NYPD officers provided extra security at a packed Shea Stadium with plenty of angry fans ready to let him hear it. In June of this year, Rocker recalled the game on social media, writing a similar message as his Tuesday post about the election.

“25 years ago today I pitched at Shea Stadium for the first time since the Sports Illustrated article released,” he wrote on X. “More than 700 NYPD were on site. Police escorted one person out of the stadium for throwing a beer bottle at me.

“We ended up winning that game. “F–K NEW YORK.”