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The Opening Day bout between the Brewers and Mets in Queens was delayed by a day due to bad weather on Thursday, but it went off without a hitch Friday. There was a bit of a dust-up late in the game, too. With the Brewers leading 3-1 (which would end up the final score) in the eighth inning and new Brewers first baseman Rhys Hoskins on first base, Willy Adames sent a grounder to shortstop. Hoskins went in hard to break up a potential double play and McNeil was there for the turn. 

McNeil was less than pleased with Hoskins' slide and it escalated a bit. 

During the fallout, Hoskins broke out the ol' "cry" motion in the direction of McNeil: 

After the game, Mets manager Carlos Mendoza also took exception with Hoskins' late slide, but conceded it was a legal slide.

As Mendoza also referred, there is history between Hoskins and the Mets. First off, he spent the first six years of his career with the Phillies and we know how the Phillies and Mets generally feel about one another. Secondly, back in 2019, Hoskins hit a home run and decided to punish the Mets further with a 34-second revenge home run trot. It was a home run to left field in Citi Field. The Mets' left fielder during that homer? Jeff McNeil. 

McNeil also said there's history regarding Hoskins' slides into second. 

"Late slide," said McNeil (via MLB.com). "We've had a little bit of a past, so I figured there was a chance that he'd be coming in like that. I just didn't like this slide. I wasn't trying to turn the double play at all, I was just trying to catch the ball. There was no need to break it up; didn't like it.

"He's had some pretty questionable slides at second base, that's for sure. I definitely remember looking at some in the past that were definitely not OK, so I knew there was a possibility that might happen and it did." 

As for Hoskins' side, he doesn't seem to be much of a fan of McNeil's. 

"I've played in this ballpark a bunch and he just seems to be complaining when things aren't going well," Hoskins said (via SNY). "I think that's kinda one of those moments. Maybe lost in the heat of the game a little bit, but, again, I think it's just playing the game hard and playing the game the right way." 

The Mets challenged the play in hopes of getting a slide violation, which would've resulted in an automatic out at first base. The replay review found no violation, so the on-field call -- an out at second with nothing more -- stood. 

The slide rule in question, per MLB.com, is as follows: 

When sliding into a base in an attempt to break up a double play, a runner has to make a "bona fide slide." Such is defined as the runner making contact with the ground before reaching the base, being able to reach the base with a hand or foot, being able to remain on the base at the completion of the slide (except at home plate) and not changing his path for the purpose of initiating contact with a fielder. The slide rule prohibits runners from using a "roll block" or attempting to initiate contact with the fielder by elevating and kicking his leg above the fielder's knee, throwing his arm or his upper body or grabbing the fielder. When a violation of the slide rule occurs, the offending runner and the batter-runner will be called out.

Accidental contact can occur in the course of a permissible slide, and a runner will not be called for interference if contact is caused by a fielder being in the runner's legal pathway to the base.

Hoskins certainly held onto the bag with his hand and didn't really seem to change his path, so anyone believing the slide was illegal or even problematic would be looking for something nefarious in Hoskins grabbing or looking to roll McNeil. 

The Brewers would end up winning the game, 3-1, behind a dominant Freddy Peralta start and, among other things on offense, a Christian Yelich home run. The Mets managed just one hit, a solo Starling Marte home run.