Alec Bohm was just asking questions.

The Philadelphia Phillies’ third baseman wanted to know why a glare off a parabolic microphone in Citi Field’s batter’s eye was allowed. For a brief moment, he accidentally lent credence to Philadelphia radio host Spike Eskin’s conspiracy theory about the Mets cheating at home.

Eskin spent July pushing the theory that “something fishy” was happening with the Mets at Citi Field, pointing to their stark home-road split as evidence worthy of investigation. He stopped short of outright accusations, but repeatedly suggested someone should “take a look at what’s going on.”

Bohm’s complaint seemed legitimate initially. Then it turned into a 20-minute delay as umpires made a mountain out of a molehill. The Phillies promptly gave up 10 unanswered runs and managed one baserunner in the final four innings.

The Mets-Phillies game was delayed extensively due to the Phillies complaining about the glare from a microphone in the outfield pic.twitter.com/UBfWMGziHn

https://twitter.com/JomboyMedia/status/1960143197298176361?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1960143197298176361%7Ctwgr%5Eda81874d23235b77283113c17182351fe453ff20%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fawfulannouncing.com%2Fmlb%2Fricky-bottalico-alec-bohm-citi-field-delay.html

Gary Cohen called it one of the “sillier” delays he’s seen in his long tenure calling Mets games. The Phillies’ postgame show wasn’t as diplomatic.

“OK, Alec, you had a good defensive game,” said Ricky Bottalico on Phillies Postgame Live. “But what really got to me is you caused a 19-minute delay on something that’s been there since at least 2017. We went back and checked. That exact thing has been there since 2017.”

Even the Phillies postgame wasn’t happy with Alec Bohm causing a delay lol pic.twitter.com/P5h7Wi0SdS

https://twitter.com/El_Troll_SZN/status/1960169276264079839?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1960169276264079839%7Ctwgr%5Eda81874d23235b77283113c17182351fe453ff20%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fawfulannouncing.com%2Fmlb%2Fricky-bottalico-alec-bohm-citi-field-delay.html

That’s the real problem here. Alec Bohm complained about stadium equipment that’s existed for nearly a decade, only after grounding into a double play against a left-handed pitcher, disrupted his team’s focus during a crucial division series, and handing Philadelphia’s version of QAnon something shiny to point to in the process.

The Phillies fell apart immediately after the delay, giving up 10 unanswered runs in what became a 13-3 blowout. Both teams were dealing with the same conditions — the Mets had been facing left-handed starter Cristopher Sanchez all game — but the glare wasn’t mentioned until Bohm’s twin killing.

Jesus, both teams are playing with the same set of circumstances. Let’s move on and get the game going. #Phillies@Mets

https://twitter.com/7BOOMERESIASON/status/1960141722635133136?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1960141722635133136%7Ctwgr%5Eda81874d23235b77283113c17182351fe453ff20%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fawfulannouncing.com%2Fmlb%2Fricky-bottalico-alec-bohm-citi-field-delay.html

The timing made it especially damaging. The Phillies entered the series with a seven-game lead over the Mets in the National League East race. Instead of staying locked in during a pivotal road series, they wasted time arguing about equipment that’s been part of the ballpark landscape since the Obama administration.

Philadelphia still maintains a six-game division lead, but this was another classic example of the team finding creative ways to make things harder on themselves. The Phillies have now lost eight straight at Citi Field (including postseason) and 22 of their last 28 in Queens.