Frank Francisco is still bringing the high heat.
A day after calling the Yankees “chickens” in an exclusive interview with The Post, the Mets closer didn’t back down one bit Friday before the first game of this weekend’s Subway Series.
“I make a simple comment because they complain a lot, for every call, for every thing,” Francisco said.
Francisco said his Mets teammates had a “chicken song” playing as he entered the clubhouse Friday afternoon. He did say he respects the Yankees, but didn’t amend his “chickens” statement at all. Instead, he added fuel to the fire.
“I think they complain too much for everything,” Francisco said.
Earlier in the day, players from both the Mets and Yankees addressed Francisco’s “chicken” comments, and the reactions to the Mets closer’s words were a bit surprising.
Yanks outfielder Curtis Granderson did not seem to be jarred by being called out by Francisco, who said he “can’t wait to face those chickens.”
“No, [the comments didn’t bother me] at all,” Granderson told The Post. “I think it’s great that guys get a chance to talk about it. You’re supposed to feel confident, you’re supposed to be able to go out there and say ‘We’re going to win.’ You don’t want the other team to win.”
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Granderson seemed happy that there has been some juice added to this weekend’s Subway Series with the Mets at Citi Field.
“I think it’s great, add fuel to the rivalry, help add to the fire between the two teams,” Granderson said. “Any time you have something to say about your team…you should go out there and have all of the confidence in the world to say it.”
Granderson’s sentiments were not exactly echoed by Mets third baseman David Wright. During an appearance Friday morning at the Delta Dugout in Grand Central Terminal, where fans can catch the entire Subway Series, Wright seemed a bit wary about prodding Granderson and the Yankees hitters.
“Obviously I have a tremendous amount of respect for the Yankees, I don’t know if you want to get those guys too riled up, they have a great offense,” Wright told The Post.
Wright, who leads the Mets with a .358 batting average, did hope that Francisco, who also added that he wants to “strike out the side” against the Yankees, can back up his bold statement.
“I’m glad Frankie is as confident as he is,” Wright said. “I hope he does get the chance to go in there for the save, because that means we’re winning in the ninth, so I hope that he does get to back those comments up.”
The Post exclusively reported Friday that Francisco had commented on facing the Yankees this weekend in the second leg of the Subway Series.
Francisco quickly quieted down the chatter, saying “I think I’ve said too much already,” when asked to elaborate.
The Yankees swept the Mets two weekends ago in The Bronx, kicking off a 10-game winning streak for the Yankees and a wild ride for the Mets, who have alternated sweeps for the past four series.
“It’s just been incredible, I don’t know if I’ve ever been a part of something so much like a roller coaster ride,” Wright said. “From sweeping to getting swept to sweeping and they’re [against] good teams. I think it’s a great series and we’re going to need all of the momentum going into this and obviously [the Yankees] showed that playing well against us.”
Since rattling off 10 straight, the Yankees have dropped their past two games against the Braves and will look to prevent extending the losing streak when they take the field tonight against the Mets.
“The main thing is it’s just baseball being baseball, you have to just take everything as it goes, you have to forget about yesterday,” Granderson said. “The great thing about this game is you get to play almost every day and no matter what, you can’t look too far ahead. Today’s the most important day, after we handle today, we can move forward into Saturday.”
Despite not looking past tonight’s game, Granderson did hint that he thinks there’s a chance the Yankees and Mets will not have seen the last of each other after Sunday.
“[A World Series meeting] is definitely possible; anything is possible in this game,” Granderson said. “We have around 100 games left to play,”