The New York Mets' mascot race took a violent turn Thursday night -- not only did the Bronx Giraffe get smacked in the face with a chair in the sprint ... it was also on the receiving end of a beatdown at the hands of legendary wrestlers Matt and Jeff Hardy!!!
The chaos happened during a break in the action at the Mets' home contest against the Atlanta Braves at Citi Field ... when the team hosted its five-borough mascot competition.