Mets Opening Day 2020 is July 24th, nearly four months after the originally scheduled date.
For baseball fans, Opening Day is a de facto holiday. Many of us take the day off from work. Some may skip school. We anxiously await the schedule for the upcoming season, and plan accordingly. Then we wait for winter to pass, while some cross days off a calendar.
Some of that is true this year. When the announcement came that there would be a season, and that the Mets would play on July 24th, that felt good (at least to some). Baseball would come back-finally. But then reality set in. There won’t be any tailgate parties. There will be no pre-game meetings at McFaddens, culminating in a pilgrimage into the stadium at 12:30.
For me, Opening Day is a ritual. It has been since the mid-1980s. Typically, about 12 of us leave bright and early for the hour drive to Citi Field. There’s an abundance of refreshments available, and once we’re parked, the footballs come out to take advantage of the still-empty lot. As game time approaches and the lot fills in, we go to our seats to begin the six month, 162-game stretch that will provoke virtually every emotion possible.
It just feels strange to not have the opportunity to attend this year. However, I’m happy that there will be a baseball season, something that did not seem certain as recently as six weeks ago.
Opening Days at Shea and Citi have provided some lasting memories. Here are a few that stand out to me.
1985
Think about where the Mets were when the 1985 season began. After the rebuild from 1977-1983, the team experienced a resurgence in 1984, staying in the race until the last week of the season.
They added Gary Carter in the off season, to go along with Dwight Gooden, Keith Hernandez, Ron Darling, and a solid core. On an absolutely bone-chilling day at Shea, Carter walks it off in the bottom of tenth off ex-Met Neil Allen. Shea erupts (was it the win, or happiness to get in our heated cars?). Great days are ahead, but the best days are still one year away.
1987
The Mets get their championship rings. They beat the Pirates 3-2. But that was inconsequential. They got their championship rings.
1989
The Mets were coming off their division championship in 1988, and seeking to avenge their painful loss to the Dodgers in the NLCS. There was a sense of urgency about the 1989 season, as Keith Hernandez was in the last year of his contract, and Gary Carter was fading. He would ultimately be released after the season. The Mets won the game 8-4, behind the hitting of Howard Johnson and Darryl Strawberry. The season did not play out as the Mets hoped. They finished 87-75, in second place.
1995
Opening Day 1995 was delayed by the players’ strike. Like this year, it was nice to have baseball back. The Mets’ home opener was April 28th. They beat the Cardinals 10-8, in front of just over 26,000 at Shea. Bobby Bonilla, Todd Hundley, and Rico Brogna led the Mets offensively. Ticket and concession prices were reduced early in the season. That was MLB’s way of giving back. Now that’s an interesting idea.
2007
The Mets were coming off another tough NLCS loss, ths time to the Cardinals in 2006. They began the season on the road, sweeping the Cardinals, and things felt good.
The Phillies provided the opposition on Opening Day at Shea (April 9th), with a game-time temperature of 44 degrees and a howling wind, making for an NFL post season game feel. Jimmy Rollins had run his mouth before the season, calling the Phillies the team to beat in the NL East. Rollins makes a key error in the bottom of the eighth, as the Mets take the lead. Shea Stadium lets him hear it. We all know that Rollins and Company would have the last laugh that year.
2008
The Phillies once again are the opponents, as Shea hosts its last Opening Day. Mr. Met pulls a sign from the outfield fence, indicating 80 more games at Shea. It was an interesting thought, that after all these years, there would never be another Shea opener. The Mets would lose the game 5-2, and once again fall harder to the Phillies in September.
2009
It was weird. Walking around the building at a Mets home game, having to ask where my seats were. The place looked sterile. Lots of green, black, and orange…The Mets would lose to the Padres, but fan favorite David Wright gave the sellout inaugural crowd something to cheer about with this game-tying home run. In 2009, the good times were few.We should have enjoyed this one even more.
Enjoy Opening Day 2020. It may not be the same as usual, but it’s baseball. The season is short, the rules are different, but we have baseball back. Let’s hope that 2020 creates positive Mets memories in a socially-distant fashion.
