Have you ever thought about what teams you have watched the Mets play against live?
I was planning a trip to NYC this coming April and was looking to get tickets to a Mets game. I ended up buying tickets to the upcoming Giants series. I’ve never seen the Giants play in person, which made me think, what teams have I watched the Mets play at Citi Field recently? I tallied all the games I have been to in the last decade and was surprised that 50% of the games I’ve seen have been against the Phillies. Another 30% have been against the Marlins and the Braves, leaving just 20% of games against other National League clubs and the entire American League.
That distribution of games isn’t really that surprising when considering that other than the Covid shortened and fan-less 2020 season, the Mets, like all other teams in baseball, have played most of their games against division rivals. It makes perfect sense that the team I’ve seen play the Mets the most is the Phillies. But man, I’m really tired of watching the Phillies. Which is why I was excited to read that the 2023 season is going to feature more games against AL opponents and less games against division rivals.
Isaiah J. Downing-USA TODAY Sports
I know that sounds sacrilegious; the division rivalries are important, and I should care more about the potential pennant races the Mets may find themselves in. But I can’t help but be thrilled at the prospect of getting more chances to see other teams play the Mets. I want to see the stars of the American League play live. I can’t wait for the chance to see more of Shohei Ohtani or Mike Trout or Vladimir Guerrero Jr. Of course, those guys are the obvious players to be excited about. But I’m ready to see more of other teams too. I’m ready for more chances to see the upcoming prospects on the AL Central and the AL West teams (Bobby Witt anyone?). Plus wouldn’t it have been nice to see more of Chris Bassitt before the Mets traded for him?
And what about the World Series? When the Mets got there in 2015, it almost felt like they were surprised by the Royals team they had to face. Would the Mets have done better in that series with more games against the Royals during the regular season? It probably wouldn’t have hurt. So I want more chances to watch the Mets play teams that they might one day meet in the World Series.
During the radio broadcast of the Mets first “real” spring training game (against the Nationals), Howie Rose mentioned that he thought this expansion in the number of games played against American League opponents would have had a bigger impact if it had happened before baseball was fully televised. Howie did make a solid point: having more interleague games in the past would have given fans at the time the ability to watch more teams and more players. With all due respect to Howie though (and there’s tons of it due), I think he’s selling short the impact this change will have for current fans. Sure, baseball games are more accessible than ever. But they’re still not that accessible, what with streaming blackouts and the new exclusive deals that are getting signed with streaming services like Apple and Peacock. And, as much as the owners want to grow the game on a national level, baseball is still very much a regional sport. It’s much more fun and intriguing to watch baseball stars play your team, rather than tuning in to a random game.
So I’m ready for the Mets to play more AL teams next year. I’m ready to go to Citi Field and to see stars play that I’ve never seen live. As long as they don’t sign with the Phillies next year.
Comment below about the teams and players you’re looking forward to seeing more of. Or tell us why you don’t want the schedule to change in 2023.
