Credit: Wendell Cruz-USA TODAY Sports

The Mets held their first Old Timers’ Day since 1994, and it certainly didn’t disappoint. Complete with a surprise number retirement, a fake mustache and a bunch of old guys having fun on a baseball field, the festivities honored Mets history at Citi Field Saturday afternoon.

“Big day at the ballpark as we welcome back Mets legends spanning 60 years,” Mets owner Steve Cohen wrote on Twitter before the game.

A crew of old-timers — including Mike Piazza and Bobby Valentine — gathered on the bus before the game, chanting “Let’s go Mets!” in a video courtesy of SNY. It followed with a red carpet entrance.

Players young and old milled about in the outfield, sharing advice and wisdom from one generation to another. Jacob deGrom was seen conversing with Al Leiter and Glendon Rusch. Miracles starter Bartolo “Big Sexy” Colon was also suited up, bringing back familiar memories for Mets fans who remember his time in New York.

Jose Reyes made an appearance as well, and in his meeting with reporters he compared the current Mets to the 2006 team.

“They look like the 2006 team. The chemistry that they have, it’s unbelievable. It’s really good to see,” Reyes said. “So hopefully they can continue to be like that, and they can stay healthy the rest of the way.”

Cleon Jones, meanwhile, compared the current team to the 1969 Miracle Mets.

“Everything about this team,” Jones said. “You’ve got great ownership that put all the pieces in place, from the manager to the players. Now all the players have to do is go out and put their best foot forward. This team reminds me of the ’69 team. We were platooning a lot, and sometimes we didn’t know we were platooning.”

Keith Hernandez wearing the orange and blue pinstripes was a sight to behold, as the broadcaster went back to his roots to take on a slightly different role on Saturday. Amazins starter Dwight Gooden took the field too, appearing to share pregame strategies with Mets radio announcer Rose.

Warmups continued with batting practice, where Piazza took some good hacks. He even went deep!

The old-timers posed for a team photo, and then it was time for the introductions. Rose individually introduced each member, briefly noting their accomplishments and significance to the franchise. Benny Agbayani and Pedro Martinez were particularly pumped to be there, as they so clearly expressed here and here.

A highlight from the ceremony — which even induced a laugh from Rose — was Valentine walking out with a fake mustache.

But the biggest highlight came at the end, when Rose shocked everyone with a surprise announcement. As a way to fulfill a promise made by late Mets owner Joan Payson, the team will retire Willie Mays‘ number 24. For more on the Mays number retirement, check out our story on that.

The teams — the Amazins and Miracles — played three innings of fun, relaxed baseball. They cycled through pitchers, which included Colon, Gooden, Leiter, Jesse Orosco and many more.

A mic’d up Mood Zeile was heard giving out defensive pointers in the top of the first. In the bottom of the inning, Leiter threw that one that was just slightly outside the strike zone. Meanwhile, Steve Gelbs sat down with Jay Hook, a member of the original 1962 Mets. Another original Met, Steve Dillon, came in to pitch during the second inning.

Martinez joined the SNY booth (which was just Gary Cohen) as well, talking about what his Mets career meant to him.

“I was really happy to have been part of the Mets organization,” Martinez said. “I felt like there were some duties to fulfill between me, the fanbase and the organization. I was just talking to Jacob deGrom, and I just asked him for a huge favor. I know it’s not easy, but I just went and told him, ‘Do it for me.'”

Martinez went on to enter the game, striking out Howard Johnson with some help from Zeile behind the plate.

Gelbs caught up with 1986 World Series MVP Ray Knight later in the second inning while Martinez pitched. At that point, the Miracles were up to a 5-1 lead over the Amazins.

Piazza appeared to switch teams in the third inning, and he promptly collected a base hit. Mookie Wilson also made a great catch, helping the Miracles eventually hold onto a luxurious 8-1 victory.

Despite the lopsided score, there were no losers in this celebration of Mets history. The first Old Timers’ Day in 28 years was a roaring success, one filled with laughs, memories and special moments.