The Mets just defeated the Marlins 7-6 on Sunday, sweeping the four game series from the Marlins. This came immediately after a three game sweep of the Phillies, another division rival. The Mets have won eight straight games, seven of which were at home, and have yet to lose at Citi Field.
This past week, I attended two Mets games: their home opening 2-0 win against the Phillies and their victory in Matt Harvey’s first home start since 2013. At those games, I witnessed something I have never witnessed at a Mets game: passion, hope, energy, and life in the crowd.
Let me backtrack — I’ve been following the Mets since 2006. At the time, I was eight years old, and was just starting to appreciate the sport of baseball. I memorized all the players, their stats and would tune in to the SNY broadcasts almost every night to watch my favorite athletes play a game I loved. I started to copy their rituals, ‘stealing’ David Wright’s batting stance in my little league games and I would even put my hand near the dirt when I was on base, a la Jose Reyes.
One of my earliest Mets memories was their Game 7 loss against the St. Louis Cardinals in the NLCS. I stayed up as late as I could, but as the game reached the final innings, I couldn’t keep my eyes open and went up to bed. In my defense, I would never choose sleep over a Game 7 now, whether it was my team or even two teams of which I have no interest. But when I was eight, I didn’t realize how rare it was for the Mets to advance to the NLCS. I made my Mom promise me that if the Mets won, she would put a Mets hat on my nightstand, so I could celebrate right when I woke up in the morning.
I arose the next morning and didn’t see the hat next to my bed. I was confident that my Mom forgot, so at 5:00 AM, I ran into her room. When she told me the Mets lost, and their season was over, I cried myself back to sleep. I was stunned.
Since those days, I have watched many Mets games and have even gone to several memorable ones, including their first game at Citi Field in 2009 and an Ike Davis walk-off. But even though those games were exciting, they don’t compare in the slightest to those of this week.
For the first time since that ’06 season, the Mets fans have something for which to be hopeful. Matt Harvey made his return to the team after a one-year hiatus due to an elbow injury. Jacob deGrom, the reigning NL rookie of the year, has gotten off to a terrific start. Even their offense, which is clearly not their strength, has been good in the early weeks of the season. So when I walked through the gates at Citi Field this past week at their home opener, I experienced something I had never have before.
The stadium exploded when radio announcer Howie Rose announced Matt Harvey’s name in the traditional opening day ceremony. That roar was loader than any cheer I have ever heard at a Mets game — and that was only the beginning.
The Mets went on to win the game 2-0, but the highlight of the game was the crowd. The fans were electric, going crazy after every Jacob deGrom strikeout. When the final out was recorded, 43,947 Mets fans jumped up out of their seats, high-fiving and clapping in unison. The vibe in the stadium was so positive as that win put the Mets over .500.
However, the next night was the weirdest, yet the most fun baseball game I’ve ever attended.
Matt Harvey was on the hill. It was Harvey Day, and everyone knew it. I went to the game straight from work, so we arrived to Citi Field just as the first pitch was being thrown. As I waited on the line to enter the right field entrance, I heard screams from inside the stadium. I checked my phone and saw that all Matt Harvey did was throw a strike, but the sound was as if there was a David Wright grand slam.
When I finally got to my seat, in the middle of the second inning, there was hardly an empty seat in the house. What the Mets showed in that game was resilience and toughness, not letting a few questionable calls affect them. They went on to win the game, but the best part was when Matt Harvey drilled Chase Utley with a pitch. The Phillies had hit two Mets players earlier, so Harvey stuck up for his players, and instead of intentionally walking Utley with first base open, he hit him. Once again, the crowd was electric. People were booing, yelling, cheering, taunting and going crazy with every pitch. As a baseball fan, it was easy to appreciate the shared enthusiasm of the crowd.
The Mets are a flawed team. They don’t have a great shortstop, despite great play by both Ruben Tejada and Wilmer Flores in the Miami series, they don’t have depth in the bullpen, especially for left-handers, and they have been plagued by injuries thus far (Wright, Travis d’Arnaud and Jerry Blevins). However, watching the Mets win games and seeing Citi Field consistently sold out and energetic is a sight that needs to be appreciated by all baseball fans. Winning baseball is back in Queens!
