Saturday night in Flushing
And it was time for the annual pilgrimage our annual visit to Flushing.
The weather forecast
Feeling hot, hot, hot.
Our location.
I am wearing the Mets t shirt I bought in Cooperstown, the one that lists all the Mets players elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame. I have my Mike Piazza jersey in my clear backpack (always read the venue rules about bags) but I don’t think I’ll put the jersey on. I have my Mets cap, the one I got in 2011, the one that honors the 25th anniversary of the 1986 season. My money is secure in my Mets pocketbook. And I even have a blue and orange Mets bracelet.
Drew wore his Mets t shirt, the one with Gary Carter’s #8 on the back.
Yes, the subway tracks are right next to the ballpark.
We had tickets for the Saturday night game versus the Braves. Who knew that there’d be a day/night, two admission double header? That happens when a game from earlier in the season gets postponed.
And who knew how important this game would be? I mean, the Atlanta Braves are always considered to be the Mets’ rivals, but … the Mets are in first place in the division, with the Braves just a few games behind.
We got to Citi Field during the afternoon game, parked the car and listened to Howie Rose describe the action on the radio. We turned off the radio briefly to listen to the crowd sing “Piano Man” during the 8th inning, and again when the trumpets announced Edwin Diaz’ entry into the game. And the roar of the crowd when the Mets won the game …
The gates were supposed to open at 5:10 for the 7:10 game. But since the afternoon game ran so long, and it takes an hour to clear and reset the ballpark, we weren’t allowed in until 6 PM. So we stood on line, surrounded by fans in t shirts and jerseys bearing the names of current stars (Lindor, Alonso, Scherzer, deGrom) and all-time heroes (Piazza, Seaver, Hodges), as fans from the earlier game made their exit. I saw a brave man in a Padres shirt, and a very brave (or very stupid) man in an Atlanta shirt.
And finally it was our turn to enter the hallowed halls … we entered through the Seaver Gate, avoiding the main rotunda.
(Here’s a couple of shots of the rotunda from previous visits:
It was Jacob deGrom bobble head night. You’ll have to come back Wednesday for a photo of my bobble head.
Our seats? Our seats were amazing! Drew got the seats through a charity auction, he knew the seats were good, but …. 4th row, behind home plate, and rows 2 and 3 had been removed to create a walkway. Essentially we had front row seats.
In a truly interesting version of bad planning, it was Chinese cultural night.
An official from the consulate of the People’s Republic of China threw out the ceremonial first pitch. When this night was planned, many months ago, no one could predict that China would be saber rattling because Pelosi visited Taiwan.
Did you see the new addition to the stadium? Here, take a look.
And yes, we’re still under the La Guardia flight path.
And then it was time for the game. And Max Scherzer took up his position on the mound,
The home run apple was ready.
The apple never made an appearance (none of the Mets hit a home run), but that didn’t matter much.
Two happy fans.
Turns out he was ok, but the catcher, Travis d’Arnaud, left the game after a collision at home.
8th inning, and it was our turn to sing “Piano Man”.
And yes, they won the game.
Outside the stadium are two sites you should really visit.
The first is the Shea Stadium home run apple. I didn’t bother to take a photo this time, here’s an older picture.
And then there’s something brand new, the statue of Tom Seaver. How fitting that he is immortalized at the entrance to the rotunda.
As we rode home sat in traffic on Roosevelt Avenue I took one final shot of the ballpark.
Great night.
And a tiny bonus. Drew set the DVR to record the game … and found us in the crowd.
Wow, all those people. I would guess the stand would hold my entire of our county people, a little under 12,000 people
ReplyDeleteCiti Field holds about 42,000 people. Attendance last night was 38,000.
DeleteSounds like you had a great time even if it was terribly hot. Glad they won.
ReplyDelete