9/5/2026

New York Mets 2: Rhyming Subtitle Edition

That's right - I WENT BACK.

Sure, the Mets haven’t exactly improved since the last time I saw them, they've gone and fired Carlos Mendoza (no clue what that does to the value of the signed baseball I got last time), and they're taking on one of the few teams worse than them, but that didn’t stop me from going back!

Why?

I’ll be honest: I liked Citi Field itself last time. I usually try not to give “hot takes” on this blog, but I felt that Citi Field > Yankee Stadium INDEPENDENT of my feelings about the teams that play in those stadiums. A large part of that is the highly corporate, business-like atmosphere of Yankee Stadium (even when the Savannah Bananas are playing), but I should also mention that from what I've seen online, I'm not the only one who feels this way. Also, this game lines up conveniently with an event I went to in the evening (4 PM game, 7 PM event) PLUS it features a team I haven't seen before: the (also bad) San Francisco Giants (now featuring former top Red Sox prospects in Rafael Devers and Marcelo Mayer¹).

There’s also a few things I didn’t talk about last time - some of which are things I did see, and others I didn’t.

First, the Mets Hall of Fame. Inside the Jackie Robinson Rotunda (i.e. the main entrance) are plaques dedicated to important figures in Mets history; my understanding is that it used to be in a different part of the ballpark, but was moved at some point in favor of the museum I saw last time. I feel like I should’ve talked about it a bit more last time, however, because I have a bit of a connection to two of the people honored: one was the father-in-law of one of my teachers in middle school, and the other I met completely randomly a few years ago because he lives in my town (I will let any internet sleuths out there try and figure out who each one is).

However, one of the BIG things I missed last time I was at Citi Field: what I thought was a Mr. and Mrs. Met store on the second concourse. It’s towards right field, but by the time I wanted to scope it out the game had ended and security was trying to get everyone out. I made sure to check it out this time...only to find that it was a candy concession stand. Coincidentally, this game featured giveaway and a pregame ceremony for Mrs. Met, as she was inducted into the Mascot Hall of Fame as its first (canonically) female mascot² - featuring a MASCOT GIVING AN ACTUAL SPEECH.

Also, I mentioned that there’s a store that sells memorabilia, which includes game used Mets jerseys. What I forgot to mention, however, is that many (if not all) of the game used jerseys that aren't pullovers (the Mets have a pullover jersey) feature something that I very much don’t like: VELCRO. While the velcro is there to keep the jersey closed (as it’s supposed to be closed when worn on the field), I like wearing jerseys open, and the patch can damage your clothing or even the jersey itself (which it often does). However, this store is the only place where I could find authentic ROAD jerseys (which, in a way, I kinda prefer over the home jersey³), so I decided to look into it and found one with one of the most amazing names ever: Richard Lovelady (who actually pitched for the Nationals in the other game I saw at Citi Field this year).

I know I made a comment about the day-to-day nature of baseball before, but that idea really rings true with this game (again, two of the not-as-good teams of the National League). Rafael Devers and the Giants' number NINE hitter both hit two home runs, and by the time the Mets offense got going, it was far too late. I wasn't able to see the end of the game, however, as I had to leave a bit early to make it to the evening event I mentioned at the top in time (not that it really would've mattered IMO...).

I have no idea when the next time I'll be seeing the Mets is with a potential lockout looming, but I will say that if/when they play again (after this season), the Mets are likely going to be one of the "centerpieces" of my next BIG goal...more on this in a few days.

(P.S.: I did have thoughts about going to ONE more thing at Citi this week, but the game is at 8 PM - far too late for me to be journeying to/from Queens...)