Fifteen days had passed since the Mets had played a game at Citi Field. But in terms of the dream-like, tornado of the baseball calendar, that last game in Queens was from another lifetime.
That last game, a Sunday night win over the Philadelphia Phillies came before a trip to Atlanta was derailed by a hurricane, before the season was on the brink on Milwaukee before they went back to Atlanta to clinch a postseason berth in a doubleheader, before winning a winner-take-all game in Milwaukee in the postseason, and before grabbing a split in two games in Philly in the NLDS.
For the Mets faithful, primed and ready to explode like a shook-up soda bottle, the early evening start didn’t dampen any spirits as a raucous crowd of 44,093 was on hand to witness – and participate in – a 7-2 win over the Phillies in Game 3 and set up a potential series clincher on Wednesday night.
“The atmosphere was absolutely incredible,” Pete Alonso, who smacked a home run to open the scoring in the second, told SNY’s Steve Gelbs. “The fans brought it from pitch one to the last out. And we need more of that tomorrow. It’s been amazing.”
Brandon Nimmo, who implored fans to pack the stadium in the regular season's final days, called it “exciting to get back to our fanbase.”
“I thought it was right from the get-go great energy and we’re looking for more of that tomorrow,” he continued. “We just want the place to be absolutely packed. This is what Mets fans have been hoping for, waiting for. And we just want them to enjoy this with us as much as possible.”
For Francisco Lindor, the wait had been even longer as he had not played in Citi Field in a month.
“The fans were amazing, they were fantastic, just coming out at my usual time [to warm-up] and seeing the whole entire stadium packed, it was pretty cool, pretty special,” the shortstop said.
“The fans really put up a great show, a great atmosphere today, it was fun to be here,” he added. “I love representing the New York Mets.”
After the long wait, did the night play out how Lindor imagined it would go? “It was better,” he said.
“It’s fabulous, to have health, to be here,” he said about overcoming the back injury that nearly derailed and ended the Mets’ season in late September.
“At one point – I always felt confident that I was gonna come back, but you never know,” he said. “But blessed to be here, blessed to be competing with my teammates, next to my teammates. And I’m enjoying the ride.”