Opening Day at Citi Field was perfect home-age to Tom Seaver and Jackie Robinson
Mets' Francisco Lindor rounds the bases after hitting a two run homer against the Arizona Diamondbacks at Citi Field on Friday, April 15, 2022. Credit: Newsday/J. Conrad Williams Jr.
Perfect is not a word often associated with the Mets. Actually, if we’re being honest here, pretty much never.
But as far as Opening Days go, what happened Friday at Citi Field, in the piece of Flushing real estate that stretches from the staircase of the 7 train to beyond the centerfield wall, was about as perfect as it can possibly get for this franchise.
Don’t believe me? Ask anyone who was there. Where else, at any other time in this team’s history, could you show up at 11 a.m. to bear witness to the unveiling of the long-awaited Tom Seaver statue (a breathtaking monument to his drop-and-drive brilliance) and then watch the ’22 Mets completely stomp the Diamondbacks, 10-3. Not to mention with everyone wearing No. 42 (in Brooklyn blue) to honor Jackie Robinson, the hero from the borough next door.
Rarely does the script play out in this near-flawless fashion. And just because it is the Mets, they of course had a few standard-issue “curveballs,” as manager Buck Showalter described them. After a trainer came down with COVID-19, both Brandon Nimmo and Mark Canha tested positive that morning, knocking them out of the lineup hours before the first pitch.
Fortunately, both reported no symptoms. While that’s obviously a concern, for the Mets to absorb such an expected blow, adjust on the fly and still put together an impressive display for the sellout crowd of 43,820 was a nod to the stability of this year’s operation.
“You always feel pressure when you have a full house,” Showalter said afterward. “It’s time to deliver. You want the fans to say, ‘You know what, I want to do that again.’ You want to do something they’re proud of.”
These Mets, under the second year of Steve Cohen’s ownership, definitely embraced that mission statement Friday, from the Seaver ceremony to (almost) the final out. They nearly made it through the entire afternoon without any booing of a home player — anyone who’s been to Citi knows that’s not easy — but reliever Sean Reid-Foley was razzed a bit when he couldn’t find the strike zone in the ninth with a nine-run lead.
Otherwise, this was a full-on Citi lovefest, for a few old Mets as well as the new additions. Franciso Lindor, who didn’t make the greatest of first impressions a year ago after signing his $341 million deal, swatted a pair of home runs, including going back to back with Starling Marte in the eighth inning. That had the crowd in a frenzy.
And speaking of fresh starts, there was Robinson Cano, coming off a one-year PED suspension, doing his best to win back Citi’s hearts and minds with his first homer in front of a live audience in three years. It was his fourth career home run on the day circled by MLB to honor his namesake, and probably his most meaningful in this ballpark, considering the uphill battle to shed the baggage he returned with to Flushing.
“You just want to go out there and do everything you can for the fans,” Cano said. “Any way, any how.”
On this Opening Day, the Mets really made the effort. And it’s no coincidence that Cohen was front and center throughout. At 10 a.m., Cohen was chatting with Lindor and Cano in the clubhouse, fist-bumping the shortstop on his way out. An hour later, the owner, wearing a suit and Mets cap, was at the podium adjacent to the Home Run Apple, speaking about Seaver.
“Tom led us to our first championship,” Cohen told the crowd, which was several thousand deep. “He transformed the Mets, transfixed New York and won the hearts of Mets fans.”
That process continued anew Friday, and how appropriate that the Mets looked to The Franchise himself as they imagined a more successful future.
“A humble warrior, Tom brought many things to all of us,” Mike Piazza said. “But I think the biggest thing he brought to us was faith — faith in this team, faith in this organization and faith in all you, the fans.”
This Opening Day, to paraphrase Tug McGraw, also gave them a reason to believe again. The newly acquired Chris Bassitt allowing only a run over six innings (two hits, six Ks), Marte adding a single and stolen base to his homer, and Pete Alonso supplying a pair of sacrifice flies to lead the NL with 12 RBIs in eight games.
“It was a good read of what this team can be for a lot of games this year,” Bassitt said.
Right now, the Mets are 6-2, atop the NL East and confident they can stay on this course, with a versatile lineup and a rotation that has a 1.32 ERA as it waits for the return of Jacob deGrom. The two-time Cy Young winner received the loudest ovation during Friday’s intros, but he won’t be back until June, at the earliest.
That deGrom time line would be as close to perfect as the Mets could hope for at this point. And after seeing what was possible on this year’s Opening Day at Citi, maybe it’s time to recalibrate our expectations for this franchise.
David Lennon is an award-winning columnist, a voter for baseball's Hall of Fame and has covered six no-hitters, including two perfect games.
