Opening Night at Citi Field

Game 7: Padres 6, Mets 5
3-4 for the season

It was opening night at Citi Field, and not unlike Citigroup's performance in the last year, the Mets failed to deliver. Pelfrey was wild, and while he settled down after an inning when that was a problem in Cincinnati, he didn't so much settle down tonight. Really, though, it was the lack of hitting that hurt the home team tonight, combined with an unfortunate balk from Pedro Feliciano, the only survivor of last year's Mets bullpen. The hitting hasn't been there to back up the pitching so far, and the pitching hasn't been as good as it can be. Never the less, I can't get too upset about the results of the first seven games of the season; those teams that are hot in April are rarely hot in September.

It must have been disappointing for the fans at the Field tonight, but from where I sat (I didn't see any of the game until the 5th inning), it was sort of like watching the Mets lose away from home, though they were wearing the home whites tonight. That ballpark, no matter how blue and orange, just doesn't feel like home yet. I'm sure that many of the fans that were there tonight felt the same way; for a good portion of the game, the seats were pretty empty, while the lines at the food stands and other attractions were long.

Alexis and I are going to the next game, on Wednesday night, and I have to admit that I'm feeling strange about it; on the one hand, I want to sit and enjoy the sublime pleasure of a baseball game in a stadium built for baseball, but on the other, I want to explore everything the new stadium has to offer. I think the answer might be to get there ridiculously early, walk around the place to get a sense of direction, perhaps sample some of the amazing food options available to me, see the view from all the public areas of the Field. I expect it will be both exciting and disorienting; happily, that's a combination I've learned to live with quite well in the last half-year.

Were you nervous?

Game 2: Mets 9, Reds 7
2-0 for the season

One of my favorite things about baseball is that one day, you'll have a 2-1 game with great fielding and in which the bullpen is nearly perfect and the next, you'll have a 9-7 nail-biter complete with terrible fielding all around (though more for the Reds than for the Mets, as is reflected in the final score), the bullpen giving up three runs, and Frankie Rodriguez loading the bases before getting the last out. The rules are always the same in baseball, but the outcomes are not as predictable as statistics suggest they might be; that's why every game is its own pleasure to watch.

I was working during the opening game, which ran over its assigned bloc of time for DVR recorders, robbing me of the chance to see JJ Putz and KRod in their first innings as Mets-- so I was particularly looking forward to their innings last night. It was cold and dry in Cinci during the game, making the ball hard to grip, and that showed; all of the pitchers struggled with control throughout the game. Pelfrey couldn't find the strike zone in the first inning, Putz allowed a run in the 8th to bring the lead down to two runs, and Rodriguez allowed three base runners in the 9th.

Interestingly, I never felt all that nervous, even in the 9th. Particularly in the 9th, because KRod's confidence is so strong it seeps through the television screen and into the living room. Call it the confidence of a burglar, or just call it balls of steel; the man never looked nervous, never seemed to consider that he'd give it up, oozed confidence even with a man on each of the bases behind him. I followed his lead, and was rewarded.

Today is Oliver Perez's first game, and it looks as though it's going to be a sunny, warm-ish day in southern Ohio for the afternoon game. I'm keeping my fingers crossed for Ollie having his stuff when he takes the mound.

A nearly perfect day

Game 1: Mets 2, Reds 1
1-0 for the season

Did you know that the Mets have, by far, the best opening day record in baseball? They've won nearly 70% of their opening days. Not that this matters in any way, but it's the kind of fun fact that gets bandied around all over the place during the first game of the season.

It was an awful day in Cincinnati; rain, cold, wind, looked like snow-- but it was a good game. The Mets stranded more runners than I'll ever be comfortable with, but Johan threw 99 pitches and held the Reds to one run on three hits, and then it was time for the bullpen. The bullpen, which is responsible for so many blown leads last year I stopped counting at the All-Star break. But it's a new bullpen this year, one that is completely capable of holding a one-run lead for 3 and 1/3 innings, which they did.

Also, the at-bat that produced Daniel Murphy's first hit and home-run of the season? Poetry. Nine pitches, and the kid just wasn't going to hit it fare until he got his pitch. He reminded me of Keith Hernandez up there; at the plate with a plan. I'm really looking forward to watching Murphy develop over this year.

And when it was all over, the Yankee's humiliation in Baltimore was only just beginning. April has arrived, and I'm feeling fortified.

173 Days Later*

Game 1: Mets 7, Marlins 3
1-0

it was a lovely game, said my dad, and I can't put it any better. it really was a lovely, lovely game. Santana is an unreal pleasure to watch. Santana with Schneider is even more fun. Six-run, 10-batter fourth innings are awesome. that two of those RBIs belong to Angel Pagan and Ryan Church (one each, and against a lefty, natch!) is even better.

it's the first game of the season. it isn't prescient. but even having been in warm ballparks just last week, I can say without hesitation that its just better, more exciting, when it's real.

I was working during most of the game, but was able to catch some of it on the radio, some of it on the internet, and then all of Santana's performance and the awesome fourth and ninth innings on DVR. I love digital media, but not as much as I love baseball season.

*it had been 173 days since the Mets last played. now its been a couple of hours. I love April.

Shana Tovah, indeed

Game 145: Braves 3, Mets 4
83-62 for the season
1st Place in the NL East, 7 games ahead of Philadelphia

Shawn Green, who will not play next Saturday in observance of Yom Kippur, had arguably the best night of his season last night, on erev Rosh Hashanah. After Mota once again gave up a lead (allowing a two-run homer from Jeff Francouer in the top of the 8th to tie the game), Carlos Beltran singled to start the bottom of the inning, then stole second and, effectively, third. Green came up, and as he has so often since being relegated to a bench-ish role with Alou's return, hit the important single, sending the Mets ahead just in time to hand the ball off to Billy Wagner.

it was a great end to a good game, one in which the young John Maine outpitched the great John Smoltz, and a perfect way to start the new year-- for Shawn Green, and for me.

Pérez, Wright llevan a Mets al triunfo

Game 127: Dodgers 2, Mets 5
72-55 for the season
1st place in the NL East, 6 Games ahead of Atlanta and Philadelphia

tonight was the Fiesta Latino at Shea stadium, and in honor of the mother tongue of 6 of tonight's starters and that of a lot of their fans, the dress whites showed that the home team at Shea was Los Mets. Gary Cohen wondered aloud in the early innings whether this was the first game ever between two teams with "Los" on their uniforms.



Ollie has been struggling recently, but after loading the bases in the first inning and getting out of the jam, he threw seven scoreless innings. It was nice to see the fierce Oliver Perez back on the mound, and the high-jumping Ollie going over the foul line. It was also nice to see the top of the order hit so well (though why the Carloses seem unable to hit in New York is beyond me), and to see Mike DiFelice have three hits, and to see Lastings dive for a gorgeous catch in center right field, and then hit at and opportune time.

After the disappointing loss last night, it was good to see the team bounce back so well, and play very good small-ball.



the likelihood of a Mets victory seemed so sure by the sixth inning that JRG felt comfortable dozing off, feeling well assured of the outcome.

a game of contrasts, this is

Game 96: Mets 4, Dodgers 1
54-42 for the season
1st place in the NL East, 3.5 games ahead of Atlanta

The way one game played between two teams can be the practical opposite of the game those same teams played the night before is one of the best things about baseball-- it's what makes it fun to watch, every time it's played. These last two games between the Dodgers and the Mets have been a shining example of this Fact of Baseball.

Last night: 22 total runs.

Tonight: 5 total runs.

Last night: at the end of the 7th, 20 runs had scored.

Tonight: 2 runs scored at the end of the 7th.

Last Night: Glavine saw 4 batters in the bottom of the 3rd before being taken out of the game, having given up 6 runs on 10 hits.

Tonight: Oliver Perez struck out 8, and went 7 and 1/3 innings, and allowed only 1 run on 6 hits.

Tonight's game was a beautiful display of National League baseball, in contrast to last night's slug-fest. While I enjoyed watching as the hits kept on rolling last night, I enjoyed watching tonight's very good starting pitching and good relief (for the Mets, anyway) much more. This isn't at all surprising, of course. I'm a National League fan, and so it's a chicken-or-egg situation: do I prefer the defensive, pitching-centered game to the offensive, hitting-centered game because I've been a Mets fan all my life, or have I been a National League fan all my life because I prefer the defensive game? I suspect it's the former, but there's no way to prove it.

welcome back, Marlon Anderson

Game 95: Mets 13, Dodgers 9
53-42 for the season
1st place in the NL East, 2.5 games ahead of Atlanta

Anderson played for the Mets in 2005, and loved playing for Willie Randolph. but the Nationals were offering a two-year contract and the Mets were not, so off he went to Washington. He was with the Dodgers in the first half, but played in only 20-some-odd games, and was at home for two weeks before the Mets picked him up. He had a great combination of enthusiasm for his new club and something to prove to his old club tonight, with two hits and two RBIs and a fantastic catch for the first out in the 9th, as well as the last out on a more routine fly to left. Sad though everyone in my family is about the loss of Julio Franco and his coming out music at Shea, I have to say that it was really nice to see such great play from the guy in left field.

"I loved it when I was here, and I still love it now," Anderson told Kevin Burkhart after the game. We love having you, Marlon.

It was for the most part a sloppy game, with the exception of Aaron Sele's great three innings to stem the tide of unending runs for both sides. In the end, it was fun to watch the Mets hit and hit, since once Sele came in, the Dodgers never again got too close. It also felt a bit like a Bull Durham moment-- after being swept the last time they were in LA, the Mets wanted to announce their presence with authority. The message was perhaps obscured in the 9 runs the team gave away, but the 13 runs were certainly authoritative-- every Mets starter not only touched base but also scored a run.

Jump Around

Game 72: Athletics 0, Mets 1
40-32 for the season

it was a great pitchers duel tonight-- El Duque for the Mets, coming back after two bad outings and keeping the A's scoreless on six hits in seven innings, and Joe Blanton pitching for Oakland, holding the Mets to five hits in eight shutout innings in a row. it ultimately came down to the closers, and Wagner is one of the best in the game. Santiago Casilla, bless his heart, is not.

tonight was important for a lot of reasons. one, it was rather important that the Mets win two in a row again, since it hadn't happened since May. two, it was pretty important that the Mets win a series, since that hadn't happened in six straight series. three, Duque had two bad starts in a row, and that had to stop. all of that happened, and every other team in the NL East lost today. oh, and the Yankees did, too.

my favorite moment came toward the end of the 7th, when Duque let two men on base and Willie came out to bring Feliciano in. Orlando convinced Willie to let him pitch, and then delivered with an inning-ending K. when El Duque says "Si, yo puedo," you'd better believe he can do it.

of course, Paul LoDuca lost his shit at the umpire tonight, but that ended up well, too-- it got Ramon Castro in the game, and in the top of the 9th, Shrek hit his second double of the year. two batters later, David Wright drove him in with a walk-off double to win the game. it was in many ways a perfect day.

and when it was all over, the Powers That Be at Shea played the House of Pain classic "Jump Around," a much more fitting tribute for a win from this Mets team than anything Bob Seeger ever sang.

there's my team

Game 69: Athletics 1, Mets 9
39-32 for the season

tonight, the Mets played the way they did in April and June-- not only scoring first, but piling it on, and keeping the opposition to just one run. Glavine pitched like he did at the beginning of the season, going into the 9th inning and holding the A's to just one run. when Willie came out of the dugout after Glavine gave up a single on his first pitch in the top of the 9th, the crowd let him know they weren't happy to be robbed of the opportunity to see a Mets pitcher throw a complete game. Tom didn't mind, though-- I'm sure he quite enjoyed watching the last three outs from the dugout.

Marty Noble had some good coverage of the mood in the dugout after the game was done over at MLB.com:

Glavine had the misfortune of being thrown out at the plate in the sixth inning after his second hit, a single, had produced the final two runs in a five-run rally that all but determined the outcome. He was thrown out while trying to score from first base on a double by Jose Reyes. And he heard about it.

"I think that parachute went out as he came around third," manager Willie Randolph said, "and he started to moonwalk."

Wright was wondering whether Glavine had been carrying Baldwin or a Steinway. (What does a Steinway, anyway?)

And someone compared Glavine's speed to that of backup catcher Ramon Castro, but then suggested that the pitcher would have been thrown out at third if he ran like the thick-legged catcher.

"C'mon," Mets closer Billy Wagner said. "You can't get on him. He's 110 years old."

pressing the issue

Game 64: Mets 2, Yankees 0
36-28 for the season

bases stolen against Roger Clemens (44 years old, with a birthday in August) in tonight's game:
Gomez (21): 1
Reyes (24 last week): 2
Wright (25): 1

in addition, Carlos Gomez ended the bottom of the 4th inning in which the Yanks had two on and 1 out by absolutely stealing a home run from Cairo (and fan interference from the Yankee fans), preventing it also from being an extra-base hit (and at least one run, probably two), and then throwing Matsui out at second for getting too far away from the base before the ball was caught and not being able to get back before the throw.

lesson: if you're old, and you're a pitcher, the Mets will remind you that you're old. moreover, if you're the Yankees, the Mets will remind you that they might be old, but you're older. this means we don't rely entirely on power hitting, which made the difference tonight.

Clemens went 6 and 1/3 innings, threw 105 pitches, allowed 2 runs on 7 hits, had 7 strikeouts, and 4 stolen bases stolen in 4 tries. I'm not impressed.

Oliver Perez had his best stuff tonight, and held the Yanks scoreless through 7 and 1/3 innings. He had really tough 4th, but came back with a 1-2-3 5th and had retired 12 in a row when he gave up a double to Jeter and left the game. Ollie threw117 pitches, 66 of them strikes, had 6 K's, and whatever Rick Peterson said to him between his last outing and this one and between the 4th and 5th innings has obviously had the magic Peterson effect. This was the pitcher I've grown so fond of, and it was nice to see him back.

I'll admit to being tense until the end, but wow, it's nice to have watched a game where the Mets were playing like the team I've been rooting for all year.

Glavine vs. Moyer, Redux

Game 56: Phillies 4, Mets 2
34-21 for the season


this was the first game of the first sweep of the Mets this season. of course we didn't know at the time that the Phillies (against whom we were 3-1 this season before this series started, and who are now leading the series 4-3) and Mets bullpens would seem to trade ability levels for the duration of the series.




our bullpen has been fantastic all year, but fell apart in every game of the series, in a fashion much like the one you see above.





and we just couldn't hit. as my dad said, bad pitchers pain their fans with wrenching innings, but a struggling offense is wrenching to watch through the whole game.




though the game turned out to be disappointing, the evening was perfect-- warm but not hot, light breeze, no humidity, and a ballgame with my sister after dinner in Flushing.

I love being there before the game starts, seeing the end of the teams warm ups. It's also really fun to watch the progress of Citi Field behind the outfield, and the many many cranes that make up the view over the bleachers now.




David Wright stretches in left field, while Jose Reyes walks back to the baseline after a sprint to center.




David and Carlos Delgado have their routine catch on the grass between their dugout and the first base line just before the game starts. I still love this.




I love the bench above the right field fence from which the guys in the bullpen watch the first couple of innings of each game. I'll really miss that bench when Shea is gone.




a little league team and their parents and coaches enjoyed the game in the boxes next to ours. we actually had $9.00 Upper Reserve seats, but the park was half empty and we were able to sit in the first row of the Upper Boxes just to the third base side of home.




when the game went into extra innings, the Party Patrol broke out the banner. one imagines this was a ploy to keep fans in their seats and cheering loudly after 10pm.




check out the R2D2 mailbox right outside the stadium! it's commemorating the 30th anniversary of the release of Star Wars.

sweep the fish

Game 49: Mets 6, Marlins 4
32-17 for the season

the Mets were playing very shorthanded today, with Green and Gomez both active but not able to play in the outfield. after considering LoDuca in left field (which would have been awesome!) and rejecting the idea because his shoulder is bruised from the injury yesterday, Randolph played Easley in left field. it was the first time he'd ever played that position in a major league game, and he did just fine. with only four everyday players on the field (Beltran, Delgado, Reyes, and Wright), the way the game was won is a real testament to the strength of the Mets bench.

Carlos Delgado is definitely coming out of his slump, and even had his second steal of the season today (it was also his second double steal, and the first one of the season was Carlos' first in many years. he hits, he doesn't run). but the real reason we won today is that the Marlins' starting pitcher, Olsen, has no control of his emotions, and the Marlins defense gets to be called a "defense" only because they play defensive positions, not because they are able to act defensively on any kind of regular basis. Olsen's control is great until something bad happens in the field-- then he completely loses it, throwing wildly and taking a few pitches to calm back down. he certainly doesn't seem like a guy you'd want to hang out with, particularly once you've heard that he's known for having fights with his own teammates. and with the Marlins as teammates, Olsen finds himself frustrated by what goes on behind him on the field quite a bit.

truth is, you just can't play bad D against a good team and expect to win, and that's why the Mets took all three games in Miami, even while fielding the B-team.

with an off-day and surgical consults for both Green and Gomez tomorrow, Willie has some time to decide what to do in terms of the DL and putting players in the outfield. I might say me'sheberach for Pedro, Shawn, Paulie, Carlos, and Jose V. but even if I don't actually pray for them, I'm sending all the injured Mets best wishes for the speediest possible recovery.

Good News and Bad News

Game 48: Mets 7, Marlins 2
31-17 for the season

Good News!

• Carlos Delgado had two home runs. His at-bats have been looking good since he went down in the lineup, and he seems now finally to have broken out of his slump.
• John Maine came back from a three-start slide, with a good night on the mound and a win.
• Endy Chavez had another gorgeous catch, this time in right field.

Bad News.

• Shawn Green was on crutches this afternoon, having fractured a bone in his foot the night before. Obviously, he didn't play.
  
• Carlos Gomez came out of the game having hurt his hamstring after touching first base in the early part of the game.
• Paul LoDuca came out of the game when it appeared he hurt his thumb, the same thumb he had surgery on in the off-season.

Bottom line: we're winning with a large part of our lineup on the DL, but only against the worst fielding team in baseball. It'll be interesting to see what happens when the Giants come to town next week.

it's good to be in Miami

Game 47: Mets 6, Marlins 2
30-17 for the season

El Duque is back, and looking fantastic. he threw six shutout innings, allowing only two hits and not a single walk, retiring 15 (or was it 16?) hitters in a row. the lineup wasn't doing well against the Marlins' Sergio Mitre, who pitched 7 good innings and really made a show of the team-wide slump the hitters seem to be in (with the obvious exception of Paul LoDuca, who's just red hot). but the Marlins' bullpen is pathetic, and the Mets scored 5 runs in the top of the 9th (including one on a hit from Reyes, just his second in like 22 at bats) to win.

Pedro was in the dugout tonight, as animated as always but looking really, really healthy strong. Orlando's thighs look like steel, too. their time in South Florida has done them well, and it was good to be in town to see them.

Smoltz's 200th Win

Game 46: Mets 1, Braves 2
29-17 for the season

the team is struggling in general, but I don't think that we could have beat Smoltz last night even at our best, because he was at his best, and good pitching will beat good hitting nine times out of ten. though I still think that the Mets are a better team than the Braves, something about playing the Braves brings out the worst in the Mets, especially at the Ted.

Oliver Perez, King of the Braves

Game 45: Mets 3, Braves 0
29-16 for the season

the Mets have lost all but three of the games they've played against the Braves so far this year, and all three they won were credited to Oliver Perez. the way Gary, Ron and Keith were talking about him tonight-- Cy Young material, capable of winning 18 games in a year-- was impressive, but no more impressive than my feelings about him. As Jose Reyes is the most exciting every-day player in baseball, Oliver Perez is the most exciting pitcher in baseball today. Clemens may be the most distracting, but Perez is the most exciting.

Paul LoDuca had his 200th career double tonight, and David Wright (with 8 homers this month) is most definitely back in his groove. Carlos Delgado hit in 6th spot for the first time in 10 years tonight, and it seemed to help-- he had two good singles, one to the opposite field, in his first tow at bats. though he ended up 2-4, the second two at-bats were good ones. I have a feeling he's on his way back, too.

Glavine vs. Smoltz again tomorrow night.

ugly

Game 44: Mets 1, Braves 8
28-16 for the season

the series against the Yanks, while fun, was not really all that important. this series against the Braves, while still early in the season, is much more important.

and we had a bad night. it got ugly early, and sent M and me to the broadcast of the Yanks vs. Red Sox game by the top of the sixth. and because every cloud has a silver lining, the Yankees lost.

off night

Game 43: Yankees 6, Mets 2
28-15 for the season

If I'd known Tony Randazzo was behind the plate on Sunday night, I would have lowered my expectations for victory. to the extent that guy has an eye, it's one trained to see calls as they go against the Mets. never the less, I was so excited all day on Sunday-- like a kid on Christmas Eve, eager with anticipation of the excitement to come. I practically skipped to the train.

dang! that's a lot of people!

others were not as successful at fighting the urge to bring a broom as I was.

CBN's tickets were in the Mezzanine, just down from third base-- a good vantage point, with a direct view of the scoreboard and into the Mets dugout. I'm so annoyed with myself because I keep forgetting to bring the small binoculars I bought for our safari in Africa to the ballpark, so I've now put them in the bag I bring to games, but I would have loved to have had them on Sunday night for the view I had of the Mets bench.





the apple, up for the 7th inning stretch (though was also up earlier, in the 2nd, when David Wright hit a home run for what proved to be his only hit of the night).

CBN and I went to Mets games together in high school, and I was honored that he asked me to join him at his first game of the season on Sunday. it was great fun to be at a game with another real fan, someone who pays attention to the game and the team, and also just to be there with him-- it's been more than a decade since we'd been at Shea together, and it was fun to be there with my old friend again.




the good time we were having in the stands was not represented on the field on Sunday night. in truth, though I was hoping for a sweep, I didn't expect it, even against the struggling Yankees. and that's a good thing, because my expectations would have been severely disappointed. Maine struggled from the beginning, and the five Mets pitchers we saw by the time the game was over collectively had a horrible time with falling behind in the count-- they just could not pull ahead, and the Yanks were able to hit them as a result.





the Mets have a hard time against rookie pitchers, because they rely heavily on tape to prepare. this game was no exception-- the Yanks rookie pitcher Clippard held the Mets to 1 run on 3 hits in the six innings he pitched.



as much as I hate the Yankees, a real ball fan has to have respect for the great Mariano Rivera, the best closer ever to play the game. I am a real ball fan, and a lover of pitching in particular, and I have enormous respect for the talent in Mariano's arm.




this may be the last time I see Rivera pitch live, and it was a pleasure to watch (including the ultimately useless homer from Easley).


there was some predictable Mets/Yanks fans scuffling, but that'll get it's own post, hopefully tonight.

winning in the rain

Game 42: Yankees 7, Mets 10
28-14 for the season

we watched the beginning of this game on mlb.com Game Day, the middle at a bar, and the end on the radio going downtown. we parked just as Wagner started pitching to Matsui, and with one out already recorded, I decided that if the Mets blew the lead, I didn't want to hear it happen.

and thank goodness I got out of the car, because that final Yankee run and the two men on base when the game ended would have frayed my nerves more than it turned out to be worth. Billy Wagner has pitched perfectly so far this year for a closer, in that he has yet to give up the lead or let the game tie up, but the Yankees have been his achillies heel, and it looked for a little while there in the 9th like they might come back into the lead against Wagner once again. despite a crazy throw to home plate, though, he did his job and ended the game.

but perhaps the best news of the day is that David Wright had two homers, 4 RBIs, and was intentionally walked three times. way to come out of a slump, kid. we're all proud of you.

you have to feel for the rookie pitcher who broke his finger on Endy Chavez's hit in the first inning, and now is out for at least three months. but I can't bring myself to feel for the Yankees as a whole, not while Torre is still saying stupid shit like "I'm happy with how we played, just unhappy with the final score."

I'm just working to control my urge to bring a broom to tomorrow night's game.