Mets aim to build on last season’s success, and the best may be yet to come.
The Mets set a franchise attendance record in spring training by drawing 106,027 fans to Clover Park. This comes after they set the second-highest attendance total in the aging Clover Park history on Monday afternoon, 8,088, in their game against the Yankees, 87 short of the attendance record for a 2015 exhibition game against the Yankees, 8,175.
There has been plenty of hype about this team all offseason long and throughout spring training. The team announced that its 2025 season ticket packages have sold out and posted its highest-recorded membership base in franchise history entering the season.
That comes with the territory of the Mets going on a great run starting in June that ended with an NL Championship Series appearance. Then, they signed Yankees outfielder Juan Soto to a 15-year, $765 million deal this offseason
When the Amazins play their home opener against the Toronto Blue Jays on Friday at Citi Field, it will celebrate last year’s accomplishment for one last time before the team moves on their season’s journey for good.
Grimace will never be forgotten for his magic on the Mets. Even though Jose Iglesias is now playing for the San Diego Padres, his spirit will be in place for all those OMG! vibes he brought.
Francisco Lindor was putting on an MVP season of 33 home runs and 91 RBI with a slash line of .344/.500/.844. Who can not forget his game-tying home run against the Arizona Diamondbacks at Phoenix in a day game after a night game that set the stage for a Mets’ 3-2 victory against them to stay afloat in the West Coast trip? How about when he hit a two-run home run in the ninth inning against the Atlanta Braves in a doubleheader that helped the Mets make the playoffs after they trailed 8-7 with one out? How about the grand slam he hit against the Phillies that helped clinch an NLCS appearance for the Mets?
Pete Alonso (photo courtesy CBS Sports)
Then, there was Pete Alonso’s no-doubt-about-it home run against Brewers closer Devin Williams with two outs in the ninth in Game 3 of the NL Wild-Card series, giving the Mets the lead and the win that had them advancing to the NL Division Series. Remember they were out of the way of being eliminated by the Brewers in what was a hard-fought series.
Those memories will come again next week. It was something to enjoy last year.
Some can say this was the most fun season the franchise had since 1986, considering they were awful in May, where they were 22-33 at one point. Some say this was as good as the 2015 season when the team came out of nowhere in the summer to get to the World Series until they bowed out to the Kansas City Royals.
This franchise is in a good place right now, under Year 5 of Steve Cohen’s ownership. They have become a destination spot for guys who want to win a championship and retire. They have a president of baseball operations who knows what he is doing in David Stearns. They have a manager who knows what to do in the clubhouse in Carlos Mendoza. They have an owner committed to winning with his bank account in Steve Cohen.
You can see why this may be the most anticipated season for the Mets in a long time. There’s legitimate hope now for a franchise that has been used to calamity for so long.
No longer is there hope for the best. It’s about expecting to win every year. This is a great situation for a team and its fanbase.
You can make a case that the culture has finally changed for the Mets. For the better. It’s refreshing to have high expectations going into this season and beyond. After a taste of success last season, the Mets and their fans want more.
As fun as last year was, there was some bitterness about the Mets’ feel-good season that ended against the hated Los Angeles Dodgers.
This season is about sustaining success and completing the unfinished business of beating the Dodgers. A World Series would mean taking the next step. Shoot, maybe this year could be that fifth year Cohen talked about wanting to win a championship when he bought the team.
It will be interesting to see how the Mets do in attendance. Cohen wants the team to draw three million, which hasn’t happened since 2009 when Citi Field opened. There’s a good chance the goal could be achieved.
The Mets achieved the innocent climb last year.
Now, there are expectations, especially after signing Soto. Every game is going to be big. You bet there will be drama, which comes with the territory of playing in New York.
The Mets are ready to embrace it with the idea of finishing the job.
