I’ve been a Mets fan all my life. I’m not just saying that – I have home movies of myself at 2 years old wearing a plastic batting helmet (during the 69 World Series). I don’t know or remember the first game I attended, though I know it was sometime between 71 and 73. My earliest memories of attending Mets games are during the 73 season. I distinctly remembering cheering for Willie Mays to hit a grand slam – only to be told by my uncle that he couldn’t hit a grand slam as the bases weren’t loaded (hey I was 6). I also remember at another game getting a ceramic coffee mug as a giveaway (which according to The Ultimate Mets Database was Sept. 22, 1973 – Fan Appreciation Day).
I know I went to games with my Dad and brother during the 70’s, though game dates and specifics are blurred and lost to time. During these games my Dad taught me to keep score, and so I started to track games. At first I would only keep score at random games, but over the years it became something I’d do more and more. Now I keep score at every game I attend. I also save all the scorecards and tickets from these games – not just Mets games, but every game I go to. Through 2012 that added up to 320 games (major and minor league) at 80 different venues.
So what does this have to do with me needing to attend more games? Over the last few weeks I have been cataloguing all of these games, recording both opponents and scores (yeah, I am a geek). The result? Since 1980 (the earliest Mets scorecards I still have), the Mets have a .684 winning percentage in games I have attended and scored. Over the course of a full season that translates to a 110 wins.
The best season the Mets ever had was in 1986 when they won 108 games (I was 2-1 that year).
Against teams from the current NL East the Mets have a .696 winning percentage – including a 5-1 record against Atlanta.
Best month? September at .833 (followed by May at .750)
Worst month? August at .400 (the only sub .500 month I have).
So what does all this mean? I clearly need to attend games against the NL East in May and September.
(For the record, in Yankee games I have attended they have a .407 winning percentage)
So what’s your record?
LASt season I was 11-14… Started off 5-0….
25-21 at citifield since 2009
46-38 at Yankee stadium since 2009
25-15 at Citizens Bank since 2005
over 1250 ML games since 1966 attended in person at about 30 ML parks. Used have overall record in my head but lost count but have recording above figures last few years.
Great article!
Wow, that is impressive
I don’t think I am even close to having records of all the games I have been to in my lifetime, but I have kept track of the recent games, and I find that I go through hot streaks and cold periods…completely unexplainable.
On my 40th birthday, the Mets lost to the Phillies at home. Roy Halladay pitched a gem. This was the first of (get this) 10 consecutive losses I went to at home. The team was losing so much when I attended, it was almost comical… thankfully I had a great time at each and every one of them despite what we did on the field!
Since then, I have managed to go 9-2 at home (the last 3 wins were from 2011, and my record last year was 6-2). Does this mean we’re in for another cold patch? Maybe… but the optimist in me wants to believe that the current hot streak is not over yet!!
I used to have a similar record at Orioles games…they’d play about .700 ball when I attended as a kid. That stopped around 1998, after Davey Johnson and Pat Gillick left. From that point on the O’s played about .200 ball when Kurt was present.