54,000 Saw Mets Santana A year Ago. 36,000 Yesterday (Newsday)

Wallace Matthews brings it in today’s Newsday.

Sunday, the Yankees hosted the Indians and the Mets hosted the Brewers. Neither place came within 5,000 seats of being sold out. Most teams would be overjoyed playing to 85-percent capacity in April, but these are not most teams and this is not any other city.

But when Opening Day at the new Yankee Stadium draws only 48,000 paid admissions, and the Mets, after nearly filling the 42,000 seats in their opener but then can’t draw much above 36,000, you know that the geniuses in the business offices who decided to Mel Brooks the baseball fans of this town made a serious error in judgment.

Yes, there is always a drop-off after the opener and before the kids get out of school, but last year on this very weekend, 54,000-plus saw Johan Santana pitch against the Brewers. On Saturday, with the same pitcher, same opponent and a 75-degree day, only 36,312 showed up.

As I speak on behalf of all Mets fans, Citi is such a step-up from Shea that we’re willing to eat bad sight-lines, or not being able to see all nine position players from left field.   Yankee fans, I think you would take your old park back if you could.   Either way, maybe one of the teams will get it right when they move into their new parks around 2085.

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