I have a lot to unpack from last night so let’s leave all the David Wright stuff for the next posts so I don’t undercut sentimentality with my in-character snark. You can find the sentimental part here, and the pro-shot stuff here.
SLACKISH REACTION: OMG I hate baseball. I got home at 1:15am. ONE FIFTEEN. You guys know I don’t stay on the couch past ten. ONE FIFTEEN. That seriously may have broken me and I may never attend a baseball game again. That was sheer torture.
Baseball needs to eliminate extra innings. NOBODY wanted to see more of that game – except maybe offing Don Mattingly who was doing pitching changes and that friggin’ replay stuff you people like. Awful. Beyond awful. (Here are my ideas to eliminate extras.)
My son was losing it once we got to the 11th and I think was thinking about running away from home. I’ll never get him to a game again even if it’s me retiring making my last appearance.
GUEST EXPERIENCES: I think the brokers may have gotten stuck with a lot of tickets as it was a lot easier to get around than it was Opening Day and I was able to use the bathroom when I wanted and everything.
It was annoying that I had to have the “you don’t have access to the Jim Beam Club, that’s the one upstairs where you can’t see the field (see above), yes I do, no you don’t, yes I do as I scrolled my app” argument. Guys, it’s not like the place is so amazing, just let people in to spend money. And money I spent – chicken sandwich, fries, diet coke (two orders) = $47. Forty Seven? Why would anyone attend baseball ever again. Oh, and have some chicken ready at 6:45pm. That was not an odd time for people to be eating. Come on Citi Field get your shit together.
I liked Cosell’s PA game in person. On TV it sounds kinda minor leaguey, but sounded great in person. I appreciated how matter of factly low-key he handled the Rosario in for Wright substitution. Was also neat hearing DW being introduced as The Captain – would have enjoyed a few seasons of that.
It was odd to me that there wasn’t any Wright merch available. You would have thought they’d have made some jerseys or caps with #5 side patches or something. Maybe a t-shirt. Nothing. People told me there were DW jerseys (normal ones) early in the night but when I hit the upstairs store in the 6th it was like David didn’t even exist. Very odd from a merch standpoint.
It was also odd that the Mets didn’t tell people in the stadium that DW was gonna come back out. People started leaving after the 8th and I felt bad for them. Eventually the Mets put this up…
…but Cosell never mentioned it Why not tell people, Mets?
The game was so horrific that I considered leaving as the message above made me think I was sitting around for nine hours to watch a video I could see on twitter. I tweeted at the Mets and thankfully Will hit me back to tell me David would indeed be coming out. Whew. I stayed. A lot of people did not.
Got my favorite inbound tweet ever….so much so that I will screen grab it!
Anyway I am treating this Morning Laziness how I would treat any other game, I will do the DW posts next. Didn’t have it in me at ONE FIFTEEN AM.
David Wright (0-1, BB): Made his first start at third base since May 27, 2016…Drew a walk in the first to reach base for the first time since that May 27, 2016 game vs. the Dodgers…Was the 762nd walk of his career, extending his franchise record (no other Met has more than 600 walks)…Popped out in foul territory in the fourth inning…Exited the game in the top of the fifth.
• Wright is a seven-time All-Star, two-time Gold Glove winner and two-time Silver Slugger recipient…He is the franchise leader in hits (1,777), RBI (970), runs scored (949), doubles (390), total bases (2,945), extra-base hits (658), walks (762) and go-ahead homers (87).
• According to Elias, Wright’s 1,572 games at third base for the Mets are the 11th-most all-time for a player for one MLB team…No New York franchise has had a third baseman play more games than Wright has for the Mets.
• Elias also notes that Wright is the second player in major-league history to go at least two years between games for a team after having played at least 1500 games in the major leagues, all for that team. Bill Dickey played 1735 games for the Yankees from 1928 to 1943, then spent two years in the Navy during World War II. He returned to the team in 1946, played 54 more games and became their manager.
Together Again: David Wright (3B) and José Reyes (SS) started alongside one another in the Mets’ infield for the first time since September 28, 2011 vs. Cincinnati…Was the 878th time the pair started together in a Mets uniform, the most of any teammate duo in franchise history…Research courtesy of Elias.
• Elias says Wright and Reyes are the first pair of players in modern major-league history (since 1900) with at least 12 years separating their first and last games started together at third and short for one team…The first time Wright started at third base and Reyes at shortstop for the Mets was on Aug. 4, 2004, at Milwaukee…The previous longest gap was 11 years and 354 days between the first and last games started together by the Orioles’ combo of Brooks Robinson (3B) and Mark Belanger (SS)…Their first game was in August 1965 and their last in July 1977.
• The only men with 13 or more years separating their first and last games played together for the Mets are Tom Seaver and Mike Jorgensen…Seaver and Jorgensen played together with the Mets for the first time on Sept. 14, 1968, and the last time 14 years and 266 days later, on June 7, 1983…Research courtesy of Elias.
• Wright and Reyes played their first game together for the Mets 14 years and 70 days ago, when Wright made his major-league debut on July 21, 2004 against the Expos at Shea Stadium…Reyes started at second base in that game, with Kaz Matsui at shortstop.
Attendance: 43,928 fans attended tonight’s game…Marked the fourth sellout at Citi Field this season and was the sixth-largest crowd for a regular-season game in Citi Field history.
