Not a whole lot to ‘like’
WEATHER at Citi Field wasn’t the only thing that was a mess Wednesday.
The Mets-Phillies Facebook stream — Major League Baseball’s first game shown exclusively on the social network — didn’t go as smoothly as planned.
The start of the game was delayed due to rain, prompting a standby screen on the online broadcast that did anything but calm the comments section. Many viewers waiting for the game to start also angrily chimed in about it only being available on the social media platform. Fans took jabs at everything about the Facebook broadcast. There were comments on politics and, of course, some jokes at the expense of both teams playing.
MLB TV subscribers were also not happy about paying for a service yet only being able to tune in via Facebook.
While many were quick to bash the broadcast, some actually did find some parts of the Facebook feed they did like. Some fans enjoyed the fact they didn’t have to sit through commercials between innings.
But complaints continued to roll in once the game started, especially when the stream stopped working during a David Wright montage.
The Mets-Phillies game was the first of 25 games that will be streamed exclusively on Facebook this season. MLB reached an agreement with the social media platform in March.
Most of the games will take place on Wednesday afternoons, giving fans the opportunity to watch while they are at work. Streams for games are available for free on both mobile and desktop devices.
Inclement weather rolled through Queens for the third straight day Wednesday, laying siege upon Citi Field and leading to a one hour and 37-minute rain delay. Wet and overcast conditions early turned blustery and sunny by late afternoon but strong gusts led to some adventures on fly balls for both the Mets and the Phillies. Just less than six hours after the original first-pitch time, the Mets emerged victorious, 4-2, behind hitting heroics from second-year shortstop Amed Rosario. Noah Syndergaard lasted just four innings after throwing 92 pitches. He allowed two earned runs, walked two and struck out seven — struggling with both command and velocity. The first run came home on an RBI groundout from Nick Williams, and the second scored when the Mets botched a rundown between first and second, allowing Carlos Santana to swipe home. The Met pen blanked the Phillies over the final five innings. Phillies starter Aaron Nola settled down after allowing a first-inning two-run homer to Yoenis Cespedes, giving up four hits and four walks while fanning four.
The Mets now head to the nation’s capital after a successful opening home stand that has manager Mickey Callaway at 4-1 in his debut season.
With the game tied at 2, Asdrubal Cabrera walked to lead off the bottom of the sixth inning before advancing to second on a throwing error by Phillies catcher Andrew Knapp. After two straight outs, Wilmer Flores worked a pinch-hit walk to put runners on first and second. Rosario then jumped on a first-pitch slider from Phillies reliever Drew Hutchinson, slapping the pitch to right field over the head of Williams, who was playing shockingly shallow on the play. Two runs scored. Rosario scampered to third for his first triple of the season. The Mets never trailed again.
At 4:10 p.m., after more than three days of gray skies, the sun emerged and coated Citi Field with a smattering of sunshine. The crowd erupted into cheers. The sun remained glistening, and the Mets took the lead about 30 minutes later. Coincidence? We think not..
STAT OF THE DAY
Led by converted starters Robert Gsellman (two scoreless innings Wednesday) and Seth Lugo (two scoreless innings Tuesday), the Mets’ bullpen combined to throw nine scoreless innings with 12 Ks in two wins over the Phillies.
Keith Hernandez, Ron Darling and Gary Cohen of the SNY broadcast team. This Mets game was broadcast exclusively on Facebook as part of a 25-game agreement between MLB and the social media platform. Fans were rather displeased with the arrangement, if the live stream’s comment section was any indication.
METS AT NATS
Jacob deGrom (1-0, 1.59) vs. Stephen Strasburg (1-0, 1.42). TV: SNY.