Even on road, Mets welcome fans

JUPITER, Fla. — One by one, Mets players heard their names being called over the Roger Dean Chevrolet stadium speakers and lined up along the first-base line. Only a handful of the team’s regular starters made the trip to open its Grapefruit League schedule against the

Marlins — Francisco Lindor, Pete Alonso, J.D. Davis, and Brandon Nimmo among them.

The players turned and faced the crowd — yes, there were actual fans, some with masks and some without — and tipped their caps to the socially-distanced congregation in front of them. As the crowd waved, hollered, and cheered back to the 2021 Mets, it all became very real. Baseball is back.

“That was exciting,” manager Luis Rojas said of seeing fans back in the stands for the first time in almost a year. “The guys were pumped. Some of them were making comments about the crowd noise since we got used to it last year. But actually hearing the fans, I know the guys were excited about that.” Late in their 2-0 loss to the Marlins, the Mets’ top catching prospect Francisco Alvarez got drilled on his shoulder by a fastball. A loud, and perhaps inebriated, fan screamed at Alvarez: “Charge the mound!” Fans around him chuckled as the energy inside the stadium was noticeably light and carefree.

BASERUNNING BLUNDERS

The Mets put an emphasis on their baserunning this camp but, at least in their Grapefruit League opener, outs were made on the bases due to their “aggressive” approach.

Nimmo, leading off, opened the game with a line drive to left. Within moments, he was caught wandering past first base as the Marlins turned what should have been a single into a 7-4-3 putout. Later, Kevin Pillar crushed a single into center field and was caught out at second base attempting to turn it into a double.

THE FRANCHISE PATCH

The Mets will wear a “41” Tom Seaver tribute patch on the right sleeve of their home and road uniforms during the 2021 season, the team announced on Monday.

Seaver died in August at 75 after complications due to Lewy body dementia and COVID-19. Nicknamed “The Franchise,” Seaver spent 12 years with the Mets and went 198-124 with a 2.57 ERA and 2,541 strikeouts. Following three Cy Young awards and an induction into the Hall of Fame, Seaver stands today as the Mets’ all-time leader in wins, strikeouts, shutouts, ERA, complete games, and starts.