Mets adjust to new life on the road
After spending the past three-plus weeks in their own New York bubble, the Mets left for the outside world late Sunday night.
On their first road trip during the COVID-19 pandemic, the Mets were set to trade planes, dining out and early ballpark arrivals for busses, meals out of containers and plenty of Call of Duty.
“I’m confident with the group,” manager Luis Rojas said Sunday before the Mets wrapped up their opening series with a 14-1 loss to the Braves at Citi Field. “The behavior the guys have had, it’s been pretty solid. The guys have done a good job with that.
“It’ll be a learning experience for sure.”
After Sunday night’s game, the Mets were set to board multiple buses for the drive to Boston. Normally they would fly for their two-game series at the Red Sox, but opted for the spaced-out ground transportation with health and safety in mind. Rojas said they have been limiting it to 10 people per bus.
Once they arrive in Boston, their new normal will be everywhere they look. There are restrictions on how early they can get to the ballpark, so filling their downtime with safe activities without having to leave their hotel will take on added importance.
“A lot of guys will bring their Xbox or PlayStation, stuff like that we can kind of hang out that way,” Michael Conforto said. “There’s a lot of Call of Duty players on this team, so we’ve been able to do that. We just gotta be smart about it. It’s kind of one of those things where you just gotta tough it out for a couple months and just be smart. This is going to be a huge element to our success this year. We just gotta police each other and do what’s best for the team.”
While the Mets’ first road trip of the season brings them to one of the most cramped stadiums in the league in Fenway Park, Conforto said it’s his understanding that there will be plenty of space to use around the concourse with no fans to get in the way.
If the Mets can stick to their plan on the road, they hope to be in good hands and keep everyone on the field.
“A lot of bus trips that we’re gonna see happening,” Rojas said. “I can’t wait for those to happen so we adopt a routine. ”