For one day, lots of Amazin' memories at Citi Field
Former Met Mike Piazza waves as he is introduced during an Old-Timers' Day ceremony before a game between the Rockies and the Mets on Saturday at Citi Field. Credit: AP/Adam Hunger
‘Attention all Old-Timers,” a voice said over the Citi Field public-address system at about 3:45 on a gorgeous Saturday afternoon.
On most days, that isn’t what you want to be called. But on this day, in this place, it was exactly what 64 former Mets players and managers were thrilled to be known as.
It was Old-Timers’ Day in Flushing, the first since 1994, and Old-Timers young (such as Jose Reyes and Daniel Murphy) and a little more “seasoned” (such as 1962 Mets Frank Thomas and Ed Kranepool) graced the field for a get-together that was worthy of this franchise, its place in New York baseball history and the fans who unfailingly support it.
Mets Old-Timers’ Day withered away in the mid-1990s, dropped by the club because of lack of enthusiasm (and a lack of will from the previous owners to honor their own team’s history).
On Saturday, the PA announcer called the Old-Timers to attention because it was time to gather in front of the third-base dugout for a team photo.
He had to make the announcement more than once.
The 64 absolutely thrilled guests at this long-awaited family reunion were busy hugging, comparing waistlines and hairlines, and swapping whatever stories they’ve been repeating since their glory days, whether those came when the Mets were in their infancy 60 years ago or when the team last appeared in the World Series in 2015.
Earlier, the song “Reunited” by Peaches and Herb with its famous lyric “and it feels so good” played as the Old-Timers started trickling onto the field an hour before fans were let into the ballpark to gawk at their heroes.
How long does it take to introduce 64 Old-Timers and other special guests? With Howie Rose doing the honors, it took exactly 30 minutes, from Original Met Ken MacKenzie to Hall of Famer Mike Piazza.
Loudest ovations? On a day when limited-impact Mets such as Dennis Cook and Glendon Rusch received hearty applause, you knew the fans were happy to see anyone in a Mets jersey — with the exception of Joe Torre, who actually heard some boos because he made the Hall of Fame for what he did in the Bronx, not Queens. (It was a little odd to see Torre in a No. 9 Mets uniform top.)
Fans seemed particularly stoked to see Benny Agbayani, Endy Chavez, Bartolo Colon (of course), Pedro Martinez, Darryl Strawberry, Dwight Gooden, Keith Hernandez and Piazza.
But there were many, many others whom the fans were clearly thrilled to welcome back. Just imagine a nearly full stadium clapping and cheering for 30 straight minutes — with the exception of when Mookie Wilson was introduced and they yelled “Moooooookie” — and you’ll get the picture.
It was a lovefest that was 60 years in the making (or 28 if you go back to the last time the Mets held this event).
Rose also made the surprise announcement that the Mets are retiring the No. 24 worn by Hall of Famer Willie Mays when he played for the team from 1972-73 (and last worn by Robinson Cano earlier this year).
Nice, but it felt kind of random. The Mets still have a lot of uniform numbers to retire for players who had a bigger impact on the organization’s history (Strawberry’s 18, Gooden’s 16, the late Gary Carter’s 8, David Wright’s 5, to name a few).
The best part of the Mays announcement was that it led to a mention of Steve Cohen’s name. Another huge ovation, one that Cohen has well earned.
Then came the 2 1⁄2-inning Old-Timers’ game. Oh, man, was that fun.
John Franco started for the “Amazins.” Reyes, the leadoff man for the “Miracles,” hit a pop-up to shallow left that shortstop Kevin Elster tried to dive for — or, more accurately, fell down trying to track.
Other highlights: Gooden taking the mound in relief of John Franco; Long Islander Steve Dillon, age 79, pitching in the second inning (Dillon’s entire MLB career was three games with the Mets in 1963-64); Martinez relieving Dillon and striking out Howard Johnson; Wilson, 66, running down a long drive to left hit by Agbayani; the entire stadium standing and applauding the Old-Timers and beginning a “Let’s go Mets!” chant at the game’s end.
Sadly, and understandably, Strawberry and Hernandez did not get an at-bat. Neither did Colon.
Wait ’til next year, perhaps, because Old-Timers’ Day is here to stay at Citi Field. Finally.
Anthony Rieber covers baseball, as well as the NFL, NBA and NHL. He has worked at Newsday since Aug. 31, 1998, and has been in his current position since July 5, 2004.
