Mets take the field for fanless first game

The Mets will start the season today against the Atlanta Braves in an empty Citi Field. AP Photo/Seth Wenig

By David Brand

Baseball is back at Citi Field — even if the spectators won’t be.

The Mets take the field against the Atlanta Braves this afternoon to kick off a 60-game sprint to the playoffs. Cy Young Award winner Jacob DeGrom will take the mound inside the empty Flushing ballpark.

Fans will be locked out of stadiums across the league in an effort to prevent the spread of COVID-19. Bars are also closed, which means Mets fans will have to catch the action on SNY, WPIX, WCBS 880 or MLB TV inside their own homes.

On the surface, watching games will seem strangely normal. Ballpark staff are pumping in fake crowd noise, with the reactions changing in response to action on the field. There will be big cheers for a strikeout and even rowdier fake fans celebrating a Pete Alonso dinger.

Mets ace Jacob DeGrom takes the mound tonight for the first game of the season. AP Photo/Kathy Willens

During the Mets’ first exhibition game, a July 18 loss to the Yankees, announcers Gary Cohen, Keith Hernandez and Ron Darling called the game together. Normal enough. But in the first inning, Cohen, the play-by-play announcer, pointed out that he was sitting in a separate booth from the two color commentators.

There are a few other changes, too:

Players will sit under big tents in the stadium box seats instead of crowding together in the narrow dugouts. The Mets and every other National League club will start a designated hitter — an American League-only lineup feature — for the entire season. Spitting and high-fiving are prohibited

Some players may even follow the lead of Yankee outfield Clint Frazier, who has worn a mask during game action.

And speaking of the Yankees, they played their first game last night against the defending World Series champion Washington Nationals. 

Hours before first pitch, the Nats’ superstar outfielder Juan Soto tested positive for COVID-19, a reminder that this season will be full of challenges. And may not go as planned.

Now, we want to hear from you. Are you excited for the baseball season to begin? Should they be playing at all? How will you be watching games this season? 

And, of course, will COVID-19 restrictions prevent us from packing the Canyon of Heroes to watch the Mets’ World Series championship ticker tape parade this fall? 

Send your thoughts on the season to david@queenspublicmedia.com. We may run them in print or on our website queenseagle.com