Citi Field and me (or The Streak That I Hope Never Ends)

Yes ladies and gents, the rumors are true.

The Mets have won all four games that I have seen in Citi Field (we will not EVER talk about those two games I went to this past April in Miami... played by the "pre-CitiField" Mets)

4 - 0 ! ! ! ! !

Unreal!!! The past few season when I've had the small ticket plans (6-8 tix), they've played terribly against everyone: the good teams and the bad teams alike. I think I can count on one hand how many games they won for me live the past 3 seasons in Shea Stadium. Nice to see the trend changing for the better in the new ballpark.

Game 1 - Marlins (April 27):
My first Mets game at Citi Field.
Gary Sheffield drops a routine fly ball in left in the top of the first and that runner was driven home by Jorge Cantu for the early 1-0 lead. It was shaping up to be one of those typical Mets games. But then Sheff makes up for the gaffe in the bottom half of the inning by driving in a run (with runners on 1st and 3rd) to tie the game. Several minutes later, with a 2-1 lead and the bases loaded, the #8 batter comes up to the plate. It's rookie catcher Omir Santos who is ONLY getting regular playing time because Brian Schneider is on the DL. What does the young man do?? Santos hits the first grand slam at Citi Field!!! A 6-1 lead in the first and the fans are going absolutely NUTS!!!

OH BTW, I HATE the new apple in center field. It doesn't have the same 'feel' as the old apple. And it also doesn't stay up long enough to take a picture of it. By the time you're done high fiving your fellow fans around you, the apple is already on it's way back into it's hole. I HATE IT!

As far as stadium noms, I was told I had to try Shake Shack. They did not disappoint! At first, I thought the burgers were a little overpriced but after a few bites, I can see why there was such a long line in the first place. The burgers were fantastic, the Shakemeister beer from Brooklyn Brewery was a nice compliment, and the vanilla shake... mmm mmm mmm. I decided I would hit up Shake Shack again next time at the ball park.

The game ends up being the Marlins 7th straight loss and gets the Mets to a game under .500 (9-10). Can it be that the Marlins really started the season 11-1 with the only loss coming to us in Miami at the start of the season?? Wow, the baseball gods are fickle.
Final Score: Marlins 1 - Mets 7

Game 2 - Pirates (May 8th):
My annual birthday game.
The Pirates always come to town during the Mets homestands around my birthday. The Amazins got off to an early start with 2 runs in the first only to give them right back to the Pirates in the 3rd. Going into the bottom of the 8th, it seemed certain this game would go to extra innings. It would be the first extra inning game at Citi Field but the Carlos-es had a different plan. Beltran singled in a run and Delgado followed up with a 3-run bomb to right center. K-Rod had been warming up while the Mets were batting but with another run driven in by rookie Omir Santos, the Mets brought out JJ Putz instead to finish up the game.

I had Shake Shack one again this game. Tried the Shack-cago dog. Not too bad. Not my first choice as their burgers are quite phenomenal but not too shabby. The Taqueria needs to be the next stop for me.

(Mets record is now 15-13: they're 6-3 since my last time in Citi Field)
Final Score: Pirates 3 - Mets 7

Game 3 - Nationals (May 26):
A drizzly Tuesday night at Citi Field. I was supposed to go to the game with someone and they flaked on me (you know who you are... I'm not about to name names). I was undecided about going to the game alone since no one was available to go at the last minute - perhaps they were afraid they'd melt in the rain(??). Who knows...

Nevertheless, I got up and went to the game alone. And I'm soooo glad I did. Not just because my streak remained intact but I got to see a glimpse of the old Livan Hernandez. The work horse who can throw nearly 120 pitches and go deep in a game. Turns out this was not only the Mets first complete game of the season but the Mets first complete game in CITI FIELD!! Good game, very little drizzle. You-who-shall-remain-nameless missed out!! (To be fair, this person did have a legitimate excuse for missing the game, so I'm not gonna hate too much)

I got to try the Taqueria food. The elotes are amazing (no Mets pun intended) but the tacos are very ho-hum. Nothing special and DEF not worth the price. Pleasantly surprised by one of the specialty beers though I cannot recall the name of the pilsner that I bought. My apologies to my beer connoisseurs, I'll get the name of the brew on my next trip to Citi Field.
(Mets record is now 25-20, they're 10-7 since my last visit to Citi Field)
Final Score: Nationals 1 - Mets 6

Game 4 - Marlins (May 29):
Last minute call from a friend on Facebook to check out a game. I was down and ended up meeting up with people at the Citi Field. I forgot my camera and was hoping that it wasn't the source of all the good luck I've had at Citi Field.

Big Pelf (Mets' starter Mike Pelfrey for those of you who don't know) had a great game as he went 7 2/3 innings and allowed only one run while throwing 108 pitches. The game was moving very quickly as both starters got some quick outs and allowed very few baserunners. It was already 2 hours into the game and we were tied 1-1 in the 8th. WTF!! Usually baseball games go about 3 innings every hour. Could this game be finished by 9:30? Not on this night since this time the game DID go to extra innings (unlike Game 2 against the Pirates). It was the 3rd extra inning game in Citi Field (the first two times were against Atlanta a few weeks ago).

In the 11th, after what felt like 20,000 throws over to first base, Sheffield steals 2nd and goes to third on a bad throw from the catcher. Tatis gets hit by the very next pitch by Sanches (which made me wonder if it was intentional but whatever... we've got runners on the corners, no double play plz!). Omir Santos comes to bat and hits the game winning single in the 11th. He is easily the player of the game as he drives in both runs today including a solo HR in the 5th.

I'm starting to think that maybe I'm Santos' good luck charm. lol. Let's check out the numbers for Santos in Citi Field:
With me sitting in Citi Field (4 games): 5 for 17 (.294), 3 runs, 2 HR, 7 RBIs, 2 SO
Without me in Citi Field (15 games): 10 for 36 (.278), 6 runs, 0 HR, 4 RBI, 7 SO

Santos hits his HR's at home when I'm there and he strikes out less. I'm just saying!!

I ate at Blue Smoke this time and had the pulled pork sandwich. Not too bad but slightly overpriced in my book considering it's served in a fairly small bun. Though it was quite filling so maybe it was worth it since I didn't eat lunch. I think I'll try the ribs at my next game.
(Mets record is now 27-20, they're 2-0 since my last time in Citi Field)
Final Score: Marlins 1 - Mets 2

My love affair with Citi Field has officially begun. I don't know when the honeymoon will be over but for now, I'm loving the new digs.

On a related side note, I'm still sitting here without Subway Series for the first time in a long time. *sigh* Let's see how that goes. LET'S GO METS!!!

Until next time, faithful reader......