Skid's 2015 Dream Season

MAY 18 - HOME GAME #20 vs St. Louis Cardinals (25-12)

Matt Harvey Day as the Mets ace (5-1) goes against the best team in the Majors, the Cardinals and John Lackey (2-2).

23-16

Lets Go Mets! Pitcher Matt Harvey pitched eight shutout innings to extend his streak to 16. However Jerrys Familia blew his first save of the year and the Cardinals tied the game in the ninth at one run apiece. John Mayberry Jr's infield single into the hole at short drove in the winning run in the bottom of the 14th inning. It was the first walk off win for the Mets at Citi in 2015. The Mets had played 22 consecutive games of fewer than three hours before tonight's four hour fourteen minute marathon.

Ticket Cost: $25
Time of game: 4:14
Attendance: 23,338

I won a T-shirt

While wandering around the park before games, I had noticed a long line for spinning a prize wheel behind center field. It was nothing that I wanted to stand in line for a half hour before the games. While walking before Sunday's game I noticed NOBODY in line to spin the wheel so I walked up and asked the attendants what the deal was. You give them your contact info and they give you a card. That allows you to spin once a game. I spun and won a Mets lanyard and ticket holder. OK, it was free. So tonight there was only three people in line so I gave it a shot again. The wheel is set where the odds are you get a lanyard or a magnetic schedule. Two spots have a t-shirt on them. While next to spin, a lady says to her husband "They put weights on it so you can't get a shirt".

A schedule and a lanyard were won before me. I asked the attendant if I could buy a vowel but she did not seemed impressed by the stupid joke. I spun and said "I hope I don't hit bankrupt". Well, the wheel is not weighted as I landed on the t-shirt space and claimed my prize. It was the same t-shirt they handed out on one of the free t-shirt Fridays promotion. But I was a winner! Whoo Hoo. I don't know how much of an effort I'm going to give to do this every game, especially if there is a line. I could end up with a lot of magnetic schedules.

Cardinals batting practice

Driving to the game at my regular time I approached the entrance gate. One gate had an arm out the window waving me on. The attendant says Hello and hands me the Citi parking perk tag. Now there is something you have to do to get this but she said "I saw you coming, I knew it was you". I've now gotten more free parking than games I've paid for.

My view from leftfield

This was game number 20 of Mets home games, with 81 total for the season I have now completed one quarter of the season. It has gone by quickly but I've seen so much already. And now employees are recognizing me throughout the stadium. There is still some food items that I won't go near, like the fish concession. I like lobster tail but lobster nachos at the ballpark just doesn't sound good to me. And I need to find out what those pressed sandwiches are all about. I still have not yet been in the Promenade area.

Once the game got into the bottom of the ninth I knew that if the Mets won it would be a walk off victory. I tried to record each pitch to capture the moment. It's hard to see the infield grounder and errant throw but the crowd reaction was jubilant except for the many Cardinals fans that went home unhappy on Harvey Day. The guy who walks in front of me says "Screw the Cardinals". I agree. As I left I saw an older gentleman wearing a Lou Brock Cardinals jersey, I went up to him and complimented on the vintage uniform. Another Cards fan was wearing a Albert Puhols jersey [who now plays for the Angels] and running his mouth to Mets fans around him. He did not get respect.