Skid's 2015 Dream Season

August 14 - HOME GAME #61 vs Pittsburgh Pirates (66-46)

Bartolo Colon (10-11) goes up against J.A. Happ (4-7). The red hot Mets face a Pirates club that is 20 games over .500 and swept the Mets 3 games earlier this year in Pittsburgh.

63-53 +4.5

Lets Go Mets! A disappointing loss to the Pirates. Bartolo Colon pitched well giving up 5 hits, 2 walks with 7 strikeouts in 7 innings. The only run allowed by Colon was a solo shot by Neal Walker in the 1st. In the 10th Bobby Parnell gave up 2 runs and 3 hits without getting an out for the loss. New super Met Yoenis Cespedes hit a solo home run in the 6th to tie the game at 1. Cespedes went 3 for 4 with a single, double, and a home run. A forlorn crowd shuffled out of Citi but the Nationals lost later to the Giants leaving them 4 and a half games in back of the Mets.

Ticket Cost: $ COMP
Time of game: 3:20
Attendance: 38,495

I always try to check in on the MLB ballpark app. Before the game it has you enter your seat location and it will show how many check-ins you have and then give different offers from 10% savings on sponsored products to discounted tickets. Back in July Deb and I were at McFadden's before a game and I "checked in" on the Ballpark app. It was my 40th check in (before home game #42) and long story short I won tickets to a future game and batting practice access before that game. Knowing Mike would be here for the Pirates game I invited my good friend Greg Prince to join us for BP.

Mike & Skid

I had seen many people getting to go on the field in a roped off area during BP. A lot of teams do this as a perk. We watched Cespedes and Granderson hit among other Mets players. The Pirates did not do BP. Greg took the above picture of Mike and I with the batting cage behind us. When someone offered to take a picture of all three of us, I quipped "We don't want Greg in the picture". I know he knew I was kidding but then I had no picture of us three together.

Mets BP

I have never been so close to the Mets players before yet it seemed so far since there was no interaction. Curtis Granderson came over to say hello to some fans and sign some stuff. He was immediately swarmed by the others who had BP access. Terry Collins also chatted and posed for a couple pictures.

Rookie Michael Conforto

As they wrapped up BP and started putting things away I noticed rookie OF Michael Conforto walking down the row of fans. As he walked my way I shook his hand, telling him I was a 40 year Mets fan and had never bought a Mets shirt with a player's name on it before the one I was wearing. He looked at the CONFORTO on the back of my shirt and smiled. Mike snapped a picture of us and I was a happy camper. Thanks Mets for a cool experience.

Stalking the manager

Our complementary tickets were in the middle of the right field lower level. I hadn't sat in this area yet. It was the first game that I did not have aisle seats all season which was very odd. But enjoying the game [even though an extra inning loss] with Greg and Mike was very nice. These are the two biggest Mets fan that I know besides myself. One from California and one from New York.

In the bottom of the ninth inning Michael Conforto pinch hit with a runner on first and two outs. He hit a towering fly to left center that Pirates outfielder Andrew McCutchen caught on the warning track to send the game into extra innings. Greg thought the blast was going out to win the game as did I, but we were denied. That would have been a storybook ending to the day for me.