Both Citi Field — and the Mets — Look Slick in Victory Over Marlins

Perched atop the Mets’ bench, again to the wall of the house dugout, Steven A. Cohen peered by the cameras and notepads in entrance of him on Friday morning. His new scoreboard was on the market, 17,400 sq. toes of LED brilliance, virtually a sixth borough of New York City.

Every king wants a fortress befitting his stature, and Cohen, baseball’s wealthiest proprietor, is having enjoyable with Citi Field.

“What I want to do is create a master plan,” Cohen stated on the eve of the Mets’ dwelling opener. “I don’t want to create a renovation of the stadium where everything doesn’t really tie together.”

Cohen has remade the Mets right into a luxurious model, so after all they now have the biggest scoreboard within the majors. The staff’s document payroll — roughly $370 million, plus one other $100 million or so in luxurious taxes — has coincided with a spiffier ballpark, with new thrives huge and small: a 100-seat, field-level membership in proper; a tequila bar above middle; a disc honoring Bob Murphy, the Hall of Fame Mets broadcaster, on the roof above left.

The World Series flags have been redesigned, too: The two championship banners are nonetheless white, however the three National League banners are actually blue. The solely ode to final season is a 2022 notation on an “N.L. Wild Card” placard above part 504.

Last season’s swift playoff exit, after 101 regular-season victories, was not a part of Cohen’s grasp plan. Neither was the presence of Tylor Megill on the mound for the house opener; a free-agent prize, Justin Verlander, was lined up for the duty, however shoulder irritation has restricted him to taking part in catch.

“Very mild,” Verlander stated of the harm, “but I do still feel a teeny bit of something.”

Verlander expects to be again earlier than the top of April, which is absolutely simply as effectively. The Mets want him and their different $43.3 million-per-year veteran, Max Scherzer, to be robust and durable in October. The subsequent six months are a preamble, and Friday was encouraging: a 9-3 victory over the sloppy Miami Marlins.

This was baseball within the pitch-clock period: Even with 18 strikeouts, 16 walks and 11 pitchers, the sport lasted solely 3 hours and 1 minute. In current years, it could have been interminable.

“The ball’s slick this time of year; we saw it from the other side,” stated the Mets’ Brandon Nimmo, who did his sprint-to-first-on-a-walk routine 4 occasions. “But Tylor was able to fill up the zone, get strikes and get them to chase.”

Megill was scheduled to be the ace for Class AAA Syracuse till Verlander’s late-March setback. He was 4-0 in 5 begins final April however by no means gained once more, his season sidetracked by shoulder pressure. Now he has two of the Mets’ 4 victories — and somewhat extra luck.

In the fourth inning on Friday, a comebacker from Jean Segura caromed off Megill and into proper subject for a single. Thankfully, Megill stated later, the ball struck him within the excellent spot — the highest of the foot — and he stayed in to clean Miami for six innings, saving his solely curveball for a final-pitch strikeout of Jazz Chisholm Jr.

The Mets had seven walks earlier than recording their first hit — an infield single by Daniel Vogelbach, the designated hitter — however quickly the house runs have been flying: Starling Marte, Francisco Lindor, Pete Alonso. As adventurous because the Mets’ seasons often are, they have a tendency to start out easily: The staff is now 41-21 in dwelling openers, together with 11-4 at Citi Field.

This opener got here with a preview of coming points of interest, if solely within the introductions. Because of a calf harm to catcher Omar Narvaez, the Mets promoted Francisco Alvarez, their high prospect, on Friday morning. Alvarez, 21, will see time behind the plate, however Tomás Nido appears more likely to get extra begins.

“It’s kind of like a backup quarterback that gets drafted out of college,” Manager Buck Showalter stated of Alvarez. “Everybody knows he’s going to be a really good player, but the time he spends as a backup is very valuable, too. Tomás is pretty good.”

Nido led off the fourth with a single and rumbled dwelling from second on Alonso’s single to left. Every Met within the lineup — aside from third baseman Eduardo Escobar — reached base by way of hit or stroll, and whereas the climate was uncooked and gusty, the day delivered what the 43,590 followers wished.

The solely downer, alas, was the Mets’ cheesy new promoting patch, which isn’t fairly the dimensions of the scoreboard, however shut. Cohen wouldn’t say how a lot cash the Mets are getting for promoting sleeve house to NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital, however he conceded that their red-and-white colours should go.

“I had an email exchange with the C.E.O., Steve Corwin, and we agreed to change the patch already,” Cohen stated. “They’re Phillie colors, and he and I agreed that it should be more Met-appropriate.”

For now — and, actually, in any iteration — the patch is a stain on the Mets’ in any other case clear, sharp dwelling jersey. You may name it a pimple, the phrase Lindor used when requested for his ideas on the scoreboard. With such an infinite display screen to beam his face to the gang, Lindor defined, he’ll need to take higher care of his pores and skin.

“I’ve got to eat less chocolate now,” he stated, smiling as he held his 2-year-old daughter, Kalina, who was consuming a chocolate ice cream bar.

Lindor stole a lick and laughed. On a day for a contented homecoming, a small indulgence was simply nice.