NEW YORK -- There was at least some cruel coincidence to the fact that the Alumni Classic at Citi Field, a fun diversion pitting Mets from the 2000s against their counterparts from the 2010s, took place Saturday of all days. Later that afternoon, the current Mets, losers of seven straight, were scheduled to continue bailing water from their rapidly sinking season.
In the owner’s box, members of the 2007 Mets -- authors of one of the most historic collapses in Major League history -- would be on hand to watch.
“Going back to that time and thinking about what I can say to a team that is going through the same,” former outfielder Carlos Beltrán ruminated, “I would say, ‘Just go for it. Don’t limit yourself. Don’t be timid. Just be aggressive. Be who you are.’
“At the end of the day, you are in a position where you’re fighting for a playoff opportunity. You know how many teams would love to sign up for that opportunity, to be in exactly this position? So I would say to them, ‘Just go out there and just play hard baseball. And if it’s meant to be, it’s going to be for you. And if it’s not meant to be, at least you’re going to go down giving your best.’”
Beltrán’s 2007 Mets, who blew a seven-game lead with 17 to play, endured plenty of issues that this current group isn’t facing. But there are of course parallels between the mental states of clubs in this position. As recently as Labor Day weekend, the Mets held a five-game lead in the National League Wild Card race. By the start of play Saturday, that advantage had been whittled down to half a game. The team was one loss away from no longer controlling its own destiny.
The 2007 Mets remember that feeling. They were never able to shake it. They never quite succeeded in following their own advice.
“I like to focus more on the positives,” former first baseman Carlos Delgado said. “So if you told me in February, ‘You know what? By Sept. 13 you are going to be holding a Wild Card spot.’ ... I mean, I’ll take that any time. I would continue to play hard. Don’t scoreboard-watch. One day at a time, one at-bat at a time. ‘Let’s win today. Let’s figure it out.’ And give it all out for the next two weeks, and hopefully for the next six weeks after that.”
Whether the 2025 Mets ultimately do that remains to be seen. Saturday, they caught a glimpse of what life could look like if they do.
Thousands of fans streamed into Citi Field hours before first pitch, eager to catch glimpses of their favorite players from decades past. Those ex-players, in turn, were happy to put on a show. Many stopped what they were doing and craned their necks when Mike Piazza hit a long home run in batting practice. Others milled around, asking about their friends’ wives and children. At one point, Jacob deGrom popped out of the visiting dugout to greet former teammates. More than one Met likened the day to a wedding or a family reunion.
Following a moment of silence to honor late Mets manager Davey Johnson, the hourlong game itself was a carnival. Fans laughed when R.A. Dickey’s first pitch knuckled well wide of catcher Josh Thole’s mitt, then again when Thole dropped a popup to allow José Reyes to reach base. After Reyes reached second, Rubén Tejada playfully pushed him off the bag. Eventually, Reyes stole third, half-jogging to the base.
“I have to be honest, I feel like a little kid right now,” Reyes said.
Fans oohed when Edgardo Alfonzo smashed Matt Harvey’s only pitch to the left-field wall, eliciting laughs from Harvey. They were left in stitches when Terry Collins came roaring out of the dugout to argue a call, clearly intent on earning an ejection. It didn’t take him too long to succeed. (Collins’ counterpart, Bobby Valentine, somehow managed to be ejected twice.)
It was all a reminder that, at its core, this is baseball. This is supposed to be fun -- even for teams like the 2025 Mets that aren’t having very much fun at the moment.
“This really sucks when everything is going bad,” Alfonzo said. “You try to do your best, and nothing’s come out of it. But at the same time, you have to be positive. You have to believe.”