Whenever a game was rained out in New York and rescheduled as part of a single admission doubleheader, I immediately planned on attending, particularly since tickets become very cheap. With the family addition though, 8 hours at the ballpark is no longer an option on most days, but the cheap tickets are still worth it for one of the games. Such was the case on Wednesday, after Monday's tilt between the Mets and Marlins was postponed. They avoided the doubleheader on September 11, likely because the weather at that time looked like it would continue through Tuesday. Instead, it cleared up and they played a single game that night, but the rain returned on Wednesday, which sent the price of tickets for the DH down even further.
The first game was scheduled for 4:10, which was not possible for me with family commitments, so I planned to attend the second game, expected to begin around 7:15. Still, I had to get my ticket around 4:00 as StubHub usually stops sales when the first game starts, so I bought a ticket in the Delta Club for $15 plus fees, the cheapest I have ever seen for that location (view below). Even though a light rain was falling, I expected them to start the first game on time. But for some reason, the tarp was put on the field and there it stayed. And stayed. And stayed. I was following along at home, and the Mets released no news about a start time. Friends who were in the stadium were frustrated with the lack of information, particularly as they could have played in that weather. Moreover, the Marlins had another game at Citi Field on Thursday, plus they would finish the season there with a three-game set. They could easily have set up another DH on Thursday and another over the final weekend without issue, as both teams are not bound for the playoffs. It made no sense that they would let fans wait so long without a snippet of info when so many other options were available, and many frustrated fans left after 3 or 4 hours of waiting.
Meanwhile, I stayed at home checking Twitter for updates. Finally, at 9:15, the news came through: first pitch would be at 9:45, making it 5:35 rain delay, the third longest in MLB history. I felt for the people who had waited that long for this game, but for me, waiting out the delay at home was perfect. Even though only one game of the scheduled DH would be played, that was enough for me. I raced to the subway station and arrived at Citi Field at 10:00, the latest I have ever entered a sporting event.
I only missed the scoreless first, and stayed until the end as the Mets clobbered the Marlins 13-0 behind a 3-run shot from Amed Rosario and a grand slam from Jay Bruce. Zack Wheeler threw 8 strong innings but was drained after the long delay, despite having thrown only 89 pitches. Paul Sewald closed things out, with the game finishing at 12:15. The Mets certainly rewarded those fans who had stayed until the end, but as you can see above, there weren't many of them.
It is baffling that MLB and the Mets would treat their paying customers so poorly, but I am sure there was a good reason behind it. Fortunately, the Mets will allow those who have a ticket for Wednesday's game to exchange it for a weekday game later in the season or next April. So it is possible that I will end up seeing two games for the price of one after all.
Best,
Sean
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