According to the official box score, 26,637 fans were in the stands at Citi Field to watch Jacob deGrom and the Mets come up with a big 3-2 win over the San Diego Padres.
It was a huge jump in capacity for the Mets, as state and local guidelines continue to allow more and more fans into the venue as more COVID restrictions are lifted.
All of the Mets who spoke after Friday’s win were asked about what it was like to be playing in front of such a large home crowd for the first time since 2019.
Here’s a look at what they had to say, with some highlights for added effect …
Jacob deGrom
“That was awesome. I’ve said it before, I love pitching here. New York Mets fans have been great to me. I love taking the mound here in front of fans, and having that many people here tonight, it was unbelievable, and just good to have them back.”
Edwin Diaz
“It was really special. It was really the first big, big crowd we were able to play in front of since before the pandemic started. The energy was great, the fans, most importantly, were able to enjoy the game, we were able to get Jake the win, which was really important. But we really enjoyed it. It was a great time out there for all of us.”
Billy McKinney
“That was awesome, that was a lot of fun. The fans, they were loud. It was electric, that’s for sure. A great pitching matchup with (Blake) Snell and deGrom, and it just feels more like the game again with all the fans.”
Luis Rojas
“It was electric. It was fun. I’m sure the guys fed off of it. You could see their faces, I mean these guys feed off of that. Such a great fan base, supporting, cheering … That was special. We missed it. We’ve had the fans since Day One, but not at this capacity, so we missed the volume like it was tonight. It was special.”