The Mets swept away the Nationals in emphatic fashion this week, bludgeoning their division rivals over the last two games to further solidify themselves in an improbable Wild Card spot.
It has been an exhilarating ride for New York, coming back from 11 games under .500 in May and declared dead by many, to in a playoff spot and playing their best baseball in front of their home fans with so much on the line.
The only issue? The crowd size averaged less than 27,000 fans for playoff chase baseball, and Brandon Nimmo seemed to take note, calling on the fans to show up for an even bigger series coming up next, with the Phillies coming to town for a four-game set.
“This is gonna be playoff baseball and Mets fans, we need you guys to fill this place up,” Nimmo said when being interviewed on the field by SNY after Wednesday’s win. “This place needs to be rocking on Thursday, Friday, Saturday, Sunday. We need your help. We need everybody to get out here, we need this place full. This is playoff baseball, this is what you guys want.
Let’s go!”
The comments were inspiring for some, and others, it felt like a subtle airing of a grievance, as the Citi Field attendance has been a talking point throughout the season. For Chris McMonigle, the purpose of the comments were clear: Nimmo and the Mets want to see more fan support.
“For a player to get on the mic - and literally - he called you all out,” C-Mac said. “He also said, ‘where the hell are you?’ They’re calling on you to show up to these games against Philadelphia.”
Few fans expected the Mets to be in this spot at this point in the season, and perhaps the team catching them by surprise has something to do with the attendance numbers. But C-Mac says the fans need to show up now, as this is when it really is fun to be at the ballpark and watch a surprising team surpassing low expectations.
“These are as fun as they get,” C-Mac said. “In 2017, as a Yankee fan, that was the most fun I’ve had since I was a child…it doesn’t get more fun than this. This is the year where they came out of nowhere.”