Category Archives: Game Recaps - Page 4

31 May 2013 – Binghamton Mets at New Hampshire Fisher Cats

Posted by on 1 June 2013 Comments Off on 31 May 2013 – Binghamton Mets at New Hampshire Fisher Cats

Deck McGuire and Logan Verrett in: The Battle of Who Could Suck Less

The B-Mets made their second trip of the season to New Hampshire, this time in sole posession of first place in their division.  Their dominance would be short-lived as they would find themselves in a three-way tie for first after falling 8-7 to the Fisher Cats.

Box Score

Darrell Ceciliani puts runners in scoring position in Binghamton’s 5-run 2nd inning

When last we saw Deck McGuire, he gave up five runs in 1/3 of an inning and got an early hook at the start of an 11-4 B-Mets rout.  This time around, McGuire waited until the second inning to give up five runs.  In an inning when anything hit in play would go down as a hit, McGuire’s only way out was an inning-ending strikeout.

Vaughn and Ceciliani preparing to begin today’s scoring

I put down my camera to get out a tweet about the first run and several more came through before I could get through 140 characters.  McGuire looked lost, the Fisher Cats looked inept, and the Mets looked unstoppable.

One of my few pictures of Logan Verrett without a runner on first in the background

Things started turning around in the next inning.  The entire Mets infield got caught napping on a leadoff base hit up the middle, but no damage was done.  The scene repeated itself in the 4th with not one but two infielders trying, and failing, to corral a hard-hit ground ball, with shortstop Wilfredo Tovar in the middle of both plays.  He made no effort to go after a ball that rolled to his left in the 3rd and in the 4th he got in front of a ball to his right that got past a diving Josh Rodriguez, but was unable to hold on to it.  To his credit, Tovar started a slick double play in the 3rd, but the bobble in the 4th was costly.  That runner would score and one more run would come through with two outs.

The Mets’ lead would be cut to 5-4 in the 5th after a double and a home run with two outs.  Trying to get some breathing room, the Mets went for a bunt to lead off the 6th.  That was the only Mets batter to leave the batter’s box in the inning.  With Verrett getting hit hard, you would have to think that the bullpen would be coming into play soon.  You would be wrong.

Verrett came out to start the 6th and put the first two batters on base.  Verrett then fielded a soft bunt and didn’t even attempt to make a throw, seeming to realize that, with his luck tonight, any throw he made would probably end up in the outfield and three runs would score.  Instead, he took his chances with former Mets farmhand Adam Loewen, who decided to give the ball the rest of the night off in the Sam Adams Bar and Grill on the other side of the left field wall.  With that, the Fisher Cats took an 8-5 lead and Logan Verrett made his exit.  One pitch from Ryan Fraser turned into one out and the Fisher Cats went down easy from that point on.

The Mets struck back in the top of the 7th with back-to-back line drives to shallow center to lead off the inning.  Right into the glove of a charging Kevin Pillar.  Both times.  Fraser gave up one hit in the bottom half but got through the inning without incident and turned things over to Jack Leathersich.

This is what a Jack Leathersich strikeout looks like

Leathersich struck out the side in the 8th, much to the amazement of anyone who had never heard of Jack Leathersich.  To anyone else, it was business as usual.

Productive outs, but not productive enough

Down to their last three outs, it was time for the B-Mets to work their late-inning magic and salvage this game.  Darrell Ceciliani started the inning off with a base hit and scored on Blake Forsythe’s double.  Forsythe advanced to third on a groundout by Richard Lucas and scored on a Wilfredo Tovar groundout.  That left the Mets down by one run with two outs and Daniel Muno at the plate.  One groundout later and it was time to see some fireworks before our feature presentation, Escape From Manchester (runtime 40 minutes, rated !*@$#& for people in minivans almost crashing into you as you try to get a few inches closer to the exit).  Mets lose 8-7.

This is what a Cesar Puello strikeout looks like

Notes: Cesar Puello went 0-4 with three strikeouts.  The first four batters in the B-Mets lineup went 1 for 14 with six strikeouts and two walks.  The bottom four in the order went 6 for 16 with two strikeouts and six RBIs.

18 April 2013, Mets at Fisher Cats

Posted by on 20 April 2013 Comments Off on 18 April 2013, Mets at Fisher Cats

Solid contact and a few breaks put the B-Mets over the Fisher Cats 4-3

Yeah, it was that kind of night for Wilfredo Tovar

Box Score

Some games are blowouts, some games are pitchers’ duels, and some games are tight back-and-forth affairs between two tough teams.  This was not one of those games.  With a chilly breeze blowing on fleece blanket night and Air National Guard KC-135 tankers flying overhead on their way into Manchester Boston Regional Airport, the action on the field was less than stellar.  Deep fly balls that only Matt den Dekker would have gotten to, baserunning blunders, and fielding faux pas were the order of the day for both teams, but the Mets prevailed with more of everything, good and bad.

Starting pitcher Tyler Pill signed autographs before the game as the 2013 B-Mets made themselves much more available for autos than the 2012 crew ever did.  Cory Mazzoni was among the notable pregame signers, though he didn’t have any injury updates (clearly the arm is still attached and functional though).  After a moment of silence for the victims of the Boston Marathon bombing, the game was underway with a quick and uneventful first inning.

Pill vs. Pillar, Round One: Pill by a mile. Well, a good foot and a half at least.

Call Me Maybe made its debut as Cory Vaughn came to bat in the second and got the first hit of the night.  A strikeout, double, and walk loaded the bases for Wilfredo Tovar, who grounded into a force out at second to end the inning.

The Fisher Cats went down in order again in the second inning, but Ricardo Nanita opened the bottom of the third with a deep fly ball that Alonzo Harris got a glove on but couldn’t get under control, sending Nanita to second.  Nanita advanced to third on a groundout and scored on a single, putting New Hampshire on the board.  Kenny Wilson then dropped a bunt down the third base line that Josh Rodriguez chased down, except his foot got to the ball before his glove.  Rodriguez then chased the ball behind the plate in a scene that was so comical that I forgot to take a picture.  That put runners at second and third for Kevin Pillar, who singled in another run.  A walk loaded the bases, but Pill worked a pair of strikeouts to limit the damage to two runs.

Binghamton answered back in the 4th with Cesar Puello one-upping Nanita with a triple to center and scoring on a Daniel Muno single.  That would be all for the Mets, now trailing 2-1.

Ricardo Nanita would not be outdone, hitting a solo home run to extend New Hampshire’s lead to 3-1.  Tyler Pill settled in from that point on, only allowing a single before exiting the game after the 6th inning.

The Mets on the other hand were just getting started.  Darrell Ceciliani singled in the 5th, advanced to second on a single, and stole third to get within 90 feet of making it a one-run game.  Actually, he got a bit closer than that, too close to get back to third in time after Rhyne Hughes lined one straight back to the pitcher and into a double play to end the Mets’ rally.

The 6th started off with Kenny Wilson chasing another deep fly ball that dropped in on the warning track giving Cory Vaughn a double.  Cesar Puello missed his chance to top Nanita’s solo home run when he was pinch hit for by Allan Dykstra, who took a pitch to the ankle to join Vaughn on the basepaths.  Francisco Pena advanced the runners on a sac bunt and, after a pitching change, Daniel Muno doubled in two runs to even the score at three.

Muno advanced to third on a groundout by Tovar and then Alonzo Harris made Kenny Wilson run the other way on a shallow fly ball that made it past the tumbling New Hampshire center fielder.  Muno scored and Harris had Binghamton’s third double of the inning, giving the Mets a 4-3 lead that they would not relinquish.

Hughes may have been out, but he refused to vacate third base until the field was empty, for whatever that’s worth

Pill wrapped up his night with three quick outs in the bottom of the 6th.  Rhyne Hughes continued the doubles parade in the top of the 7th but misjudged a Vaughn fly ball and was tagged out at third to end the Mets’ offense for the night.  Call Me Maybe did not turn out to be lucky for Cory Vaughn the second time around.

Will someone get these guys a bullpen phone?

John Church and Chase Hutchingson each pitched a scoreless inning for the Mets and Jeff Walters was called in for the save as the Harlem Shake took over the stadium.  New Hampshire had a chance to start something with one out in the bottom of the 9th when Ricardo Nanita (of course) dropped a shallow pop fly just inside the line in left for a single.

Nobody’s got it. Well, except for Daniel Muno when you try for second.

Unfortunately for Nanita, he thought he had a double and did not count on Wilfredo Tovar making the throw to second in time.  Tovar sent the next ball hit his way over to first base for the final out and the B-Mets won their first game in New Hampshire this year 4-3.

The official scorer was being generous, it sure looked like a lot more than one error out there…

Game Recap: 27 September 2012, Pirates at Mets

Posted by on 28 November 2012 Comments Off on Game Recap: 27 September 2012, Pirates at Mets

Everything’s coming up Dickey

Yeah, this is a month two months late, but do you have any more pressing Mets news to read in late October November?

September 27 at Citi Field was a day of contradictions.  The Mets were nearing the end of another losing season, but fans showed up in droves to cheer on a winner.  No, not Keith Hernandez’s mustache, it was R.A. Dickey who put butts in seats after the previous games in the series failed to draw a crowd.  In search of his 20th win, Dickey rescheduled his start to land on the final game at Citi Field in 2012.  But before we get to that, something about this sounds familiar.  A Mets star going for a milestone in New York against the Pirates?  I’ve seen that one before in the only other home Mets game I ever attended, though the outcome was not a pleasant one.

The year was 1988 and the Mets were headed to their second division championship in three years.  On a summer evening, I was headed to Shea Stadium with my brother’s Boy Scout troop to see my first home Mets game and what would be my only game at Shea Stadium.  One of the conditions of my attendance was wearing some form of troop clothing, which in this case was a green hat.  I was not thrilled with this arrangement, but I had no choice but to comply.

As the LaGuardia air traffic thundered overhead, seemingly only just beyond arm’s reach from the upper deck, Gary Carter was trying for his 300th home run.  A Roger Rabbit themed fan sign implored Carter to hit #300 (I told you this was 1988…).  He did not.  Things quickly fell apart and the Pirates had a lead that was too much to hope for the Mets to come back from.  We were forced to leave in the 8th inning so we could beat the traffic.  We did not.

Citi Field has been a place that I’ve wanted to visit since it opened in 2010, but it’s just too far away for a casual visit and I’m not all that familiar with New York City despite living in its local television viewing area for my entire childhood.  Going to a game would be nice, but there was no reason to make it a priority, especially with the last few dismal seasons of Mets baseball.  I kept hearing about things to see there, but I didn’t know if I would ever get to see them.  The Jackie Robinson Rotunda.  The Mets Hall of Fame and Museum.  The old Shea Stadium Home Run Apple.  The team store and all of the Mets merchandise that isn’t available on the team’s web site.  Shake Shack.  Would I ever get to experience any of this?

As the 2012 season drew closer to its end (and another Mets 4th place finish), it looked like another year would go by without a Citi Field visit.  When I saw that a certain polarizing t-shirt magnate was organizing a group trip to the final home game, I was intrigued, but I wasn’t sure I could make a trip like that happen.  Sure, I haven’t been back to visit my parents in a while and I could just take the train down from there, but there was always a chance of something coming up at the last minute to derail any plans.  With nothing firmly scheduled, tickets for the game were running out.  I could always just get a seat somewhere else, but then I could have done that at any point this year.  If I didn’t get in on the group purchase, it would undermine my procrastination and throw my world into chaos.  So I bought a ticket and hoped for the best.

The world didn’t end and nothing conspired against me to make my plan go awry.  With 24 hours before game time, I was just a four hour drive and a two hour train ride away from Citi Field.

And there it was.  Stepping down from the subway platform revealed the stadium in all its glory.  The old home run apple was front and center with a barber’s chair (and pole) up on a stage in preparation for Keith Hernandez’s mustache shaving.  As exciting as that sounded, it seemed to be well-covered enough to skip and catch up on later.  I took my first opportunity to enter the stadium and, a bag check and a pat down later (they have some real hands on staff in this place), I was in the famed Jackie Robinson Rotunda.  After taking in the underwhelming sight and hitting the team store, it was off to the field in search of autographs.

Unfortunately, there was no formal batting practice that day and only a few pitchers who would not be in the game were warming up.  Josh Edgin and Collin McHugh worked their way down the crowd that had gathered at the front of the field level seats.  While these were two of the players I was most interested in getting autographs from (neither has any certified autograph cards), it was a little disappointing to see only two players out signing.  From there it was back to the team store and a few of the other shops and then my seat.  And then Shake Shack to see what all the fuss was about.

Now, remember that bit about being assigned group outing clothing?  Man, that sucked.  Oh, right, this ticket came with a t-shirt…  At least it’s blue.  When the shirts were made, the starting pitcher wasn’t known, but it would almost certainly not be R.A. Dickey.  Until he rearranged his schedule to give the New York fans a chance to see his 20th win.  With Dickey pitching, I couldn’t pass up a chance to wear my Dickey 2012 All-Star jersey, so the t-shirt would have to settle for being an undershirt.  Surprisingly, almost everyone in the section was wearing the shirt (and at least two also had the Dickey jersey).  There was that one guy in a Pirates jersey, but that’s all I’ll say about that desperate cry for attention.  With several empty seats on either side of me, I settled in for what was sure to be an exciting game, especially once the beer vendor got to this section…

With defense like this, you’re gonna need a lot of strikeouts…

Dickey emerged from the bullpen to a standing ovation, his first of many at this game.  He was dealing strikeouts from the start, with fans cheering every strike.  This was actually quite helpful with the main scoreboards behind me and the information displayed on the secondary boards along the upper level difficult to decipher at a glance – cheer for strike, silence for ball.  It was very much a playoff game atmosphere, even if there were only about 30,000 fans in the park.  Unfortunately, a no-hitter was quickly off the table with a leadoff double in the second, as was a shutout after the inning’s second double.  With three strikeouts and four hits in the second inning alone, the Pirates were making solid contact when they weren’t striking out and the balls kept finding their way past the Mets’ defenders.  Things were not looking good.

The Mets were going to need some runs if they were going to get Dickey his 20th win.  Ike got things started with a home run in the bottom of the second and Mike Baxter almost added a second in the inning with a ball that was clearly headed over the wall.  Until Travis Snyder made an Endy-style leaping catch to grab it.  Watching it happen from behind the wall and seeing a glove appear out of nowhere is an interesting experience, but nobody there was all that thrilled to see a spectacular play that took a home run away from the home team.

The Pirates added a run in the 4th on a home run by former Met Rod Barajas, but I wasn’t paying attention because everyone in the section was busy checking in with Kevin.  The Mets answered back with a run on three hits in the bottom of the inning and Dickey breezed through the Pirates in the top of the 5th with three Ks and a walk to get the Mets back up to bat.  After Andres Torres walked to start off the bottom of the 5th, Ruben Tejada and Daniel Murphy singled to tie the game at three apiece.  David Wright, not to be shown up by Murphy, cleared the bases with a three-run home run.  Ex-Met Hisanori Takahashi finished off the inning, leaving the Mets with just a three-run lead.  That would usually be plenty for Dickey, but the trouble in the 2nd combined with all of the pitches that come with a lot of strikeouts were wearing him down.  The prospect of the bullpen taking over tempered the excitement of watching Dickey settle in and pitch like an ace.

After six innings, Dickey was nearing the end of his day.  He was in line for the win if the bullpen could hold on, but he looked like he still had one inning left in him after a 1-2-3 6th.  As interesting as things were in the outfield seats, the action was just too far away for clear shots.  And so I left to find a better angle for the remainder of the game.  The first base side of the concourse was far too crowded to get a view of the field, so I continued around to the third base side where I found one small gap to work with.  Dickey made it through the 7th without incident, but his pitch count was high enough to guarantee that he wouldn’t be back for the 8th.  And then he walked up to the plate to lead off in bottom of the inning.

All bets were off now that it was clear that Dickey would come out for the 8th, pitch count be damned.  Not only that, but he clearly had plans with the bat, swinging for a hit in his final at bat of the day.  He was then forced out at second on a fielder’s choice and walked off to another ovation.  The Mets failed to pad their lead in the inning, only getting a runner past first when Daniel Murphy stole second before David Wright grounded out to end the inning.

DICKKKKKKKKKKKKKEY!

The 8th inning would have to be his last, right?  Dickey started the inning off with a pair of strikeouts and the stadium got louder and louder with every strike.  The crowd was roaring when he got to two strikes on Travis Snyder, but ball 4 put an end to that.  Once again, Snyder had silenced the crowd.  Dickey then handed over the ball and returned to the dugout to another ovation, tipping his cap to the crowd as Josh Thole traded in his glove for something that less resembled a gaping maw of doom.

Jon Rauch came in to face Rod Barajas and quickly gave up a fly ball to deep left field.  The ball was barely off the bat before someone in front of me shouted “You Suck!”  That ball was caught, but the scene repeated itself in the 9th with a different result.  Rauch had a good season, but he tended to give up the kind of big hits that people remember.  Alex Presley got this day’s big hit off of Rauch with one out in the 9th, a two-run home run that ended Rauch’s day and came close to ending Dickey’s chances at a win.  With the lead cut to one run, Bobby Parnell was brought in to get the final two outs.  A fly ball to right looked like it could drop, but Mike Baxter got there in time to make the final out.  He didn’t even have to crash into a wall for this one.

Who but Mike Baxter?

After more than 20 years, the Mets had a 20-game winner.  Dickey once more took the field for high fives and Baxter handed him the ball that clinched it.  The crowd cheered and nobody was quick to leave as Dickey stayed behind for an on-field interview.  When it was time to leave, a good chunk of the crowd headed for the team store.  I spent some time in the adjoining museum (which had no line to get in) and then began the long trip back.  R.A. Dickey had just added a 13-K exclamation point to his Cy Young case, but the world would have to wait until November 14 for the results.  On that day, a knuckleballer was awarded the Cy Young award for the first time in baseball history.

2012 Futures at Fenway Game 2: Bisons 2, Red Sox 0

Posted by on 20 August 2012 Comments Off on 2012 Futures at Fenway Game 2: Bisons 2, Red Sox 0

Collin McHugh returns to Fenway

Box Score

And now, the main event. Last year, the Mets’ AA affiliate played the Red Sox AA affiliate in Futures at Fenway.  This year, the AAA clubs got into the action as the Buffalo Bisons took on the Pawtucket Red Sox in the 100 year old Fenway Park.  Pitching in such an iconic stadium can be intimidating, so it was awfully convenient that last year’s B-Mets starter Collin McHugh had his turn in the rotation come up today.  McHugh came into the game with six scoreless innings pitched at Fenway, not bad for a guy who has yet to pitch in a major league game.

Josh Satin and Brad Emaus are clearly plotting something as Lucas May, C.J. Nitkowski, and Dylan Owen sign autographs

I didn't see anything

The Bisons wasted no time moving in after the Renegades finished off the Spinners, but you probably don’t want to hear about autograph signings, warmup tosses, or Josh Satin getting worked over with a roller.  You want some action, so I give you Lucas Duda:

Duda hit a line drive to center in the top of the 1st for the first hit of the game.  That would be the only hit for Duda, but nobody else fared better; six Bisons would get hits, but just one each.  Of course, Josh Satin doesn’t need hits.

I told you they were up to something

Satin worked a walk, advanced to third on a double, and then scored on a Brad Emaus groundout.  With that quick tour of the Fenway bases, the Bisons were ahead 1-0.

It was Mike Nickeas’s turn to get a hit in the 5th, but a strikeout ended the inning with him stranded at first.

Eek! A home run!

Josh Rodriguez used his hit in the 6th to send a ball into the Green Monster seats, where fans reacted with surprised panic. 2-0 Bisons.

Matt den Dekker was next with a single in the 7th.  He advanced to second on a groundout and was left stranded one out later.

Zach Lutz doubled in the 8th, but like den Dekker, he was stranded at second.  And that concludes tonight’s offense.  What’s that, you didn’t hear anything about the Red Sox offense?  That could have something to do with these guys:

Collin McHugh, Robert Carson, Elvin Ramirez, and Fernando Cabrera combined for nine scoreless innings, with McHugh’s seven extending his Fenway scoreless innings streak to 13.  Robert Carson was pulled with two outs in the 8th after issuing a walk; Elvin Ramirez struck out J. C. Linares to finish off the inning.

"Sit tight Lucas, I got this one."

Fernando Cabrera came in for the 9th and narrowly avoided giving up a leadoff hit when Matt Tuiasosopo snagged a line drive from Andy LaRoche, stopping the Red Sox rally before it started.  A strikeout left Nate Spears as Pawtucket’s only hope.  He only managed a grounder back to Cabrera, (thankfully) nothing like the way this day started.

Bisons win, 2-0.

2012 Futures at Fenway Game 1: Renegades 6, Spinners 5

Posted by on 19 August 2012 Comments Off on 2012 Futures at Fenway Game 1: Renegades 6, Spinners 5

An ugly start, a messy end, and a decent game in between

Box Score

So here we are, at Fenway Park on a cloudy afternoon to see a pair of minor league games and some Star Wars.  Yeah, this day would be anything but normal.

Before we get to the games, there’s the matter of some Star Wars festivities.  We start with a parade of costumed fans, ranging from kids in Halloween costumes to professional replicas, to the answer to “What do you get when you cross a Star Wars fan with a Red Sox fan?”  The ball for the first pitch was delivered by Darth Vader using The Force.  Or maybe it was the string…

Every game should start with a high five from Chewbacca

With that out of the way, the players emerged to begin their warmups and chat with fans, posing for pictures and signing autographs.  The Renegades pitchers occupied the dugout rail and signed plenty of balls tossed over the dugout.

So why am I even covering a Renegades-Spinners game?  The easy answer is because of the Bisons game coming up in the second half of the doubleheader, but it’s not like I had no interest in this game.  Aside from payback for beating the Cyclones in two out of three games the previous week (which would in turn would bump the Cyclones down in the standings…), it was nice to see the closest professional team to where I grew up.  Even if they do play on the wrong side of the river and it wasn’t formed until just a few years before I left, it is still a reminder of home.  Well, not really, but who cares, I run this place and can cover whatever I want.  It’s not like I have readers to appease.

Not how you want to get the first out of a game. Or any out ever.

The game was quick to get to some drama of the tragic kind when Hudson Valley’s Joey Rickard sent the second pitch from Lowell Spinners pitcher Brian Johnson straight back to the pitcher, hitting him square in the left eye socket.  Johnson left the field on a stretcher, in pain but conscious.  Here’s hoping for a speedy recovery from one of the scariest plays a pitcher can encounter.

No pitchers were harmed in the hitting of these balls, unless you count damage to ERA.

The hits kept coming as both teams exchanged unintentional HBPs in the second inning, with the offense on both sides delivering enough to send each player as far as home plate (though for the Spinners their runner was the victim of an inning-ending double play).  Joel Caminero and Jake DePew combined to drive in three runs for the Renegades, while Zach Kapstein drove in a run for the Spinners in the bottom half.

Hard-hit ball + slick defensive play - ball staying in receiving fielder's glove = single

The Renegades added three more runs over the next seven innings, with Jake DePew adding a double and a home run over the Green Monster to his 2nd inning single, leaving him a triple shy of the cycle when he came up to bat in the 8th.  A great play by Lowell’s Matthew Gedman looked like it would turn DePew’s grounder into a fielder’s choice, but the ball had other plans, bouncing out of the glove of the fielder covering second and leaving DePew with a mere single.  The game looked to be over as the Spinners came up in the bottom of the 9th, down 6-1.

Wait, what did I miss?

And so I went off to get some food so I would be ready to hunt down Bisons autographs before the start of the next game.  While I was gone, the Spinners put together three runs on a triple, single, double, and a fielding error.  Wait, I remember this, it’s how the Mets beat the Braves last Sunday.  All they need to is give up one more run, and there it is.  Now that pesky third out and…

The Mets would be proud.

The B-Mets return to Manchester

Posted by on 13 August 2012 Comments Off on The B-Mets return to Manchester

Tips for first-timers to Northeast Delta Dental Stadium

The Binghamton Mets are back in New Hampshire this week for another series against the Fisher Cats.  As a long-time attendee of Fisher Cats games (well, I went to three games in May…), I thought I would pass along some tips for Mets fans making their first trip to Manchester.

Driving directions

Getting to the stadium is easy, just take the Everett Turnpike to Exit 5 (Granite St.), head east on Granite St. across the river, and take the first right onto South Commercial St.  Go straight ahead and you’ll find several parking lots, all charging $10.  There’s no free parking anywhere nearby, so make sure you have some cash with you.  If it’s available, you’ll want to park in the last private lot on the right before the stadium entrance, across the street from the place claiming to be the closest parking lot (it isn’t, and it requires crossing a busy street to get in and out of it).  Don’t drive directly into the stadium entrance unless you have paid in advance for a space in that lot (see the Fisher Cats web site for more information).

Seating

The visitors’ dugout is on the third base side. so you’ll probably want to hang out over there.  Section 107 is on the home plate side of the dugout and is at the edge of the net, which could be good or bad depending on whether you want an unobstructed view or protection from foul balls; you can get a clear view of the plate from the seat on the dugout-side aisle, but not from any of the others.  This section is often fairly empty in the front rows, so adventurous fans can move up to front row seats here fairly easily.  Sections 106, 105, and 104 make up the rest of the space around the dugout and are good for catching foul balls and flying bats.

Sight lines to the scoreboards are pretty terrible from all seats on the third base side.  The main scoreboard is used almost exclusively for current batter information and occasionally announcing a pitching change, so don’t look for game info there.  There is a simple info board at the far end of the upper level on each side, but it is difficult to read during the day and uses amber lights for everything, so figuring out which dim lights are for outs/balls/strikes is about as hard as telling how many are lit up.  A better option is the scoreboard at the far end of the left field wall, but that is partially obscured by fans when viewing it from the third base side.  Even so, that board uses different color lights (green for balls and red for strikes and outs) and is much easier to read.  This is perhaps the biggest problem at Northeast Delta Dental Stadium.

Handicapped seating is available on the edge of the concourse and is typically unused.  The concourse has a perfect view of the field all around the stadium, so this is a great place to move to for some shade or to get a different angle on the action.  It also has convenient access to bathrooms and concessions.  The concourse itself is wide enough to accommodate normal traffic without becoming too crowded.

Concessions

A variety of food items are available for purchase at the stands located on the concourse or from the hawkers who frequently roam the seating area (and occasionally stop at the edge of the field, obstructing everyone’s view).  Prices are the same from the stands or the hawkers, so it makes sense to take advantage of the convenience if you want what they’re offering (prices in general are fairly decent for ballparks); for frozen items, always go with the hawkers, the freezers at the concession stands are cranked up to 11.  There’s more of a variety of offerings at the concession stands, which often have little or no wait at the registers (particularly when the Fisher Cats are at bat).  As is the norm, beer is sold at the stadium until the middle of the 7th inning, but I didn’t see any heavy drinkers in my trips there; drunken fans can ruin a ballpark experience, so it was nice to see no sign of them.

Autographs

Players are available to sign autographs during warmups before the game, if you can catch them.  They are usually busy getting ready for the game, so your best bet is calling to them when they enter the dugout (home plate side) or when they leave the dugout to warm up (left field side).  Study up on the player names and uniform numbers (or have a copy of the roster handy for quick IDs) for the best chance of getting their attention in the few seconds you’ll have before they’re out of range (note that some players may be in uniforms that do not match their roster number).  Players who are not in the lineup will be more accessible; they will often be sitting in the dugout while everyone else warms up.  Pitchers are tough to find, though they may occasionally wander along the edge of the field randomly.  There is a group of regulars seeking out autographs from everyone, often with pages and pages of cards to be signed.  I don’t quite understand them and they don’t seem to talk much to outsiders.

Fans

While you are on the other team’s turf, the Fisher Cats are a Blue Jays affiliate and this is Red Sox territory, so the fans tend to be less aggressive than in some parks.  Still, there will be a few vocal die-hards in the crowd and the general vibe will go the way of the home team.  You will find Mets fans in the crowd though, particularly around the visitors’ dugout.  Identifying yourself as a Mets fan is unlikely to cause any problems, though you are likely to have random strangers ask you questions about the team or the players or talk to you at length about something while you’re trying to watch the game.  Just humor them for a while and they will eventually latch on to someone else.

With that, enjoy the games and let’s go Mets!