Citi Field opened for baseball on Friday, with hand sanitizers near each foul line, socially spaced markers, and masks for players and staff.
About 113 days after the COVID-19 outbreak closed spring training, the Mets retrained for a 2020 season that they hope will materialize. More than three staggered sessions that started at 9 a.m. and ended 12 hours later, the familiar sound of the ball bat and the patter of leather resonated in an almost empty stadium.
“It is difficult to see my teammates and be [distanced] of them, so that’s the difficult part of all those protocols, “said Wilson Ramos after a morning workout.” But at the same time I’m happy to be here and do what I like to do, especially here at Citi Field because it’s my home”.
Ramos smashed the first batting practice home run of spring training 2.0, a shot to center field that hit the black retaining wall in front of the block. He joined fellow catchers Tomas Nido and Rene Rivera in the cage before leaving to work with the pitchers.
Manager Luis Rojas held Zoom meetings before training with players spread across different rooms, only to set the tone for the camp and offer reminders about security restrictions.
Players were allowed to use the weight rooms in the visitors’ home and clubhouse in small groups, and a makeshift cardio area was created behind the fence in right field. An additional pitching rubber was placed, on a slope, on the warning track in front of the bullpens.
“Once we got to the field it was almost like a camp,” said Rojas. “We were out there and keeping our distances, but once they started catching and throwing the ball at BP … it seemed pretty normal to us.”
Ramos and Edwin Diaz are among the Mets players who chose to leave their families while attending this three-week session. Ramos, who lives in South Florida, has a 6-month-old son and cited the amenities of a pool in his backyard and a play area near his home. Díaz, who lives in Puerto Rico, called it a “collaborative decision” with his family that he would travel alone to New York.
The regular season will begin July 23-24 with games likely to be played in empty stadiums.
“I have the same mindset as all athletes: we prefer to have fans here at the stadium,” said Díaz. “That’s what we play for, but there is no pressure, with fans or without fans. I need to do my job and I know the fans understand that. This is as much for our safety as it is for your safety. “
Ramos said the vibe was positive on day 1.
“The guys I’ve been talking to feel good,” he said. “They feel safe to be here. Today is the first day and we didn’t have a chance to talk much, but everything I see today feels good and I am happy to be here exercising. I understand the part that we must respect. We have to be separate, but at the same time we have to be close mentally. “
Ramos compared the 60-game season to the type of schedule he faced playing winter ball in Venezuela when he was a younger player. The Mets will play their full schedule against the National League East and the American League East, minimizing travel.
“I know when you play in that short season you have to think about it and I will tell my teammates how to play a short season,” Ramos said. “You don’t wait until the next day. You have to go out there and play hard every day. “
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