The good vibes at Citi Field lasted all day and into the night.
A memorable and joyous Saturday in Flushing began with the longawaited reintroduction of Old Timers Day festivities, with a ceremony that hit all the notes for Mets fans and participating alumni with verbal bouquets directed at owner Steve Cohen and New’s surprise withdrawal. York baseball legend Willie Mays, number 24.
It ended with another win for Buck Showalter’s firstplace Mets, who can sweep their fourgame series Sunday against the Rockies with Max Scherzer on the mound after a 30 emphatic victory amid nothing else what a joke and nostalgia at Citi Field. .
“One, there is a lot of pressure to win the game that day. It was a great day for the Mets and the Mets family,” Showalter said. “We had a chance to let them know what they’ve meant to the organization and the fans. … I thought it was also It’s exciting for our club to see all these guys. It was a special day all around.”
David Peterson (73, 3.21) was recalled from TripleA Syracuse, and the lefty posted six shutout innings on four hits with zero walks and seven strikeouts in 102 pitches.
Brandon Nimmo homered and drove in two runs for the Mets, who trailed the Braves by three games in the NL East and improved to 8246, already tied for a seasonhigh 34 wins. games to play
“The biggest thing I saw was the smiles on their faces from the recognition and people coming forward to recognize what they’ve done for the organization,” Nimmo said. “You could tell everyone there wanted to go back to those days and it made me realize that’s really cool … and I tried to bring that into the game.”
Before the organization’s first Old Timers ceremony since 1994, Showalter shared the podium during his pregame press conference with former Mets managers Joe Torre, Bobby Valentine, Willie Randolph and Terry Collins, who they again praised the current team for their focus on their first approach. Pattern year
“Buck, it was great to see him,” Collins said, as the others nodded in agreement. “For us oldtimers, we believe there’s a way to play, and you’re doing it. It’s a fun, fun team to watch play. Very, very proud to know you and the work you’ve done. Finish it”.
Even with Scherzer and Jacob deGrom sidelined for long stretches due to injuries, the Mets’ starting rotation has remained a strength for most of the season, and that includes Peterson as one of the top backup contributors .
Peterson, who grew up just 20 miles from Denver’s Coors Field in Aurora, Colo., was recalled from TripleA Syracuse before the game. The 26yearold lefty entered his 16th start and 20th appearance of the season with a 3.44 ERA, and immediately proceeded to chip away at that number further before leaving with a 20 lead after six innings .
“It’s an honor to be on this team and in this club with these guys, to fight shoulder to shoulder with them every day,” Peterson said. “I’m very proud when they give me the ball and for every chance I get.”
Nimmo accounted for the Mets’ first two runs, starting with a leadoff blast to right against Rockies lefty Kyle Freeland in the first. It was Nimmo’s sixth career home run and third against Colorado.
He drove in another run an inning later with a twoout double to right and also walked and scored from first in the seventh on Starling Marte’s double to rightcenter for a 30 lead.
Relievers Seth Lugo and Trevor May recorded the next six outs after Peterson left, and with Edwin Diaz unavailable after pitching the previous two nights, Adam Ottavino worked a scoreless ninth for his second save of the season, both in this series, to cap off a perfect day for the Mets.