Jose Reyes put his head down as he left the on-deck circle, strode toward home plate and dug in his spikes in the batter’s box. As he did, many in the capacity crowd at MCU Park in Coney Island rose to their feet and welcomed him with a familiar chant.
“Jooooo-se, Jo-se, Jo-se, Jo-se,” they serenaded Reyes, just as they once had at Shea Stadium and Citi Field, putting a Mets-centric twist on the familiar “Olé” soccer chant.
The cheer, even if it did not ring throughout the entire stadium, washed over Reyes like a wave of relief.