The Mets welcomed only 8,492 fans to their home opener on Thursday, but they spaced them all over Citi Field. So when high drama arrived in the bottom of the ninth — tie game, two men on, Francisco Lindor at the plate in his first home game as a Met — the reaction cascaded from all corners of the ballpark.
The Miami Marlins, those spoilsports, called for an intentional walk. Groans rained down from the upper deck to the luxury suites to the center field die-hards in orange T-shirts.
The strategy was sound. The next batter, Michael Conforto, took a slider over the middle for an apparent called third strike.