Home opener info, an honor for Jay Horwitz, and a special note for Tom Seaver

The Mets open the home portion of their schedule today against the Diamondbacks

What’s Up with the Mets? ⚾️

• Tom Seaver’s grandsons, Thomas and Tobin, will throw out ceremonial first pitches prior to the start of today’s game

• The Mets will name the Citi Field press box in honor of Jay Horwitz, who was the Mets director of public relations from 1980-2018. He will also throw out the first pitch before Sunday’s game against the Diamondbacks

• Tom Seaver’s statue will be unveiled outside Citi Field at 10:30 AM today - Howie Rose will emcee the ceremony and it will be available through the Mets YouTube channel

• All uniformed field personnel will wear no. 42 in honor of Jackie Robinson breaking the color barrier 75 years ago today

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Today’s Game 🗓

Match-up: Mets (5-2) vs. Diamondbacks (2-4)

Where: Citi Field - Flushing, New York

Starters: RHP Chris Bassitt (1-0, 0.00 ERA) vs. RHP Zach Davies (0-0, 3.60 ERA)

When: 1:10 PM EDT

Where to Watch: SNY

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Thank you, Tom Seaver…📝

Tom Seaver - image courtesy of the Associated Press

This morning at Citi Field, the Mets will unveil the long-awaited statue of Tom Seaver. The ceremony will be attended by Tom’s widow, Nancy, their two daughters Sarah and Anne, Mike Piazza and both Steve and Alex Cohen.

Yes, this honor is long overdue and frankly, the statue should’ve been there the day Citi Field opened 13 years ago with Tom there to witness the unveiling with his family. For me, I’m still thrilled the statue is being unveiled today, even if it’s 13 years late.

Tom means so much to everyone in the Mets community. Everyone seems to have their own unique connection to him, what he did for the Mets and what he did for the city all those years ago.

Before I get into my connection with Tom, I want to rewind to 1986 when I first knew of him, but saw him on a baseball card in a White Sox jersey only. My dad would talk about him as though he was a legend, but yet there he was, smiling in a White Sox jersey.

This just didn’t make sense to six-year-old me. Hell, it still doesn’t make sense (I don’t want to get into how he ended up with the White Sox today, either) And then to learn he was in the other dugout during those World Series games in 1986? For the Red Sox?

What the hell was he doing not playing for the Mets?

But it was that World Series I forged what has become a life-long connection to the greatest Met ever. I of course never played professional ball but I did play throughout high school, a little bit in college (I would’ve played more if not for injuries) and later on semi-professionally until my arm just gave out.

But I became a pitcher because of Tom. I modeled my delivery after Tom. I would watch video of him, listen to him speak, listen to interviews both old and new, and modeled my baseball attitude after Tom. If not for Tom, I probably never become a pitcher. I often wonder if I would’ve been so invested as a player, involved in baseball media and now a coach and board member for my local little league. Would my ten-year old daughter be playing softball now without Tom?

Mind you, I never saw Tom play.

But this is the kind of player and the kind of person Tom Seaver was. He impacted the Mets and the community in ways well beyond the 1969 World Championship, his near-perfect performance that same summer, his 19-strikeout performance in 1970, and his inevitable journey to Cooperstown.

Tom was even bigger than those moments and those defined on the back of the baseball card.

I’m not sure if he knew how influential he was to the world and how truly important and impactful he has been to people both young and old.

I for one wish I had one minute to shake his hand, and say, “thank you for my life, Tom.”

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Around the League 🚩

• The Blue Jays placed Teoscar Hernandez on the 10-day injured list with a strained oblique

• The Indians and José Ramirez finalized his seven-year contract extension on Thursday

• The Pirates and Bryan Reynolds have agreed to a two-year contract extension

• The Cardinals and Tyler O’Neill could be working on a multi-year extension (St. Louis Post Dispatch)