Don’t look now, but based on early results from Game 1 of the Mets‘ doubleheader with the Pirates, the season appears to be back on.
Chris Bassitt continued his run of second-half excellence with 10 strikeouts over seven innings, and Buck Showalter’s offense has finally come alive. It’s been highlighted so far by back-to-back home runs from Tyler Naquin and Eduardo Escobar during a four-run fourth inning.
The first game of this twin bill got started at 12:35 pm EST. Labor Day has already passed and the kids are back in school, so there isn’t a big crowd at PNC Park. In fact, the official attendance was just over 8,800. With that in mind, SNY’s Steve Gelbs came prepared with a glove for any balls that fly in the stands.
His preparation paid off, as Gelbs secured the first foul ball of his life in the bottom of the sixth. That’s not where this story ends, though — it was just the beginning. Bob, who is originally from North Jersey and has been a Mets fan since 1962, was one of several fans that began hassling him for the ball.
? @SteveGelbs GOT A BALL ?
Special appearance by Bob from North Jersey, Mets fan since '62. pic.twitter.com/rijnjgdnlf
— SNY (@SNYtv) September 7, 2022
Bob may reside in Pennsylvania these days, but you’ll never be able to take the Jersey out of him. This is just an awesome interaction. He’s never gotten a foul ball and he’s never been on TV in his life. Gelbs seemed pretty steadfast about not giving up the ball, but at least he helped Bob check off one of his bucket list items Wednesday.
Gelbs and Bob sat down and chatted on camera for a bit after their initial meeting, and it was as good as you could’ve hoped. Bob’s favorite all-time memory is the ’69 Mets, and he also used his 15 seconds of fame as an opportunity to tell Showalter he should rest some players because they’re running out of steam.
Also, he sounded pretty exasperated about the Braves never losing, which is spot-on for Mets fans. It’s pretty much what everyone has been thinking and talking about for the past three months.
Oh, and the story has a happy ending. Although Bob didn’t get the foul ball, Gelbs found a young kid to give it to.
More on ESNY:
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• Yankees send Anthony Rizzo to IL with continual headaches
• NY sports reporter reported dead (and eulogized during Yankees game) is still alive
• Craig Carton’s FS1 show has debuted. Some quick thoughts
• 5 big New York sports talk storylines as fall battle begins
• Nets’ best-case scenario: From nightmare to championship dream
Matt Musico can be reached at matt.musico@xlmedia.com and you can follow him on Twitter: @mmusico8.
