Howie Rose perplexed by weak Mets attendance for massive games

The Mets have been on a roll for the better part of the last month as they fight for a spot in the 2024 MLB playoffs, but there have been a conspicuous number of empty seats at Citi Field this week for the team’s pair of wins over the Nationals.

The announced attendance for Monday’s 10-inning win was 21,694, and the attendance was 24,932 for Tuesday’s 10-1 blowout.

Those wins have the Mets (83-68) tied with the Diamondbacks for the second wild-card spot and two games up on the rival Braves for the third and final wild-card spot.

So why isn’t Citi Field, with a capacity of around 42,000, packed to the gills with Mets fans itching to see October baseball?

“Here’s what I don’t get. Shea Stadium used to get big weeknight September crowds when the Mets were in a pennant race, and the games started an hour later too,” longtime Mets radio voice Howie Rose wrote in an X post on Tuesday.

Former pitcher Roger McDowell, a member of the Mets’ 1986 World Series team, replied to Rose’s post.

“Remember those crowds well Howie! Didn’t matter who we played or what day – the place was packed and rocking!!!,” McDowell wrote.

Rose reminisced further.

“Every game was an event. Just a purely spectacular baseball atmosphere,” Rose wrote in response to McDowell. “It was all about the game and everyone was enraptured.”

One fan pointed out to Rose that the Mets aren’t in a “pennant race,” and are bidding to be the road team in a best-of-three wild-card series with the chance to make the NLDS.

“THIS is the point I’ve made on the air,” Rose replied. “In addition to all of the economic realities, wild card races just don’t have the same ‘sex appeal’ as a division race. Furthermore if a team is fighting to win the division but has a wild card sewn up that will affect attendance too.”

The Mets finish their series with the Nationals Wednesday night and then play their final four home games of the regular season against the Phillies Thursday through Sunday.

They then have a massive three-game set in Atlanta before finishing with a three-game series in Milwaukee.