It was quite the baseball spectacle.
New York baseball enthusiasts made a frantic journey across boroughs on Saturday, managing to watch three Major League games over nine hours, thanks to a peculiar scheduling quirk involving the Yankees and the Mets.
This unique scenario had the Yankees hosting a day-night doubleheader against the Boston Red Sox in the Bronx, while the Mets faced off against the Houston Astros in Queens, perfectly timed for fans to shuttle back and forth.
Brooklynite and devoted Mets fan Dana Nauta expressed her excitement about the opportunity to see all three games. She and her friend, Carly Henry, were “pumped” when they realized the possibility.
“Carly texted me at the crack of dawn saying, ‘It feels like Christmas morning.’ And honestly, I had trouble sleeping the night before because I was so excited,” Nauta shared.
The subway trip between the two boroughs was definitely a challenge for Nauta and her friend from New Jersey, as they recognized that coordinating all the games could be a bit tricky.
The first game for the Yankees kicked off at 1 p.m., while the Mets game was set for 4 p.m., followed by the last game back in the Bronx at 7 p.m. This left them little room for delays or any unexpected game-day surprises.
“We talked it over and decided we’d be okay with leaving early if necessary. It would be a game-time call based on how things were going,” Nauta explained.
To keep up with the games they missed, Nauta and Carly monitored them on their phones while traveling.
They weren’t alone, though; others also documented their adventures on social media. Nathaniel Rakich shared his experience, noting how pleasant the weather was and how they managed to catch just a few innings. “Made it back to Yankee Stadium in the bottom of the 2nd! That means we missed less than 4 innings total, out of 27,” he tweeted.
“Spread the word: A tripleheader is exhausting, hectic… and unforgettable,” he quipped, echoing the lyrics of “New York, New York,” celebrating Yankees’ victories.
Nauta mentioned that she and her friend crossed paths several times with another family attempting the same marathon of games.
“They were impressive because they had an event at Citi Field at 9 a.m. and managed to go from there to Yankee Stadium, then back to Citi Field, and then back again to Yankee Stadium,” she noted.
To navigate the crowds at Yankee Stadium, Nauta made some radical wardrobe adjustments. “I changed out of my [Mets infielder Francisco] Lindor jersey to a neutral T-shirt for sitting in the bleachers,” she said.
Meanwhile, while some were sprinting around the city to catch every game, for other fans, it was just another ballgame.
“People have no idea what we’re up to. We must look a bit crazy right now,” Nauta joked.
Ultimately, the Yankees lost their first game of the doubleheader but bounced back to win the second. The struggling Mets also secured a victory against Houston.
