Steve Cohen is liking what he’s seeing at Citi Field so far — and it’s not just the team on the field.
After ending 2024 in the NLCS and acquiring Juan Soto to a 15-year, $765 million contract in a five-team bidding war, the Mets have become more and more involved in the World Series conversations, which is also giving fans something to immediately believe in.
And also, worth buying into.
Last season, Cohen was disappointed with the lack of attendance Citi Field saw during their pennant race. Now, he is loving the atmosphere and wants to keep it going.
“Citifield was rocking last night . Big crowd and a (Francisco)Lindor walk off. Come on out everybody and join the fun!” the owner posted on X Saturday morning following the Mets’ 5-4 win over the Cardinals.
The Mets are 13-7 and in first place in the NL East.
The Mets are currently ranked No. 8 in average home attendance this season (35,795). Last season, which saw them go from 0-5 to the playoffs, they sat in 18th with an average attendance of 28,757.
It’s also likely skewed to the slow start the Mets saw at the beginning of the season, which had an average attendance of just north of 24,000 by the end of May.
“That really bothered me, 18th in attendance when we’re right in the middle of a pennant race,” Cohen said during spring training. ”I’ve said this before, the series against the Nationals, right before the final Philly series. I think there were 18,000 fans in the stadium during a great pennant race.”
Cohen was referring to a Monday, Sept 16 game, which had an attendance of 21,694. Mets radio announcer Howie Rose was also thrown off by the numbers.
“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,” Rose wrote in an X post at the time.
Since the Mets’ busy offseason, the franchise has seen a “decent, significant percentage increase” in ticket sales. This is the wall Cohen has been hoping to break for his team.
“There’s always been skepticism with the Mets and believing that we’re going to be sustainable winners, you know, sustainably in the playoffs,” Cohen said this spring. “I think … Mets fans have had this negative perception of the Mets and their fandom, and one of my goals is to break that negativity and have them believe that we’re going to be a sustainable winner year in and year out.”
