Mets' Opening Day game vs. Brewers rescheduled for Friday
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NEW YORK -- For the second straight year, rain has upset the Mets¡¯ home opener at Citi Field.
This time, it¡¯s Opening Day itself that¡¯s moving. Due to steady rain in the forecast, the Mets have postponed their opener against the Brewers from Thursday afternoon to 1:40 p.m. ET on Friday, when skies should be clearer.
Everything else will remain the same, with Mets left-hander Jose Quintana scheduled to face Brewers righty Freddy Peralta on Friday. All the usual pomp and circumstance will be in place at Citi, with parking lots opening at 10:40 a.m. and gates set to follow at 11:40 a.m. Fans holding paid tickets for the original Opening Day may use them for the rescheduled game.
For Quintana, who missed the first half of last season due to a stress fracture in his left rib, the postponement means another 24 hours of waiting. Named the Mets¡¯ Opening Day starter in part because of Kodai Senga¡¯s shoulder injury, Quintana last pitched Saturday in Port St. Lucie, Fla. Once he returned after the All-Star break last year, Quintana was one of the Mets¡¯ most consistent starters, with a 3.57 ERA in 13 games.
¡°It means a lot to start [to start on Opening Day],¡± he said on the Mets¡¯ workout day Wednesday afternoon. ¡°Last year was a little hard at the beginning. To get this opportunity ¡ and take the ball for Opening Day means a lot to me. ¡ I [am] really excited to show how we are really prepared for the season. We are ready to compete out there.¡±
Mets officials had little choice but to postpone the opener due to forecasts predicting a ¡°chance of rain near 100 percent,¡± according to the National Weather Service. Friday should be sunny with highs in the mid-50s, albeit with wind gusts up to 30 mph.
This marks the second consecutive year the Mets have had their home opener washed out. Last year, after beginning the season with a road trip through Miami and Milwaukee, the Mets postponed their Citi Field opener under similar circumstances.
While fans holding tickets to Thursday¡¯s game can now use them for Friday, season ticket holders who do not wish to attend the postponed matchup can exchange them for another game comparable in price and location until 10:30 a.m. on Friday (Subway Series excluded). Prepaid parking passes for Thursday¡¯s game will also be valid Friday.
More information on all rainout ticket policies is available at Mets.com/Rain.