Syracuse Mets @ IronPigs

[MrMet]

Sorry for the long read…

So last year, my son attended Reach Cyber Charter School for Kindergarten…Covid and all that…not gunna get into it…but they have an affiliation with the IronPigs. We entered him in a raffle to win the chance to throw out the first pitch at an IronPigs game. He was picked, and my wife picked a game vs the Syracuse Mets…for obvious reasons.

The IronPigs were rebranded for the night as the IronWeiners…and yes, it was as funny as it sounds. Named after the dog by the way…so I left work at 5, drove to the inlaws and showered quick, meeting my wife and son and picking up her father too. We got to the game, and got our IronWeiner bucket hats!

Then we had to go to guest services and get my son his AllStar kid of the game shirt and then off to the first pitches line. We kinda timed it perfectly, cuz as we got on the back of the line, they started taking us down to the field. Since he was the AllStar kid of the game my son got to throw out the first first pitch.


It was a bit short and Bob Uecker would say, juuuuust a bit outside, but he loved being able to do it. Everyone else threw their pitches and they told us to stay on the field as they escorted everyone else off. The mascot snuck up from behind and hammed it up with Logan for a bit
Then they announced him and showed him on the Jumbotron.


He waved to the crowd for a bit on camera and then his festivities were over and they escorted us off the field. I asked if I could stay on where the Mets were practicing and get some autographs and was kindly told, no way. I thought we were the AllStar kid? Where are my perks? Lol. While my wife and her father went to the seats my son and I stayed down below to try to get autographs from the stands. Luckily the guy I stood next to decided he was done and gave us his prime spot.


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[MrMet]

Continued…

Did ok with the graphing…

Manager Chad Krueter

Jose Martinez

Brandon Drury

Mason Williams

And Vance Worley (sorry @clarkzac and others, seems Vance is NOT a Twins fan, lol)

Then we watched the game. Luckily we were seated near the Mets dugout, and I could keep up my banter with the players. Tried to get Khalil Lee to throw me his batting gloves…but he only faked me out, lol. Did get a lot of waves, head nods and laughs tho. There was a family in front of us with a couple boys, probably early teens, who caught a ball the Mets threw over and they gave it to Logan, which he was excited about. The Mets went ahead early, the Pigs, sorry, Weiners tied it up…
And then the Mets went ahead on a Cheslor Cuthbert homerun, added a couple more runs and held on for the win. Nice little sidearmer closed it out, loved watching his motion. Forgot to mention, the IronWeiners jerseys were being auctioned off and the hats were up for raffle. I decided to do 20 raffle tickets for $20 for TJ Rivera’s IronWeiners hat, exMet ya know?
After the game, we also got a fireworks show. During the show a group of Mets fans that was behind us went up to the dugout fence and a player came over and was talking to them. I’m terrible with faces and he was wearing a coat, so I asked one of the guys standing there who it was, hoping I had a card to get signed. He goes, it’s my son, the starting pitcher from tonight’s game. Oh $hit, cool! No card tho, haha. I asked my son if he wanted to get his ball that the other boys gave him signed and he said yes, so we walked over to the group and the family couldn’t have been nicer, and so was the player. His name was Josh Walker, and he pitched a hell of a game through 5 and ran into a bit of trouble in the 6th. He signed my sons ball and chatted with him for a while, never seeming bothered that we interrupted his family time. He really seemed like a great guy, and I’m definitely a fan and rooting for him now.

He took the time to ask my son his name, and if he played baseball, really seemed into it, Logan was super pumped with the interaction and getting his ball signed. A great way to end the night. The only thing making it better was the email i received on the drive home letting me know I won the raffle for the TJ Rivera hat.

Sorry for the long read, but I figured we could all use a little positivity and a fun story.


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[bstanwood]

Awesome story, great time for you and the little man, honestly my favorite part though is Worley crossing out twins, that's hysterical

 

[JVHaste]

Good work, I can already tell he's a better guest pitcher than Baba Booey.

 

[MrMet]

Awesome story, great time for you and the little man, honestly my favorite part though is Worley crossing out twins, that's hysterical

Thanks, and yeah, my wife and I keep laughing about it. I think it’s one of my new favorite IP cards I’ve ever gotten signed. Dude didn’t say a word, just started scribbling. I was taken aback for a second, then I just started internally chuckling about it.


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[MrMet]

Good work, I can already tell he's a better guest pitcher than Baba Booey.

Of all the people to comment on this thread, I was sure you’d be the one to have something to say about IronWeiners…


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[dano7]

An IronWeiners game to remember!!!

 

[JVHaste]

Of all the people to comment on this thread, I was sure you’d be the one to have something to say about IronWeiners…


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I could have mentioned how rock hard and girthy they were, but whenever I see a Mets fan throw out a first pitch it reminds me to diss how bad Baba Booeys first pitch was.

 

[JVHaste]

I guess 5 years later 50 Cent also did a Mets first pitch that was at that level. (worse perhaps)

 

[WCTYSON]

Great job pops. Logan will never forget that night. What a great looking kid too. Who knows where this can lead, maybe one day becoming a Mets player himself.

 

[MrMet]

I guess 5 years later 50 Cent also did a Mets first pitch that was at that level. (worse perhaps)

Yeah that’s the one I think of when I think of bad first pitches !


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[MrMet]

Great job pops. Logan will never forget that night. What a great looking kid too. Who knows where this can lead, maybe one day becoming a Mets player himself.

Thanks! When Josh was talking to Logan and asked him if he played baseball also, and Logan said he did, Josh said something about them being teammates one day. Like I said before, just a really down to earth super nice dude, and you are right, Logan will never forget that night!


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[Letch77]

Cool experience! Looks like it was a fun night!

 

[clarkzac]

@MrMet Worley absolutely despises his time with the Twins. Not sure if he blames the Twins coaching on his poor performance that season or what. But he will scribble out the Twins logo on every card he signs now and has for a few years. Glad I got him to sign a 2013 Ginter for my Twins collection before that habit started.

 

[MrMet]

My hat came today!







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[Letch77]

Bacon-wrapped Iron Wieners!

 

[dano7]

Bacon-wrapped Iron Wieners!

That's what I thought it looked like, too!

 

[MrMet]

That's what I thought it looked like, too!

Cuz that’s exactly what it is


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[dano7]

Cuz that’s exactly what it is


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I think I will try wrapping my next hot dog in bacon!!!!

 

[Dazed]

I think I will try wrapping my next hot dog in bacon!!!!