The New York Mets hosted a baseball party at Citi Field yesterday, as a team of all-stars from the Dominican Republic bested their Puerto Rican counterparts yesterday, 6-2, in a game that was described by Mark Rosenman of KinersKorner.com as “a Mets Game Wrapped in a Caribbean Street Festival.”
A host of former Mets heroes turned out to add some nostalgic flavor to the fun, including the likes of Carlos Gomez, Carlos Delgado, Carlos Beltran, Bartolo Colon and Robinson Cano, among others.
“I think this is a beautiful event,” said Beltran, the former Mets manager and leader of the Puerto Rican squad who’s also one of the latest members of the Mets Hall of Fame.” The fact that you’re uniting two islands in the Caribbean and you’re allowing them to put on a show in New York City where the Dominican community is big and the Puerto Rican community is also big. You get the opportunity to connect the islands in November in New York.”
Former Mets first baseman Carlos Delgado connected with plenty of pitches during his time with the Mets, and given his reputation for extensive preparation, he was inevitably asked about the role of analytics in today’s game.
“At the end of the day, you do have to go out there and make contact," Delgado said. "But I do put a lot of emphasis on being prepared. Using all the tools at your disposal and try to make the best out of it. It’s more like a measurement of results, it’s good for evaluating. The technology is moving at a very fast pace, and the information, it’s very valuable.”
One current Met who is definitely valuable is Mets closer Edwin Diaz, who turned up at the game to take in the proceedings. He passed on making comments about whether he’ll be back, but Diaz did enjoy the atmosphere, which was described as “electric, festive and downright tropical,” save for the temperature in Queens, which was a chilly 47 degrees.
The baseball game was something of a side show in this island baseball party, but the Dominican Republic players did show why that island is notorious for producing great hitters. Every base hit drew a drumline from the festive crowd, and coordinated chants from different sections made it feel like this was a preview for the upcoming WBC 2026.
November baseball may be a bit of an acquired taste, but this game featured Mets fans and New Yorkers who came out to have a great time and celebrate the contributions of these two unique islands.