Nine Things to Know for Syracuse Mets 2019 Opening Day

Get ready for the Mets’ Inaugural Season

SYRACUSE, NY – The Syracuse Mets are excited to welcome fans to NBT Bank Stadium for the Mets’ Inaugural Season. Here are nine things you need to know before coming to the ballpark on Opening Day.

1.     Date, Time, and Opponent: The Syracuse Mets begin the 2019 season on Thursday, April 4th at 2:05 p.m. against the Pawtucket Red Sox. Gates for the game will open at noon.

2.     Ticket Information: Individual tickets for Opening Day, as well as the other 69 Syracuse Mets home games at NBT Bank Stadium, are available for purchase. Tickets can be purchased at NBT Bank Stadium’s Onondaga Coach Ticket Office or over the phone, 315-474-7833, during regular business hours (Monday-Friday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.), or online anytime at syracusemets.com. Online tickets can be printed at home or left on your phone for ease of scanning at the gate.

3.   Where to Park: Fans are encouraged to come early. NBT Bank Stadium has four parking lots available. The Main Lot can be accessed through the Grant Boulevard and NBT Bank Parkway entrances. The Swing Lot is adjacent to the Byrne Dairy warehouse and can be accessed from NBT Bank Parkway. The Regional Market Lot entrance is on Tex Simone Drive. The VIP Lot entrance is off Tex Simone Drive. The lots will open at 10:00 a.m. on Opening Day.

 

4.     Promotions: Here are the promotions for Opening Day and a historic Opening Weekend at NBT Bank Stadium for the Syracuse Mets:

• Thursday, April 4th (2:05 p.m. vs. Pawtucket Red Sox): Opening Day is also Dollar Thursday, presented by 95X. That means $1 Hofmann hot dogs, $1 Coca-Cola products, $1 souvenir, and $2 drafts of Saranac, Labatt, Coors, Budweiser Products, or 1911 Hard Cider! Plus, the first giveaway of the season is a Syracuse Mets Trapper Hat, given to the first 2,000 fans through the gates, presented by Gannon Pest Control.
• Friday, April 5th (1:05 p.m. vs. Pawtucket Red Sox): The first 1,000 fans through the gates on Friday will receive an Inaugural Season T-Shirt, presented by Coca-Cola. It’s also a Craft Beer Friday. For just $20, fans 21 and older can buy a craft beer ticket package and receive a ticket to the game and two craft beer vouchers to be redeemed at The Hop Spot at NBT Bank Stadium. There will be something different and unique on tap each and every Friday, courtesy of The Hops Spot.
• Saturday, April 6th (1:05 p.m. vs. Pawtucket Red Sox): The first 4,000 fans to enter the stadium on this Super Saturday will receive a 2019 Syracuse Mets magnet schedule, presented by Cryomech.
• Sunday, April 7th (1:05 p.m. vs. Pawtucket Red Sox): On a Kids Eat Free Sunday, presented by NBT Bank, kids 12 and under receive a voucher good for a 12 oz. Coca-Cola beverage and kid’s popcorn, another 12 oz. Coca-Cola beverage and a Hofmann hot dog, and a Perry’s ice cream cup. After the game, kids can run the bases and Meet Syracuse Mets players for pictures and autographs. It’s also our first Bark in the Park Day, presented by Shaughnessy’s Irish Pub, Sit Means Sit Dog Training, and Peaceful Pets by Schepp Family Funeral Homes. Dog tickets are $5, and all that money goes to local rescue groups.  Vendors, rescue organizations, a doggie fun zone, and Mets Minster Dog Show will take place with a panel of celebrity judges, and a pre-game pet parade will take place.  The first 500 dogs will get a doggie towel, courtesy of our sponsors.

5.     Tailgating: Tailgating is permitted at NBT Bank Stadium. Parking lots for Opening Day will open at 10:00 a.m. Tailgaters are expected to keep all tables, chairs, coolers, barbeques, etc. within the parking stall of your party, keep driving aisles and fire lanes clear at all times, clean up after themselves, and follow the directions and instructions of NBT Bank Stadium parking attendants and staff. If fans have any questions ahead of the event related to tailgating, they can call the Syracuse Mets at 315-474-7833.

6.   Meet the Syracuse Mets: The Syracuse Mets Opening Day roster has recently been announced and here are some highlights of a veteran-loaded, exciting team.

• Tim Tebow is in his third full season in the Mets’ organization and his first with Syracuse. The former NFL quarterback and Heisman Trophy winner is a two-time College Football National Champion with the Florida Gators and is a college football analyst on ESPN. On the baseball field, the 31-year-old is an outfielder in the Mets system. Tebow was named an Eastern League Mid-Season All-Star last season with Double-A Binghamton.

• Grégor Blanco has ten years of major league experience and played part of the 2011 season with Syracuse. During Blanco’s ten years in the majors, the 35-year-old has played for Atlanta, Kansas City, San Francisco, and Arizona. The Venezuelan native has played in more than 1,000 career MLB games.

• Carlos Gómez is a two-time National League All-Star and has played in the majors for nearly all of the last 12 seasons. Gómez made his major-league debut in 2007 with the New York Mets, the team that signed him as an international free agent in 2002 when he was 16 years old. The Dominican Republic native was named to the National League All-Star team in 2013 and 2014 while playing for the Milwaukee Brewers and also won a National League Gold Glove Award in 2013.

7.     Meet the International League: Here are some of the top players to watch from teams playing against the Mets at NBT Bank Stadium in April:

• Pawtucket Red Sox: Michael Chavis is the top-ranked player in the Boston Red Sox system, according to MLB.com. The 23-year old was drafted out of high school in the first round of the 2014 MLB draft by Boston. Chavis was suspended for the first 80 games last season for testing positive for a performance-enhancing drug. The third baseman played in just 46 games in 2018 because of the suspension, but he had a .298 batting average between Short-Season A Lowell, Double-A Portland, and Triple-A Pawtucket.

• Buffalo Bisons: Bo Bichette is the second-ranked prospect in the Toronto Blue Jays organization, according to MLB.com, and he is the son of four-time MLB All-Star Dante Bichette, who played 14 seasons in the majors. Previously, the 21-year-old was the 2017 Midwest League Most Valuable Player and Prospect of the Year with Low-A Lansing. Bichette has been one of the best hitters in the minor leagues with an impressive career batting average of .328 in the pros entering this season.

8.     What’s New at NBT Bank Stadium?

• VIP Parking: Many fans wanted a better parking option. For only $10, guests will be able to park on the third base side of the stadium close to the front entrance.
• The Hops Spot at NBT Bank Stadium: The Hops Spot at historic NBT Bank Stadium is your new home for Craft Beer Fridays and your go-to destination to find the unique craft beers that you may love or always wanted to try.  Our expert servers can guide the craft curious to the right brew every game. More than 40 varieties of craft beer will be available at every game. The Hop Spot at NBT Bank Stadium features a wide variety of local and national craft beers.
• Live Source: An online auction and raffle platform that connects Mets fans across the country and allows anyone to bid on Syracuse Mets jerseys from anywhere. Fans in Syracuse can also participate in other Mets jersey auctions from Binghamton and St. Lucie – just download the app on your phone!
• Wings, Speidies & Bud: Fans can enjoy .50-cent boneless chicken wings every Wednesday for Wingin’ It Winning Wednesdays. Lupos Speidies will now be available at concession stands around the stadium. We’re also welcoming Budweiser products, including Budweiser and Bud Light, in addition to our selection of Saranac, Labatt, and Coors products.
• Taste New York Cart: Fans can get the best food and beverages New York has to offer, including Hofmann Hot Dogs, Lupos Speidies, and different beers.

9.     Merchandise:  In addition to all the great new Syracuse Mets merchandise and team gear, Tim Tebow merchandise is also on sale now.  Tebow jerseys won’t be in until May, but preorders are being taken now.  Please visit syracusemets.milbstore.com or call 315-474-7833, x5 for Syracuse Mets Team Store hours.