Very rarely do opposing fans find unity in the middle of a baseball game. But this was the case during the Mets 5-3 defeat to the Boston Red Sox on Saturday night. In the bottom of the 8th inning with the Mets trailing, both Mets fans and the Fenway faithful came together for one cause: Cheering against the New York Yankees. And it was glorious:
Mets and Red Sox fans chanting "Yankees suck" in unison IS WHY I LOVE SPORTS SO MUCH pic.twitter.com/baVE5mTPzd
— Shannon (@Miss_Met) September 15, 2018
If you were in Boston this weekend for the The7Line’s #WickedLoyal outing, then you experienced something truly special and historic. This was the biggest outing for the T7LA to date in one of the more storied MLB stadiums. But, there were a few magic moments that made the Boston outing standout:
The Parade. The pregame at King’s was a great meet-up spot, and T7LA packed the place pretty quickly. But the parade to Fenway stole the glory from any and all pregame activities. The half mile or so walk to the stadium boasted a sea of blue and orange shutting down traffic, horn honks from the Massachusetts Turnpike, and even a TV appearance:
Thanks for the shout, @keithhernandez. #WickedLoyal pic.twitter.com/0Q3bTN6KnX
— The 7 Line (@The7Line) September 17, 2018
The Red Sox owner came by. Yes, you read that correctly. Red Sox principal owner John W. Henry came by to hang out with the T7LA, thank us for visiting Fenway, and chat with Darren:
When the owner of the @RedSox comes over to thank you for bringing almost 2,000 @Mets fans to his ballpark. Wow. pic.twitter.com/3I7QucyhpT
— Darren Meenan (@DarrenJMeenan) September 15, 2018
This is one of the ultimate signs of respect. The Red Sox certainly don’t struggle to sell out their games, and they certainly didn’t have to grant us 1,629 seats in their stadium. But they did, and on top of that, they’re owner paid us a visit. In unrelated news, the Yankees mysteriously can’t find seats for us when the Mets play at Yankee Stadium.
Stadium Unity. Sure, there were plenty of opposing chants, and ultimately we wanted our boys to win, but the Red Sox fans were a fun group to get rowdy with. First came the fan rendition of ‘Sweet Caroline’, featuring some ‘Cheers’ Fatheads:
Then came those “Yankees Sucks” chants. The Mets-Red Sox relationship is an interesting one, and some ill-will from the 1986 World Series may remain, but that was decades ago and the Red Sox have won three World Series’ since. The relationship now shares one unified notion: dislike for The New York Yankees. As we mentioned earlier, that common bond came to a forefront in the bottom of the 8th inning:Great job by the row behind me getting us all on TV with the fatheads! #Cheers #LGM #WickedLoyal #The7LineArmy pic.twitter.com/bqZkpz6MtZ
— Dave Avery (@davreyavery) September 16, 2018
It was a pretty epic moment to be a part of. And as expected, Twitter elicited some mixed reviews. Some thought it was great:Our great country is divided. But the Red Sox and Mets fans at Fenway Park just joined together to chant "Yankees suck."
— Pete Abraham (@PeteAbe) September 15, 2018
Truly heartwarming.
i am usually not real into the whole "Yankees Suck" thing, but when it comes after #Mets and #RedSox fans sing the entire second chorus of "Sweet Caroline" a capella together it's kiiiind of wonderful 😂
— TJ Connelly 🍖 (@senatorjohn) September 15, 2018
Mets fans and Red Sox fans chanting “Yankees suck” together at Fenway Park. pic.twitter.com/gkws8Af43v
— Jared Carrabis (@Jared_Carrabis) September 15, 2018
And some didn’t take it so well:|￣￣￣￣￣￣￣￣￣￣￣|
— Jack Strickland (@jjstrick123) September 15, 2018
Watching Red Sox &
Mets fans chant Yankees
suck is the single most
wholesome event in
sports history
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Smh, #Mets fans should just move to Boston. Betraying your city like that, what a shame. https://t.co/wsF5EhEiIy
— TONYY 💙 (@TonyyBatts) September 16, 2018
Mets fans traveled to Boston to start a “Yankees suck” chant? How corny.
— LOLMets™ (@MetsMike_129) September 16, 2018
To recap, the T7LA Boston outing was one for the ages. Sure, we came away with the L, but this was bigger than a win or a loss. It was about bringing 1,629 Mets fans to one of the most historic Ballparks in America. It was about finding a common ground with an opposing fanbase. It was about showing the world just how great the community of Mets fans can be, regardless of how well the team is playing. Most importantly, it was about enjoying a game of baseball.Chanting Yankees Suck is not as cool as people think.
— metspolice.com (@metspolice) September 16, 2018
Kick off your Memorial Day Weekend at our tailgate on Saturday May 24th! You don't need to be sitting with The 7 Line Army to tailgate together. Let's get the good vibes started in the parking lot and hopefully they continue until last pitch. Food, drinks, games, music and more in the Marina Lot.
Our 4th trip to Fenway is set for Monday May 19th. We're rolling with 1,000 fans, and we'd love to see as many of your amazin' faces at the pre-game as possible. Drinks specials, bowling, pool tables, and more.
Swing by the K Korner on Friday May 9th before the Mets take on the Cubs. If you're sitting with us or not, you can enjoy exclusive specials on Montauk draft beers by rocking T7L merch to the bar.
Nick Giacone
Author