Meet The (Virtual) Mets

With the nation and world fighting an uphill battle against the deadly COVID-19 outbreak, SNY has created an escape for some Mets fans. As it stands now the MLB season is postponed until further notice, which is why SNY has been live streaming every Mets game that would have happened through MLB The Show simulations.

The online streams provide a sense of normalcy in these trying times. Although just a virtual game it quenches the thirst that most people have for live sports to return.

With the postponement of the 2020 season many have taken to the digital world to simulate their favorite teams’ season. The MLB even streamed a game between the Yankees and Dodgers on MLB The Show that got nearly 120,000 views on YouTube.

While SNY hasn’t garnered that many views on their streams of the Mets games, only averaging around 5,000 views per stream, they gave the Flushing Faithful a pleasant surprise for game ten of their virtual season against the Astros, as Gary Cohen, Keith Hernandez and Ron Darling announced the virtual game. The rambunctious booth brought out the largest digital crowd for any game on SNY’s YouTube as it currently stands at 48,000 views.

The beloved SNY crew appeared to not have missed a step even without announcing games since the shortened spring training. The crew pointed out some abnormalities in the video game as the virtual Mets outfielder Brandon Nimmo drew a walk and seemingly for the first time ever walked instead of jogged to first. Brandon Nimmo of course is known for running full speed to first base on a walk. Another anomaly the crew pointed out was Jeff McNeil taking a first pitch strike, which McNeil would probably scold himself for doing had it been real life.

Hernandez and Darling provided some comedy as Darling’s son was heard making some noise in the background, Hernandez joked with him that there was no family allowed in the booth. Later on, Darling let out a cough and Hernandez told Cohen that maybe it was time to reintroduce Darling to the cough button. Darling then stated that he was coughing into a pillow to try and muffle the sound. Lead announcer Gary Cohen even kept a scorecard for the game.

The game ended up as a 2-1 win for the virtual Mets, as digital deGrom went 7 innings with 12 strikeouts. Edwin Diaz came into the game in the ninth inning and completed the save. The virtual Mets would come out of the next game against the Astros with a 7-0 loss. In their first 11 games the virtual Mets sit at a 3-8 record, but the record doesn’t matter too much, as long as the fans have something to escape to.

All in all, the SNY streams are a small escape from the monotony that we face during the unpredictable pandemic. When faced with other tragedies, sports have always been an escape, something that has brought the nation together. But in a time where physically coming together is the thing that puts us in danger, virtual sports may be our best option.

Posted in MLB