An ode to Mets afternoon games in the middle of the week getting us through long summer work days

Former Chicago Cubs manager Lee Elia has his own opinions of day games in the middle of the week and the fans who are able to attend on such a regular basis. The world was different back in 1983 when he went on his epic rant. MLB day games, typically falling on a Wednesday or Thursday before a new series begins these days, can sometimes be low-attended except for a smattering of retirees, camp kids in brightly colored t-shirts, and the occasional diehard who played hooky from work or maybe have a shift at night. Regardless of how blistering the sun may be or the risk you take to call out sick from work only to end up on television and caught by your boss, attending a day game in the middle of the week is special. Sadly, New York Mets day games are now over with in 2023.

The Mets played the Pittsburgh Pirates on August 16 in what is their final non-weekend start time prior to 4pm. The end of summer is approaching. Where has it gone? Soon enough kids will be walking down the train tracks to find a dead body before school starts again and they drift their separate ways.

An ode to a midday break with NY Mets games on the schedule under the sun on a weekday

Over the course of any game there’s an opportunity to start watching on television, run an errand in your car with the game on the radio, and finish it from your phone while listening on an app as you do yard work. This can happen on weekends, of course. But those middle-of-the-day breaks from reality with a baseball game are something different. Home, in the car, at the beach, or anywhere else you may find yourself on a Thursday summer afternoon, having a Mets game on in the background is perfection.

For the majority of us, our Thursday afternoons are spent working. Having the ability to turn on a Mets around lunchtime does help the clock skip a few minutes every afternoon. It hasn’t mattered in recent years whether or not I was working from an office or my living room. The days just go by quicker with a baseball game.

There’s something special about an afternoon baseball game in the middle of the week. Sunday’s are great because they can divide the morning duties from whatever you have planned for the evening. On a Wednesday or Thursday, it’s an extra caffeine hit. Those pencils aren’t going to push themselves. We could all use a little GKR or Howie and Friends for an extra dose.

The end of NY Mets day games in the week is the end of summer

The official end of summer doesn’t come until late September. Labor Day is another signal of the days getting shorter. Getting trapped behind a school bus in the morning confirms it.

For me, not having a couple hours in the middle of the day to enjoy a baseball game is when summer’s endgame is near. 

It’s not just the Mets who are scratching those day games from their schedule for the remainder of the year. All across MLB, those getaway days are coming with a day off after or maybe a 4:05pm start time for a little while longer. We may always get a doubleheader at some point due to a rain out. Hurricane season will make sure of it. But will the end result give us one last summer day game in the middle of the week?

Has there been a Mets season in recent memory to flash by as quickly as the 2023 campaign? April had so much promise. May ended with us thinking positively about this team. June clocked us in the chin. July left us unsure. August has been more fun than anticipated.

The comfort of having a baseball game to watch each day is about to go away. It’s those day games inside at home with the air conditioner on helping me get through work or a tedious household chore I’ll miss the most.