The 5 Mets seasons with the highest attendance

The popularity of a baseball team can sometimes be measured by how many people show up to the ballpark. When looking at the history of the New York Mets and their best attendance numbers, we see an obvious trend.

As popular as the 1986 Mets remain or how much nostalgia there is for the 1969 team, neither included a season with a top five number in terms of paid attendance. They might be popular but they don’t measure up to these three seasons when it comes to filling the seats.

5) 1988 NY Mets drew 3,055,455 fans

Depending on your age, this might be the only Mets season you weren’t alive to attend. The 1988 Mets looked like they were fully capable of winning a championship. They were arguably better in some areas then they were in 1986. Backed by a 100-win season, Mets fans showed up plenty to watch them play. This year was unique because it’s the only one not in the top five to occur within a string of four years.

4) 2009 NY Mets drew 3,168,571 fans

The first year of Citi Field included over 3 million tickets sold. It’s the only year of Citi Field when this happened. Unfortunately, it wasn’t a very productive year for the Mets who ended the year with a 70-92 record. But at least we got to see the ballpark in year one, right?

3) 2006 NY Mets drew 3,379,535 fans

It’s no secret as to why the 2006 Mets had almost 3.5 million in attendance. They were good and much like the 1988 club, looking bound for a championship. Their 97-65 record and exciting roster of youngsters like David Wright, Jose Reyes, and others made them one of the better teams of this century thus far.

2) 2007 NY Mets drew 3,853,955 fans

The 2007 Mets are remembered most for their late-season collapse. About half a million more fans showed up after the 2006 fall hoping to see the club take the next step. Unfortunately, they won fewer regular season games and their September landslide left those who waited until the final month of the season feeling a little worse when they showed up to Shea Stadium.

1) 2008 NY Mets drew 4,042,045 fans

Speaking of Shea Stadium, the only year in Mets history to draw over 4 million was the final season where the team called their longtime ballpark home. Things ended similarly as they did the year prior. While the collapse wasn’t as epic, the exit is more memorable for its awkwardness. An early exit by Tom Glavine after getting hammered by the Florida Marlins in the first inning put a rotten cherry on a season where more Mets fans showed up than ever before. Everyone needed to say goodbye to Shea Stadium.