Two and a half hours before the start of the Mets’ game against the Miami Marlins on Sunday, the team’s assistant athletic trainer, Brian Chicklo, strolled through the home dugout with a large box of hand warmers.
The reason was obvious: Spring training in Florida and April in Flushing have little in common.
In an uneven first week of the regular season, the Mets played six games and all but one were at night. Early April in New York often means cold weather, and Citi Field sits right off Flushing Bay, which means there is often a breeze to make it feel even colder.