Pete Alonso may soon see his vision for Friday Night Blackouts come to life.
Mets owner Steve Cohen announced the Mets black jerseys will return to Citi Field in the 2021 season for a limited number of games, “with absolute certainty.” The jerseys will also be sold at the stadium this year, Cohen said in a Youtube Q&A with Wayne Randazzo on Monday night.
The crisp black uniforms, worn by the club as alternates from 1998-2011, were a red-hot topic surrounding the Mets throughout the offseason.
Alonso had been banging the drum for the return of the black jerseys since last season. During this spring camp, he said he envisions fans packing out Citi Field in black, with the music blaring and the crowd screaming. The first baseman said the jerseys remind him of Mets favorites, citing Mike Piazza, Pedro Martinez, David Wright, Carlos Beltran and other former players who rocked the unis. The uniform became a staple of the franchise during the Mets’ playoff runs in 1999 and 2000.
Other Mets players, including Marcus Stroman, Michael Conforto, Dominic Smith and J.D. Davis soon joined Alonso and voiced support for their comeback. The black jersey encore doesn’t come without controversy, though. Radio broadcaster Howie Rose has long wanted the conversation to be put to bed.
Rose has referenced Mets colors — blue and orange born out of homage to the Dodgers and Giants, respectively — as his central point of opposition. In 1962, the franchise’s inaugural season, the National League returned to New York for the first time since 1957 and the colors represented a simple way to celebrate the moment.
Rose last year tweeted: “Allow me to repeat. Black is NOT a Mets color. Tradition is sacrosanct. Carry on.”
But the rally cries for bringing back the black outweighed the challengers when the loudest and richest voice in the room chimed in with his opinion. Cohen teased their return in his introductory press conference in November and again mentioned them moments after the club’s signature splash of the winter, when Francisco Lindor and Carlos Carrasco were traded to the Mets in January.
Cohen said in a tweet: “I know this trade seems to creating excitement but let’s get back to what matters – the black jerseys”
Alonso last month said his vision culminates in Friday Night “blackouts” at Citi Field, when fans can fill the stadium in “a sea of black shirts out there in the outfield, with music banging out of the speakers, lights going.” He said the uniforms will spark swagger and moxie.
Stroman tweeted on Monday: “Black jerseys are back. Turn me allllll the way up for those home starts when we wear black!”
