When New Yorkers finally got their tickets to see the Mets play the Brooklyn Dodgers, they did not expect to see them at the same time.
But the first tickets went online on Monday, and by Tuesday morning, fans had already snapped up tickets to the game.
On Tuesday night, the Mets announced that they would be using their new “contour” ticketing system for future games, and fans have been eagerly anticipating the return of a familiar face.
“It’s been so long since I’ve seen these seats on my face,” said Brooklyn resident Jodi Wainstein, who is a Mets fan.
“I’m excited to see what this looks like.”
On Wednesday morning, the New York City Department of Transportation (DOT) posted a video of the seats being displayed on its Twitter account, which has been a magnet for Mets fans and New Yorkers alike.
“Welcome back, the Contour seats are now available for purchase on our site,” the DOT tweeted, “for a limited time only.”
The seats are the latest upgrade to the Mets’ longstanding seating arrangements, and they mark a major departure from the more traditional baseball seats.
The Mets have used the seats in the stadium since the team moved to the Bronx in 2001, but the system was never used on the regular-season level until recently.
“In many ways, the system has been one of the most difficult systems to use,” Mets general manager Sandy Alderson told ESPN’s Darren Rovell in an interview published last month.
“We’re very excited to get back to what it is: an open, competitive game.”
The Mets also announced the purchase of “the next meter” for the seats, a new ticket vending machine located just inside the entrance to the stadium that is equipped with an infrared camera.
Fans can also purchase tickets at the stadium’s Ticketmaster kiosk, located at the top of the left field bleachers.
“The next meter is not an option at all,” Alderson said.
“Our customers can buy tickets from us on the plaza and from any of our vending machines in the park.”
The next meter will be available for two more weeks, after which the Mets will transition to a new system, which Alderson described as “a more open and competitive system.”
The system will be in place for two weeks, but it won’t be able to sell tickets until the New Year, which is the end of March.
“One of the things we’ve learned with our new system is that it’s an open market,” Alderson said.
The New York Daily News noted that the Mets “cannot guarantee a return to regular-year seating,” and that fans will have to take advantage of the new seats in a way that is not possible under the old system.
“This is the first time the Mets have put a meter on the leftfield concourse,” Mets outfielder Adam LaRoche said in the video.
“Hopefully we’ll have a meter in the future, because that would be so cool.”
Tickets for the Mets game will go on sale at 10 a.m.
ET on Tuesday, with the team also announcing that they will be “opening all remaining seating for the game.”
Fans can view the new system in person on Wednesday morning.
