The New York Mets and Chicago White Sox negotiated a trade this past offseason, with the Mets acquiring Luis Robert Jr. in exchange for Luisangel Acuna and Truman Pauley. Robert Jr. has some high potential as a power hitter in the middle of the Mets' high-powered offense, but staying healthy will be his priority. The slugger's other priority is to play some meaningful games in front of a raucous crowd, according to Mike Puma via X, formerly Twitter.
“I am sure that Thursday the stadium is going to be packed, which is something that over the last few years in Chicago I didn't get to experience that,” Robert Jr. commented. “It's going to be a new experience for me.”
While it might've been just Robert Jr's way of throwing some shade towards his old team for trading him, he isn't factually wrong. The Mets finished fifth in attendance last season, averaging 39,755 fans per game. The White Sox landed near the bottom of those ranks, finishing fourth-last with 18,021. Considering that two of the teams that finished below them, the Tampa Bay Rays and Athletics, played in minor league and spring training stadiums, it isn't the greatest indictment of how things are going for the White Sox.
Luis Robert Jr. likely loved his first example of how loud a home crowd can get in the Mets' first inning of Opening Day. He was part of the onslaught on Paul Skenes and scored a run on Brett Baty's three-RBI triple that would've blown the roof off of Citi Field if there was one.
