Grimace’s lore around the Mets’ 2024 season now has a permanent place at Citi Field.
The Mets introduced the Grimace seat on Monday ahead of their 2-1, extra-innings win over the Nationals in honor of the purple character from fast-food chain McDonald’s, who has turned into a bit of a good luck charm this year.
Grimace became an unofficial second mascot of sorts for the Mets after he threw out the ceremonial first pitch at Citi Field on June 12, when before the team went on to beat the Marlins and kicked off a seven-game winning streak.
“It’s been great to see how our fanbase created the Grimace phenomenon following his first pitch in June and in the months since,” Mets senior vice president of partnerships Brenden Mallette said in a press release. “As we explored how to further capture the magic of this moment and celebrate our new celebrity fan, installing a commemorative seat ahead of fan appreciation weekend felt like the perfect way to give something back to the fans in a fun and unique way.”
The Grimace seat is located in the second deck in right field in section 302, row 6, seat 12, a nod to the June 12 date when the purple character first appeared at the Queens ballpark.
The Mets are making the seat available for purchase through their remaining six home games this season.
“It’s just been a fun year, and at the same time, we’ve been playing great ball. Ever since the end of May, we have been crushing it,” Mets executive vice president and chief marketing officer Andy Goldberg told the Associated Press. “So I think that added to the mystique.”
Grimace was on hand for the unveiling of the new seat in his honor and fittingly the Mets won on Monday night in walk-off fashion in the bottom of the 10th inning to snap a two-game skid.
The Mets now hold a one-game lead on the final wild-card spot in the National League.