Cohen to Mets faithful: 'Best fans in baseball'

NEW YORK -- Some Mets season ticketholders who drove to Citi Field on Saturday expecting to collect bobbleheads were greeted with a surprise upon arrival. New team owner Steve Cohen and his wife, Alex, spent time handing out the gifts and chatting with fans outside the stadium.

“We want to thank our fans for going through a season that was obviously incredibly difficult,” Cohen said during an interview conducted and distributed by the Mets. “We just wanted to thank them for the support. Our fans are the best fans in baseball. And so we just wanted to say thank you.”

Wearing a blue facemask with an orange Mets insignia emblazoned across the front, Cohen stepped up to the passenger side of various cars as they passed by Citi Field. Season ticketholders had been invited to the ballpark to pick up Pete Alonso and Jacob deGrom bobbleheads, which were originally scheduled for in-season giveaways before the coronavirus pandemic forced Major League Baseball to play games without fans in the stands.

Alex Cohen, the new head of the Mets Foundation, also pitched in to help distribute the bobbleheads.

“These fans are the best fans in baseball,” Steve Cohen said. “Whatever it takes -- they’re excited. I was talking to them. They really love the Mets, and you can feel it.”

Among those who greeted Cohen was Nick Giampietro, Citi Field’s famous “Pin Man,” who rode through in a car decorated with dozens of Mets bumper stickers.

“You are a godsend to us,” said Giampietro, who reportedly battled COVID-19 in April.

“I love your spirit,” Cohen replied.

Cohen and his wife also posed for photographs outside the ballpark and on the playing field.