NEW YORK — Razor Shines marched to the top step of the Mets dugout, gazed toward right field at Yankee Stadium and giggled.
Over and over, out loud.
“My first thought is this: You’re going to have a lot of free-agent hitters wanting to come here,” the Mets’ third-base coach said Friday night.
David Wright, Carlos Beltran and the Mets got their first look at the new ballpark in the Bronx, and were eager to take batting practice before this year’s Subway Series opener.
Easy to see why. Both new stadiums in New York had hosted 29 games going into the weekend — there had been a whopping 105 home runs at the Yankees’ bandbox and only 48 at the Mets’ spacious Citi Field.
“You can’t go out there and change your swing,” Wright cautioned.
Still, many of the Mets took note of the short distance to the right-field foul pole. About two-thirds of the homers had sailed in that direction.
“It ain’t just 314 feet to the corner. It’s 314 to the gap!” Shines howled to Mets manager Jerry Manuel.
Each year, both teams try to play down the six games between the New York rivals, saying it’s important to avoid getting too hyped up. The fans tend to take a different approach.
“It’s bragging rights. It’s two new stadiums. That adds even more interest,” said Yankees announcer David Cone, who pitched for both teams.
The Empire State Building will be lit Monday night in either Mets blue-and-orange or Yankees blue-and-white, depending on which team wins the weekend’s three-game set.
