Mets Opening Day Generates Nearly $8M In City Spending: Study

FLUSHING, QUEENS -- If there's one thing New York Mets fans are known for, it's showing up for their team. When it came to opening day, that die-hard mentality put millions of dollars into the city's pockets, according to a new study.

By the time the Mets face off against the St. Lous Cardinals at 1:10 p.m. on Thursday in their 2018 home opener at Citi Field, it will have generated nearly $8 million for the city, according to an analysis by the New York City Economic Development Corporation.

"The season may not be in full swing, but the economic impact of the Mets Opening Day Game has proven to be tremendous, providing one more thing for fans and Citi Field employees to cheer about," said NYC EDC President James Patchett.

The 2018 Mets' Opening Day Game alone made a $7.91 million economic impact on New York City, more than half of which came directly from fans' pockets, according to the study.

Visitors spent around $4.5 million on tickets, transportation, concessions and merchandise for the home opener inside Flushing Meadows Park's baseball field, the EDC said.

Indirect money generated by the game - such as money spent by Citi Field employees and companies who profited from the city's spike in visitors - generated another $3.4 million, according to the analysis.

The study comes just over a week after Mayor Bill de Blasio announced NYC city saw a record-high of 62 million visitors in 2017, including 13.1 million international tourists.

Lead photo by Al Bello/Getty Images.