OMG hits Cooperstown as Mets’ home run sign will get Hall of Fame display
FILE - New York Mets second baseman Jose Iglesias celebrates on the field after the Mets beat the Philadelphia Phillies in Game 4 of the National League baseball playoff series, Oct. 9, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Adam Hunger, File)
NEW YORK (AP) — The spirit of “OMG” is coming to Cooperstown.
Fresh off their exuberant run to the National League Championship Series last month, the New York Mets donated to the Baseball Hall of Fame one of those blue-and-orange OMG signs players often hoisted to accompany happy moments throughout the season.
The particular sign that was gifted, used by the pitching staff during dugout celebrations, arrived at the Museum and will soon go on display in the Your Team Today exhibit to mark “the excitement of the Mets’ 2024 season,” the Hall of Fame announced Tuesday.
It will remain part of the Museum’s permanent collection.
“OMG” is the hit song by Mets infielder Jose Iglesias performed under the stage name Candelita that became ubiquitous at Citi Field as a team anthem this year.
The signs, created by local artist and lifelong Mets fan Jerome McCroy, became familiar to baseball fans all over the country as the wild-card Mets advanced through the playoffs. They fell two wins short of a pennant when they were eliminated by the World Series champion Los Angeles Dodgers in Game 6 of the NLCS.
When putting together its 2024 postseason collection, the Hall of Fame asked the Mets if they might bestow one of the signs to the Museum.
In turn, the team asked Iglesias and pitcher Luis Severino — clubhouse keepers of the signs — and they gladly agreed.
A different OMG sign used by hitters to celebrate big swings will ultimately be displayed in the Mets’ Hall of Fame at Citi Field, the team said.
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