It took four decades, but “Sidd Finch” finally made it to a Mets home game.
Joe Berton, the man whom Sports Illustrated photographed to depict a fictional Mets mega-prospect in an instant-classic April Fools Day story, visited Citi Field on Tuesday in recognition of the prank’s 40th anniversary.
Berton’s photo appeared in George Plimpton’s 1985 cover story titled “The Curious Case of Sidd Finch,” which described a Mets rookie who could throw 168 mph.
Finch, the article claimed, pitched with one boot on, had learned yoga in Tibet and played the French horn.
In reality, no such pitcher existed.
Berton, a middle-school teacher in Chicago, had formed a friendship with Sports Illustrated photographer Lane Stewart through a shared hobby of model soldiers. Stewart invited Berton to Mets spring training, where they conducted the photoshoot.
“I had a little bit of leeway because George described my pitching motion as kind of like, ‘Goofy gone crazy,’ so I could kind of exaggerate,” Berton said. “I was thinking more like Juan Marichal with the high leg kick. It ended up being a great opening shot.”
The article ran on April 1, yet for a few days, the fabricated story fascinated sports fans who believed it to be true.
This month marked the 40th anniversary of the stunt — which longtime Mets PR man Jay Horwitz reflected on in a recent “End Zone” feature for the Daily News.
Horwitz invited Berton to Tuesday’s game against the Miami Marlins. Berton frequently attends Mets games in Chicago, but he’d never seen them play in Queens.
“When Jay called to arrange this, I said, ‘I’ve always wanted to go to Shea Stadium,’” Berton recalled Tuesday.’ “He said, ‘Well, you missed that chance.’ I’m glad to make it to Citi [Field].”
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