The Mets are playing matchmaker to baseball-loving daters with the team’s first-ever Singles Night

Photograph: Courtesy HBO The Mets are getting into the dating game—and for once, getting to first base at Citi Field won’t necessarily involve baseball. The hometown team is hosting its first-ever Singles Night Out on Thursday, August 27, when the Mets take on the Milwaukee Brewers at 7:10pm, teaming up with New York social-events company Hot & Social for an evening designed to help unattached Mets fans meet a potential date, new friend or future game-day partner. The event pairs a Mets game with pregame mixers, relationship-status wristbands, conversation starters and interactive experiences meant to make approaching someone IRL feel a little less terrifying. Hot & Social, founded by Liv Schreiber, specializes in events where people are encouraged to arrive solo and actually talk to one another—a concept that apparently still has some life in it despite the existence of approximately 9,000 dating apps. RECOMMENDED: Let me tell you—dating in NYC is actually awesome Schreiber started the company after struggling to find events where people could comfortably show up alone and meet new people. Her solution was to throw her own party, requiring guests to come solo and promising they’d leave with friends. Hot & Social has since expanded into pickleball parties, movie screenings, dinners, dating events and its Camp Social gatherings. (The company says its events have connected more than 100,000 people.) For the Mets event, there are four ticket packages, all of which include a game ticket and wristband. The top-tier “Most Eligible” package also comes with a co-branded hat, a pregame party at Willets Point Brewery, Fiesta Deck seating and all-inclusive food and drinks. “Serious Contender” includes the hat and brewery party, plus Citi Pavilion seating and $12 in stored value. “Ready to Mingle” includes the hat and a pregame gathering at Bullpen Plaza, while “The Bare Minimum”—points for honesty—gets you into the game with your wristband. Whether anyone leaves Citi Field with a soulmate is, of course, beyond the Mets’ control. But if you’ve ever wished your dating life involved fewer swipes and more seventh-inning stretches, this may be your chance to see whether baseball chemistry extends beyond the diamond.