Video of the Employees Watching their Performances is Available Here
Video of the Entire Performance as Played at Citi Field is Available Here
Two MTA New York City Transit employees participated today in the singing of the national anthem as the New York Mets opened up their 2020 season against the Atlanta Braves at Citi Field. A group of New York heroes was selected by the Mets to record the anthem, parts of which were edited into the final version.
Troy McCullen, a Queens resident and Train Service Supervisor assigned to the training division, and Patrick Connolly, a Staten Island resident and Bus Operator who drives the S79 route, were among the essential workers including firefighters, police officers and hospital employees featured in the video, which was played at Citi Field and on television before the game.
“Transit employees have been heroes throughout this entire pandemic and it is great that two of my colleagues are being recognized in this way,” said Interim New York City Transit President Sarah Feinberg. “I am amazed by Troy and Patrick’s talent, and I am so glad they had the opportunity to share it with baseball fans today.”
McCullen and Connolly were joined by Feinberg, Interim Senior Vice President of Subways Frank Jezycki and MTA Chief Safety Officer Patrick Warren at MTA Headquarters to watch their performances before the game. McCullen was also joined by two of his colleagues, Richard DeNardo and Leonard Young.
“Singing is definitely one of my passions,” said McCullen. “It’s something that never goes away, and situations like this always remind me that this is something I should be doing.”
“I felt super proud to be part of the collaboration,” said Connolly. “Every musician loves to collaborate with other talented people, so to be put in the talent pool, it was outstanding for me. For today, I am a Mets fan.”
The Mets beat the Braves 1-0, undoubtedly thanks in part to the good luck brought on by these two singing MTA heroes.