New York Mets fans applaud injured closer Edwin Diaz’s surprise appearance ahead of home opener: "I cried when the trumpets started playing"

New York Mets fans were treated to a surprise appearance from injured closer Edwin Diaz prior to the team's home opener against the Miami Marlins on Friday afternoon.

As the trumpets of his theme song "Narcos" blared from the Citi Field speakers, Diaz appeared from the Mets dugout. He hobbled up the steps with crutches in hand to the raging applause of the packed house of home fans.

Diaz turned and waved to the crowd, tipping his cap to acknowledge the adulation, before disappearing from view.

He is not expected to play this season. Diaz tore his right patellar tendon celebrating Team Puerto Rico's stunning defeat of heavily-favored Team Dominican Republic in March's World Baseball Classic.

Edwin Diaz was a key member of the New York Mets' bullpen in 2022, logging a second-consecutive 32-save season. He has become a fan favorite among the Mets faithful, who delight in the boisterous trumpets of "Narcos" as he strides to the pitching mound during home games.

Mets fans are deeply in love with Diaz, who was obtained from the Seattle Mariners in a trade prior to the 2019 season. Many were offering up their own limbs to him if it meant that they could see him pitch in 2023.

The New York Mets did not announce Edwin Diaz's planned appearance before the game, leading to a genuinely spontaneous display of emotion from fans both in attendance and watching on television. Many were impressed at seeing Diaz on his feet and walking after the last image most had witnessed was of him being carted off the field in Miami after suffering the injury.

It was a tremendous moment for Mets fans to see Diaz emerge at Citi Field wearing orange and blue while his theme song played. However, it is still not the way most New Yorkers imagined Diaz making a curtain call during the home opener.

Edwin Diaz injury a harbinger of doom for New York Mets

Edwin Diaz #39 of Team Puerto Rico leaves the field in a wheelchair after sustaining an injury

The New York Mets were heavily-favored to win the 2023 World Series after amassing a $343.5 million payroll this past winter.

However, Edwin Diaz's injury was the first of many to strike the Mets this spring. Following Diaz to the IL were starting pitchers Carlos Quintana and Justin Verlander -- both acquired via free agency this offseason -- as well as reliever Tommy Hunter and catcher Omar Narvaez.

The Mets entered Friday third in the National League East with a 3-4 record as the weight of expectations is bearing down on the team.