NY Mets home stadium - Citi Field

      Let’s talk about the Mets (aka New York Metropolitan Baseball Club). One of baseball's first expansion teams, the Mets were founded in 1962 to replace New York's departed NL teams, the Brooklyn Dodgers and the New York Giants. The team's colors evoke the blue of the Dodgers and the orange of the Giants.

     The Mets management spends the money (payroll in 2023 according to USA Today: $353,546,854), but the product on the field is unsuccessful in getting post season success.  My stadium stop at Citi Field in Flushing, NY (Queens, New York City) was easy to access from Hamilton in April 2017. I can get to a Mets game in less than 3 hours using NJ/NY transit. I got there in time to explore the area and get into Citi Field. All I did was follow all the people with Mets attire.  Public transportation is my preferred way to get to ballparks. It allows me to go with the locals and enjoy the environment pre-game.

      The Mets (2 World Series: 1969, 1986) have been overshadowed by the Yankees (27 World Series) for decades.  The Mets have good players, like Pete Alonso; have the payroll.  However, they  are stuck in the middle of baseball. They are  not bad enough to be on the bottom of the rankings, but they are not good enough to reach the playoffs.  They have a slim chance  in the race for national league pennant year after year. It doesn’t help their case, that Braves and Phillies are in NL East too. 

      The stadium is a traditional park with all the modern perks, like the big screens and premium box seats.  I was suitably impressed.  The architect was inspired by Pirates’ PNC park. All the seats are green in color, which pays homage to the Polo Grounds, previous home of Mets. There are monuments and/or banners to great Mets players, like Gary Carter, Daryl Strawberry, David Wright, Mike Piazza, and Tom Seaver. 

      This ballpark is the only ballpark in MLB to feature orange foul poles rather than standard yellow, a unique characteristic that was carried over from Shea Stadium. In essence, this stadium honors the old ballparks of Mets and incorporating it with the new.  For example, the exterior fascade of Citi Field is reminiscent of Ebbets Field, but there is a huge red apple statue  in front to provide the whimsical (NewYork City = Big Apple).  The Mets have a state of the art stadium, which is nice when I stop in when Phils are in town.