Home Run Apple

Lore & Background

The original, smaller apple was first installed in Shea Stadium in 1980 at the behest of Al Harazin. A replacement was installed at Citi Field upon that stadium's opening in 2009, and the original apple was moved to the home plate entrance of Citi Field where it currently remains. The original is 9 feet (2.7 m) tall while the replacement is 18 feet (5.5 m) tall and 16 feet (4.9 m) wide. The apple was originally made of fiberboard and came out of a top hat with the slogan 'Mets Magic' (later replaced with 'Home Run'). The Mets won only 67 games in 1980, and the apple became known as 'Harazin's folly'. It often got stuck and became misshapen due to harsh weather. In 2007, the Mets announced the apple would be retired, but fan demand led to a new apple being built for Citi Field. The old apple was installed outside Citi Field near the home plate entrance. The Shea Stadium apple used a motor and pulley-operated elevator mechanism; the Citi Field apple is powered by hydraulics and operated from the control room with a key and button. It has failed at least twice: in 2009 when Fernando Tatís hit a home run, and in 2017 when Travis d'Arnaud hit a home run, prompting fans to chant 'We Want Apple!'.

In Their Own Story

The sun dipped below the skyline of Atlanta as the seventh-inning stretch neared its end at Truist Park. A crack echoed off the brick walls, sending a ball soaring over the right-field fence near the fountain area. Immediately, the roar of the crowd shifted from anticipation to eruption. Near the stands, a staff member in a navy blue uniform rushed forward, not with an apple, but with a wooden replica axe. He placed it gently on the barrier as fans reached out, hands eager for the souvenir that marked another chapter in the team's offensive legacy.

Reader's Guide

During Major League Baseball games, the Home Run Apple is raised only for New York Mets home runs. An exception occurred in 1998 when the New York Yankees played a home game at Shea Stadium and Darryl Strawberry hit a home run; the apple was partially raised. In 2015, after Travis d'Arnaud hit a home run that struck the apple in Game 1 of the National League Championship Series, a bandage was placed on the apple the next day. On June 1, 2024, the apple was given a temporary makeover with green seed decals and a large green leaf decal, resembling a strawberry, and the Mets logo was replaced by a pinstriped '18' patch in honor of Darryl Strawberry, whose number was retired that day.

Did You Know?

• The original Home Run Apple was 9 feet tall; the replacement at Citi Field is 18 feet tall and 16 feet wide.
• The apple was originally made of fiberboard and came out of a top hat with the slogan 'Mets Magic'.
• In 2009, the apple failed to rise when Fernando Tatís hit a home run, leading fans to chant 'We Want Apple!' for two and a half minutes.