Citi Field

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Lore & Background

The first game at Citi Field was on March 29, 2009, with a college baseball game between the St. John's Red Storm and Georgetown Hoyas. The Mets played their first two games at the ballpark on April 3 and 4, 2009 against the Boston Red Sox as charity exhibition games. The first regular-season home game was played on April 13, 2009, against the San Diego Padres. Citi Field hosted the 2013 Major League Baseball All-Star Game, marking the second time the Mets have hosted the event (the first being in 1964, the inaugural season of Shea Stadium). The naming rights were purchased by Citigroup, a New York financial services company, for $20 million annually. On March 21, 2019, the Mets announced on Twitter that Citi Field's permanent address would be changed to 41 Seaver Way, in honor of former Mets Hall of Fame pitcher Tom Seaver whose number was 41. The ceremony was held on June 27, 2019, and was part of the weekend set aside for celebrating the 50th anniversary of the 1969 World Series champion Mets.

In Their Own Story

Construction began in July 2006 in the parking lot beyond Shea Stadium's left field, racing toward a late March 2009 finish. By April 13, 2008, the Jackie Robinson Rotunda was structurally complete with its arched windows paneled and glazed. September saw most signage installed, and by December 1, 2008, every seat and the playing field were in place. The park welcomed its first visitors on March 29, 2009, when St. John's Red Storm played Georgetown Hoyas in a college game. Two days later, the Mets faced the Boston Red Sox in charity exhibitions on April 3 and 4. Their first regular-season home contest occurred on April 13 against the San Diego Padres, a series that immediately exposed an obstructed view from the visiting bullpen caused by the Mets' own bullpens. During the 2010 off-season, crews rotated both bullpens 90 degrees so pitchers threw toward the field. The stadium later hosted the 2013 All-Star Game, marking only the second time in franchise history it hosted the event.

Reader's Guide

Citi Field has a capacity of 41,922. It has over 15,000 fewer seats than Shea Stadium. The majority of the seats are green – an homage to the Polo Grounds, longtime home of the baseball Giants and the original home of the Mets. The ballpark features the Jackie Robinson Rotunda. During the 2010 off-season, the bullpen area in right-center field underwent a complete renovation. The bullpens were turned 90°, with pitchers throwing toward the field instead of parallel to it. More Mets team colors, player banners and logos were also added throughout the ballpark. The height of the home run boundary line directly in front of the Home Run Apple in center field was reduced in an attempt to produce more home runs. During its first three seasons, the large field dimensions caused Citi Field to play as an extreme 'pitcher's park'. Changes for the 2012 season included building a wall in front of the high wall in left field, removing the nook in right field, and reducing the distance in right center field. The new walls are colored blue. The Mets also created a new seating section called the Party City Party Deck. The center and right-center outfield wall were brought in for the 2015 season. In 2023, the right field fence was moved in, removing the nook and creating a new fan experience, and the scoreboard in center field was replaced with a new one measuring the largest in any MLB ballpark.

Did You Know?

• The first game at Citi Field was on March 29, 2009, a college baseball game between St. John's and Georgetown.
• Citi Field hosted the 2013 MLB All-Star Game, the second time the Mets hosted the event.
• The naming rights were purchased by Citigroup for $20 million annually.
• The address was changed to 41 Seaver Way in honor of Tom Seaver, with the ceremony on June 27, 2019.
• The 2023 scoreboard in center field is the largest in any MLB ballpark.

Origins and Political Struggles

Since the 1990s, the Mets pursued a replacement for Shea Stadium, which suffered from seating located too far from the field despite being retrofitted as baseball-only after the Jets left in 1983. A preliminary model unveiled in 1998 proposed a retractable roof and movable grass to host conventions and basketball. The team also considered sites at Mitchel Field, Belmont Park, Sunnyside Yard, or the West Side Yard. In December 2001, Mayor Rudy Giuliani announced tentative agreements for both the Mets and Yankees to build new stadiums with $800 million in public construction funds and $390 million for transportation. The deal allowed teams to keep parking revenues and 96% of ticket sales while receiving tax breaks. However, Michael Bloomberg succeeded Giuliani and exercised an escape clause, calling the plan "corporate welfare" after discovering a clause allowing teams to leave on 60 days' notice if the city backed out. Under Bloomberg, public funding was restricted to infrastructure improvements only. The final plans for Citi Field were developed as part of New York's unsuccessful 2012 Olympic bid; when the West Side Stadium project failed, the Mets' ballpark was designated as an alternate venue for track and field, though London ultimately won the games.

Financial Structure and Public Investment

The $850 million park relied on $615 million in public subsidies funded by New York City municipal bonds. The Mets are responsible for repaying these bonds with interest over time, a mechanism designed to offset property taxes for the stadium's entire lifetime. Citigroup purchased naming rights for $20 million annually. The Mets own the facility through their wholly owned subsidiary, Queens Ballpark Company, under a 40-year lease that keeps them in New York until 2049. This financial structure emerged after Mayor Bloomberg rejected direct public funding for stadium construction, insisting teams pay while the city covered only infrastructure improvements. The original projected cost was $610 million, with the Mets contributing $420 million. This arrangement balanced the need for a state-of-the-art facility with fiscal constraints imposed by city leadership, ensuring taxpayers were not left with long-term debt obligations beyond the initial bond issuance.

Construction Timeline and Architectural Vision

Designed by Populous, construction began in July 2006 in Shea Stadium's parking lot, targeting completion before Opening Day 2009. By April 13, 2008, the Jackie Robinson Rotunda structure was complete with arched windows receiving glass and paneling. September 2008 saw most signage installed, and by December 1, 2008, all seats and the playing field were in place. The design focused on a baseball-only configuration to solve Shea's issues, featuring green seats as an homage to the Polo Grounds and an exterior resembling Ebbets Field. Interior influences included PNC Park, Great American Ball Park, Coors Field, and Citizens Bank Park. A key architectural motif is the bridge theme, reflecting New York City's 2,027 bridges and symbolizing the Mets' connection to the Giants and Dodgers. The park also features unique orange foul poles carried over from Shea Stadium.

Inaugural Events and Operational Refinements

Citi Field hosted its first game on March 29, 2009, a college matchup between St. John's Red Storm and Georgetown Hoyas. The Mets played their first two games against the Boston Red Sox on April 3 and 4 as charity exhibitions. Their inaugural regular-season home game took place on April 13, 2009, against the San Diego Padres. This debut revealed a design flaw where the visiting bullpen had an obstructed view due to the Mets' bullpen placement. During the 2010 off-season, both bullpens were rotated 90 degrees so pitchers faced the field directly. The venue also saw significant dimension changes: in 2012, an 8-foot wall was added in left field and right-center distance reduced from 415 to 390 feet to encourage home runs. In 2015, center and right-center walls moved to 380 feet. On March 21, 2019, the address changed to 41 Seaver Way in honor of Tom Seaver. In 2023, the right field fence moved in another 8 feet, and a new 17,400-square-foot scoreboard was installed.