New York Mets at Citi Field
Since 2009, the Mets have played at Citi Field in Queens, New York, a quick trip on the 7 train from Manhattan. The team moved there from Shea Stadium, which opened in 1964 next to the site of that year's New York World's Fair. The exterior evokes Ebbets Field, the old home of the Brooklyn Dodgers, and the interior resembles the Pittsburgh Pirates' PNC Park. Visitors pass through a rotunda honoring Dodgers great Jackie Robinson. One piece of Mets history brought over from the Shea days is the Home Run Apple in the center field batter's eye; the apple lights up and rises whenever a Mets player hits a home run. The stadium is also distinctive for its FanFest area behind the center field scoreboard, which features all manner of attractions for kids. Food options include everything from Danny Meyer's Shake Shack burgers to Korean food from Café Hanover.
New York Mets History
Meet the Mets! Step right up and greet the Mets! They've been around since 1962, when they arrived alongside the Houston Colt .45s as part of the National League's first expansion in the 20th century. Winners of five National League pennants, the Mets have been colorful in victory and colorful in defeat. Their first team was one of the sorriest to ever take the field, dropping a record 120 games under the legendary skipper Casey Stengel. Seven years later, Lovable Losers no more, the so-called Amazin' Mets won the franchise's first World Series, beating the Baltimore Orioles 4–1 in perhaps the biggest upset in the history of the Fall Classic. That team was led by pitching ace Tom Seaver and his 25–7 record.
The Mets' second World Series victory would come 17 years later, in the team's 25th season. The so-called Bad Guys went 108–54 in the regular season with a powerhouse batting lineup that included catcher Gary Carter, first baseman Keith Hernandez, and outfielders Lenny Dykstra and Darryl Strawberry, plus a pitching rotation that included Dwight Gooden, Ron Darling and Sid Fernandez. The Mets knocked the Boston Red Sox off over seven games in the World Series. Game 6 of that series remains one of the most famous baseball games ever played. New York was down to its last strike when it staged an unlikely rally that culminated in Mookie Wilson sending a slow roller up the first line through Red Sox first baseman Bill Buckner's legs, giving the Mets a 6–5 victory in the 10th inning.
