Citi Field is a

baseball stadium A ballpark, or baseball park, is a type of sports venue where baseball is played. The playing field is divided into two field sections called the infield and the outfield. The infield is an area whose dimensions are rigidly defined in part ba ...

located in

Flushing Meadows–Corona Park Flushing Meadows–Corona Park (often referred to as Flushing Meadows Park or simply Flushing Meadows or Corona Park) is a public park in the northern part of Queens in New York City, New York, U.S. It is bounded by Interstate 678 (New York), ...

, in the

borough A borough is an administrative division in various English language, English-speaking countries. In principle, the term ''borough'' designates a self-governing walled town, although in practice, official use of the term varies widely. History ...

Queens Queens is the largest by area of the Boroughs of New York City, five boroughs of New York City, coextensive with Queens County, in the U.S. state of New York (state), New York. Located near the western end of Long Island, it is bordered by the ...

, New York City, United States. Opened in 2009, Citi Field is the home of

Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball league composed of 30 teams, divided equally between the National League (baseball), National League (NL) and the American League (AL), with 29 in the United States and 1 in Canada. MLB i ...

New York Mets The New York Mets are an American professional baseball team based in the Boroughs of New York City, New York City borough of Queens. The Mets compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National ...

. The ballpark was built as a replacement for the adjacent

Shea Stadium William A. Shea Municipal Stadium ( ), typically shortened to Shea Stadium, was a multi-purpose stadium in Flushing Meadows–Corona Park in Queens, New York City.Populous. The $850 million baseball park was funded with $615 million in public subsidies, including the sale of New York City

municipal bond A municipal bond, commonly known as a muni, is a bond issued by state or local governments, or entities they create such as authorities and special districts. In the United States, interest income received by holders of municipal bonds is often ...

s that are to be repaid by the Mets with interest. The payments will offset property taxes for the lifetime of the park. The first game at Citi Field was on March 29, 2009, with a

college baseball College baseball is baseball that is played by Student athlete, student-athletes at institutions of higher education. In the United States, college baseball is sanctioned mainly by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA); in Japan, ...

game between the

St. John's Red Storm The St. John's Red Storm is the nickname used for the 17 varsity athletic programs of St. John's University, in the U.S. state of New York. St. John's 17 NCAA Division I teams compete in the Big East Conference, with the exception of the fencin ...

and

Georgetown Hoyas The Georgetown Hoyas are the collegiate athletics teams that officially represent Georgetown University, located at Washington, D.C. The Georgetown's athletics department fields 24 men's and women's varsity level teams and competes at the Natio ...

. The Mets played their first two games at the ballpark on April 3 and 4, 2009 against the

Boston Red Sox The Boston Red Sox are an American professional baseball team based in Boston. The Red Sox compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League East, East Division. Founded in as one of the Ameri ...

as charity exhibition games. The first regular-season home game was played on April 13, 2009, against the

San Diego Padres The San Diego Padres are an American professional baseball team based in San Diego. The Padres compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League West, West Division. ...

. Citi Field hosted the

2013 Major League Baseball All-Star Game The 2013 Major League Baseball All-Star Game was the 84th edition of the Major League Baseball All-Star Game. It was held on Tuesday, July 16, 2013 at Citi Field in Queens, New York City, the home of the New York Mets. This was the first time tha ...

, marking the second time the Mets have hosted the event (the first being in

1964 Events January * January 1 – The Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland is dissolved. * January 5 – In the first meeting between leaders of the Roman Catholic and Orthodox churches since the fifteenth century, Pope Paul VI and Patria ...

, the inaugural season of Shea Stadium). The

naming rights Naming rights are a financial transaction and form of advertising or memorialization where a corporation, person, or other entity purchases the right to name a facility, object, location, program, or event (most often sports venues), typical ...

were purchased by

Citigroup Citigroup Inc. or Citi (Style (visual arts), stylized as citi) is an American multinational investment banking, investment bank and financial services company based in New York City. The company was formed in 1998 by the merger of Citicorp, t ...

, a New York financial services company, for $20 million annually.

History

Planning

Since the 1990s, the Mets were looking to replace Shea Stadium. It had originally been built as a

multi-purpose stadium A multi-purpose stadium is a type of stadium designed to be easily used for multiple types of events. While any stadium could potentially host more than one type of sport or event, this concept usually refers to a design philosophy that stres ...

in 1964. While it had been retrofitted as a baseball-only stadium after the

NFL The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league in the United States. Composed of 32 teams, it is divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). The N ...

New York Jets The New York Jets are a professional American football team based in the New York metropolitan area. The Jets compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC East, East division. The team p ...

left for

Giants Stadium Giants Stadium (sometimes referred to as Giants Stadium at the Meadowlands) was a stadium located in East Rutherford, New Jersey, in the Meadowlands Sports Complex. The venue was open from 1976 to 2010, and primarily hosted sporting events and ...

after the 1983 season, it was still not optimal for baseball, with seating located farther away from the playing field compared to other major league ballparks. The team unveiled a preliminary model of the ballpark in 1998; it featured a

retractable roof A retractable roof is a roof system designed to roll back the roof of a structure so that the interior of the facility is open to the outdoors. Retractable roofs are sometimes referred to as operable roofs or retractable skylights. The term o ...

and a movable grass field, which would have allowed it to host events including conventions and college basketball. The Mets also considered moving to Mitchel Field or

Belmont Park Belmont Park is a thoroughbred racing, thoroughbred horse racetrack in Elmont, New York, just east of New York City limits best known for hosting the Belmont Stakes, the final leg of the American Triple Crown of Thoroughbred Racing (United Stat ...

in Nassau County, Long Island;

Sunnyside Yard Sunnyside Yard is a large coach yard, a railroad yard for passenger cars in the Sunnyside neighborhood of Queens in New York City. The yard is owned by Amtrak and is also used by New Jersey Transit. The Pennsylvania Railroad (PRR) complet ...

in Queens, or the

West Side Yard The West Side Yard (officially the John D. Caemmerer West Side Yard) is a rail yard of 30 tracks owned by the Metropolitan Transportation Authority on the west side of Manhattan in New York City. Used to store commuter rail trains operated by t ...

Manhattan Manhattan ( ) is the most densely populated and geographically smallest of the Boroughs of New York City, five boroughs of New York City. Coextensive with New York County, Manhattan is the County statistics of the United States#Smallest, larg ...

. In December 2001, shortly before leaving office, New York City

Mayor In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a Municipal corporation, municipal government such as that of a city or a town. Worldwide, there is a wide variance in local laws and customs regarding the powers and responsibilitie ...

Rudy Giuliani Rudolph William Louis Giuliani ( , ; born May 28, 1944) is an American politician and Disbarment, disbarred lawyer who served as the 107th mayor of New York City from 1994 to 2001. He previously served as the United States Associate Attorney ...

announced "tentative agreements" for both the Mets and the

New York Yankees The New York Yankees are an American professional baseball team based in the Boroughs of New York City, New York City borough of the Bronx. The Yankees compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Am ...

to build new stadiums. Of the $1.6 billion sought for the stadiums, city and state taxpayers would pick up half the tab for construction, $800 million, along with $390 million on extra transportation. The plan also said that the teams would be allowed to keep all parking revenues, which state officials had already said they wanted to keep to compensate the state for building new garages for the teams. The teams would keep 96% of ticket revenues and 100% of all other revenues, not pay sales tax or property tax on the stadium, and would get low-cost electricity from New York state. Business officials criticized the plan as giving too much money to successful teams with little reason to move to a different city.

Michael Bloomberg Michael Rubens Bloomberg (born February 14, 1942) is an American businessman and politician. He is the majority owner and co-founder of Bloomberg L.P., and was its CEO from 1981 to 2001 and again from 2014 to 2023. He served as the 108th mayo ...

, who succeeded Giuliani as mayor, exercised the

escape clause An escape clause is any clause, term, or condition in a contract that allows a party to that contract to avoid having to perform the contract. If an agreement was drawn up for the sale of a house, for example, the purchaser could include some ki ...

in the agreements to back out of both deals, saying that the city could not afford to build new stadiums for the Mets and Yankees. Bloomberg said that, unbeknownst to him, Giuliani had inserted a clause in this deal that loosened the teams' leases with the city and would allow the Mets and Yankees to leave the city on 60 days notice to find a new home elsewhere if the city backed out of the agreement. At the time, Bloomberg said that publicly funded stadiums were a poor investment. Under Bloomberg, the New York City government would only offer public financing for infrastructure improvements; the teams would have to pay for the stadiums themselves. Bloomberg called the former mayor's agreements "

corporate welfare Corporate welfare refers to government financial assistance, Subsidy, subsidies, tax breaks, or other favorable policies provided to private businesses or specific industries, ostensibly to promote economic growth, job creation, or other public b ...

". Giuliani had already been instrumental in the construction of taxpayer-funded minor league baseball facilities

MCU Park Maimonides Park (formerly MCU Park and KeySpan Park) is a minor league baseball stadium on the Riegelmann Boardwalk in the Coney Island neighborhood of Brooklyn in New York City. The home team and primary tenant is the New York Mets-affiliate ...

for the Mets' minor league

Brooklyn Cyclones The Brooklyn Cyclones are a Minor League Baseball team of the South Atlantic League and the High-A affiliate of the New York Mets. They are based in the New York City borough of Brooklyn, and play at Maimonides Park, just off the Coney Island ...

and

Richmond County Bank Ballpark The Staten Island University Hospital Community Park (also SIUH Community Park; formerly the Richmond County Bank Ballpark) is a baseball stadium located on the northeastern tip of Staten Island in New York City. The ballpark holds 8,171 seats a ...

for the

Staten Island Yankees The Staten Island Yankees were a minor league baseball team located in the New York City borough of Staten Island from 1999 to 2020. Nicknamed the "Baby Bombers", the Yankees were the Class A Short Season affiliate of the New York Yankees and pl ...

. The final plans for what is now Citi Field were created as part of the unsuccessful New York City 2012 Olympic bid. After plans for a

West Side Stadium West Side Stadium (also known as the New York Sports and Convention Center) was a proposed football and Olympic stadium to be built on a platform over the rail yards on the West Side of Manhattan in New York City. The stadium would have been ...

fell through, New York looked for an alternate stadium to host the opening and closing ceremonies and

track and field Track and field (or athletics in British English) is a sport that includes Competition#Sports, athletic contests based on running, jumping, and throwing skills. The name used in North America is derived from where the sport takes place, a ru ...

. The Olympic Stadium project on the West Side was estimated to cost $2.2 billion, with $300 million provided by New York City and an additional $300 million from

New York State New York, also called New York State, is a state in the northeastern United States. Bordered by New England to the east, Canada to the north, and Pennsylvania and New Jersey to the south, its territory extends into both the Atlantic Ocean and ...

. If New York had won the bid, Citi Field would have been expanded to Olympic events while the Mets would have played at

Yankee Stadium Yankee Stadium is a baseball stadium located in the Bronx in New York City. It is the home field of Major League Baseball’s New York Yankees and New York City FC of Major League Soccer. The stadium opened in April 2009, replacing the Yankee S ...

in the Bronx for the 2012 season. By then, however, the failure of the West Side Stadium proposal had effectively ended New York's chances of winning the 2012 games.

Construction

The projected cost of the new ballpark and other infrastructure improvements was $610 million, with the Mets picking up $420 million of that amount. The agreement included a 40-year lease that would keep the Mets in New York until 2049. The Mets own the stadium through a wholly owned subsidiary, Queens Ballpark Company. On March 18, 2006, the New York Mets unveiled the official model for the new ballpark. By July 2006, initial construction of the new park was underway in the parking lot beyond Shea Stadium's left-field, with a projected finish of late March ahead of

Opening Day Opening Day is the day on which professional baseball leagues begin their regular season. For Major League Baseball (MLB) and most of the American minor leagues, this day typically falls during the first week of April, although in recent year ...

2009. By April 13, 2008, all of the structure for the Jackie Robinson Rotunda was in place with the arched windows receiving their paneling and glass. By September 2008, most of the Citi Field signage had been installed. By December 1, 2008, all of the seats and the playing field had been installed.

Modifications

During the 2010 off-season, the

bullpen In baseball, the bullpen (or simply the pen) is the area where relief pitchers warm up before entering a game. A team's roster of relief pitchers is also metonymically referred to as "the bullpen". These pitchers usually wait in the bullpen if ...

area in right-center field underwent a complete renovation. When the edifice opened in time for the start of the

2009 MLB season The 2009 Major League Baseball season began on April 5, 2009; the regular season was extended two days for a one-game playoff between the Detroit Tigers and the Minnesota Twins for the American League Central title. The postseason began the next ...

, the Mets' bullpen was in front of the visiting bullpen, leading to an obstructed view of the field from the visiting bullpen, which the

complained about during the Mets' first regular-season home series. 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, including revamping the "Let's Go Mets" slogan on the Citi Vision board so that the word "Mets" appears in its traditional script instead of the same font as the rest of the slogan. Additionally, the height of the home run boundary line directly in front of the Home Run Apple in center field was reduced from to 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", and home-runs at the stadium were among the fewest in the Major Leagues. Mets' general manager

Sandy Alderson Richard Lynn "Sandy" Alderson (born November 22, 1947) is an American baseball executive. He was the president of various Major League Baseball teams, including the New York Mets. He previously served as the general manager of the New York Mets f ...

changed Citi Field's dimensions in time for the

2012 MLB season The 2012 Major League Baseball season began on April 5 because during the MLB Spring Training it was the first of a two-game series between the Seattle Mariners and the Oakland Athletics at the Tokyo Dome in Japan. On November 22, 2011, a new c ...

in order to make it more friendly to hitters. Changes included building an wall in front of the high wall in left field that many had dubbed the "Great Wall of Flushing", removing the nook in the " Mo's Zone" in right field, and reducing the distance in right center field from from home plate to . The new walls are colored blue in order to address fan complaints that the old black walls with orange trims did not reflect the colors of the Mets. The Mets have also created a new seating section located in between the old and new left field walls called the

Party City New AmScan PC LLC formerly, Party City Holdco Inc. is an American chain of party supply stores founded in 1986 by Steve Mandell in East Hanover, New Jersey. Party City's headquarters are in Woodcliff Lake, New Jersey. Party City was the largest ...

Party Deck, renamed the

M&M's M&M's are color-varied sugar-coated dragée chocolate confectionery by the Mars Wrigley Confectionery division of Mars Inc.. The candy consists of a candy shell surrounding a filling which determines the specific type of M&M's. Each piece has ...

Sweet Seats in 2016 after change of sponsorship, and can accommodate 102 additional fans. The center and right-center outfield wall were brought in to for the 2015 season. On March 21, 2019, the Mets announced on

Twitter Twitter, officially known as X since 2023, is an American microblogging and social networking service. It is one of the world's largest social media platforms and one of the most-visited websites. Users can share short text messages, image ...

that Citi Field's permanent address would be changed to 41 Seaver Way, in honor of former Mets

Hall of Fame A hall, wall, or walk of fame is a list of individuals, achievements, or other entities, usually chosen by a group of electors, to mark their excellence or Wiktionary:fame, fame in their field. In some cases, these halls of fame consist of actu ...

pitcher

Tom Seaver George Thomas Seaver (November 17, 1944 – August 31, 2020), nicknamed "Tom Terrific" and "the Franchise", was an American professional baseball pitcher who played 20 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB). He played for the New York Mets, Cin ...

whose

number A number is a mathematical object used to count, measure, and label. The most basic examples are the natural numbers 1, 2, 3, 4, and so forth. Numbers can be represented in language with number words. More universally, individual numbers can ...

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 The 1969 World Series was the championship series of Major League Baseball's (MLB) 1969 season. The 66th edition of the World Series, it was a best-of-seven playoff between the American League (AL) champion Baltimore Orioles and the National L ...

champion Mets. 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.

Features

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 The Polo Grounds was the name of three stadiums in Upper Manhattan, New York City, used mainly for professional baseball and American football from 1880 to 1963. The original Polo Grounds, opened in 1876 and demolished in 1889, was built for the ...

, longtime home of the baseball Giants and the original home of the Mets – as opposed to Shea's orange, blue, red and green assortment. The exterior facade is reminiscent of

Ebbets Field Ebbets Field was a Major League Baseball stadium in the Flatbush, Brooklyn, Flatbush section of Brooklyn, New York City, New York. It is mainly known for having been the home of the History of the Brooklyn Dodgers, Brooklyn Dodgers baseball tea ...

(which was long sought by then-Mets owner

Fred Wilpon Fred Wilpon (born November 22, 1936) is an American real estate developer and former baseball executive. He was principal owner of the New York Mets from 1987 to 2020. Early life and education Wilpon was raised in a Jewish family in Bensonhurst ...

, a Brooklyn native). Citi Field's interior design is primarily influenced by the

Pittsburgh Pirates The Pittsburgh Pirates are an American professional baseball team based in Pittsburgh. The Pirates compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League Central, Central ...

PNC Park PNC Park is a baseball stadium on the North Shore (Pittsburgh), North Shore of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. It is the fifth location to serve as the ballpark of Major League Baseball's Pittsburgh Pirates. Opened during the 2001 Major League Baseb ...

, which was the favorite ballpark of Mets COO

Jeff Wilpon Jeffrey Scott Wilpon (born December 9, 1961) is an American businessman who was an executive vice-president of Sterling Equities, and the owner of the Overwatch League Esports team the New York Excelsior. He is the former COO of the New York Met ...

. Other influences include

Great American Ball Park Great American Ball Park is a baseball stadium in Cincinnati, Ohio, United States. It is the ballpark of Major League Baseball's Cincinnati Reds, and opened on March 31, 2003, replacing Cinergy Field (formerly Riverfront Stadium), the Reds' fo ...

Coors Field Coors Field is a baseball stadium in downtown Denver, Colorado. It is the ballpark of Major League Baseball's Colorado Rockies. Opened in 1995 Major League Baseball season, 1995, the park is located in Denver's LoDo, Lower Downtown neighborhood, ...

, and

Citizens Bank Park Citizens Bank Park is a baseball stadium in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, in the city's South Philadelphia Sports Complex. Home to Major League Baseball's Philadelphia Phillies, the stadium opened April 3, 2004. It is named after Citizens Financi ...

. Citi Field is the only ballpark in Major League Baseball to feature orange foul poles instead of the standard yellow, a unique characteristic that was carried over from Shea Stadium. Shea Bridge 2012

Citi Field features an overarching bridge motif in its architecture, as New York City is linked by 2,027 bridges and is reflected in the Mets logo, as the team is the symbolic bridge to the city's past National League teams, the

New York Giants The New York Giants are a professional American football team based in the New York metropolitan area. The Giants compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC East, East division. The ...

and the

Brooklyn Dodgers The Brooklyn Dodgers were a Major League Baseball team founded in 1883 as the Brooklyn Grays. In 1884, it became a member of the American Association as the Brooklyn Atlantics before joining the National League in 1890. They remained in Brook ...

. In the outfield section of the ballpark, there is a pedestrian bridge named Shea Bridge that resembles the

Hell Gate Bridge The Hell Gate Bridge (originally the New York Connecting Railroad Bridge) is a railroad bridge in New York City. The bridge carries two tracks of Amtrak's Northeast Corridor and one freight track between Astoria, Queens, and Port Morris, Bron ...

. Similar to Shea Stadium, Citi Field's field dimensions ensure it is a pitcher-friendly park. The

Coca-Cola Coca-Cola, or Coke, is a cola soft drink manufactured by the Coca-Cola Company. In 2013, Coke products were sold in over 200 countries and territories worldwide, with consumers drinking more than 1.8 billion company beverage servings ...

Corner, originally known as the

Pepsi Pepsi is a Carbonated water, carbonated soft drink with a cola flavor, manufactured by PepsiCo which serves as its flagship product. In 2023, Pepsi was the second most valuable soft drink brand worldwide behind Coca-Cola; the two share a long ...

Porch, hangs over the field in right field, extending far beyond the indentation of the Clubhouse and is inspired by Tiger Stadium's right field porch. The Pepsi sign that sat atop the area (2009–2015) was modeled after the one alongside the

East River The East River is a saltwater Estuary, tidal estuary or strait in New York City. The waterway, which is not a river despite its name, connects Upper New York Bay on its south end to Long Island Sound on its north end. It separates Long Island, ...

Gantry Plaza State Park Gantry Plaza State Park is a state park on the East River in the Hunters Point section of Long Island City, in the New York City borough of Queens. The park is located in a former dockyard and manufacturing district, and includes remnants of f ...

; it was replaced by Coca-Cola's logo in 2016 upon assuming the role of a Mets sponsor. In 2012, the Mets added the

Party Deck in left field because they moved the fences in. The Party Deck is very similar to The Royals'

Party Porch.

Delta Air Lines Delta Air Lines, Inc. is a Major airlines of the United States, major airline in the United States headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia, operating nine hubs, with Hartsfield–Jackson Atlanta International Airport being its ...

signed a multiyear deal on September 15, 2008, to sponsor an exclusive section in Citi Field. The Delta Sky360 Club is a restaurant-cafe-bar-lounge complex that also houses 1,600 premium seats behind home plate stretching from dugout to dugout.

Jackie Robinson Rotunda

The front entrance of Citi Field features a rotunda named after Brooklyn Dodgers legend

Jackie Robinson Jack Roosevelt Robinson (January 31, 1919 – October 24, 1972) was an American professional baseball player who became the first Black American to play in Major League Baseball (MLB) in the modern era. Robinson broke the Baseball color line, ...

and honors his life and accomplishments. Engraved into the rotunda's floor and etched into the archways are words and larger-than-life images that defined Robinson's nine values: Courage, Excellence, Persistence, Justice, Teamwork, Commitment, Citizenship, Determination and Integrity. Robinson's famous quote: "A life is not important except in the impact it has on other lives" is engraved into the upper ring of the rotunda. There is also an sculpture of Robinson's number 42. The formal dedication of the Jackie Robinson Rotunda was held as part of

's official celebration of Jackie Robinson Day on April 15, 2009.

Home Run Apple

Another tradition from Shea Stadium carried over into Citi Field is the Home Run Apple. When a Mets player hits a home run, a giant apple, which has a Mets logo on the front that lights up, rises from its housing in the center field batter's eye. The new apple that was constructed for Citi Field is more than four times the size of the previous one and was designed by

Minneapolis Minneapolis is a city in Hennepin County, Minnesota, United States, and its county seat. With a population of 429,954 as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the state's List of cities in Minnesota, most populous city. Locat ...

-based engineering firm

Uni-Systems Uni-Systems, LLC is a design, construction, and manufacturing firm located in Minneapolis, Minnesota specializing in kinetic architecture, or movable, mechanized structures. Uni-Systems has been involved in the construction of five of the seven ...

. During the 2009 season, the original Shea apple was located in Bullpen Plaza, just inside the Bullpen Gate entrance. In 2010, it was relocated outside the ballpark in Mets Plaza to the area between the Jackie Robinson Rotunda and the entrance to the Mets–Willets Point subway station.

Tom Seaver statue

On April 15, 2022, at their season home opener, the Mets unveiled a statue of Tom Seaver, created by sculptor

William Behrends William Frederick Behrends (born 1946) is an American sculptor who is best known for creating statues of iconic American sports figures, notably baseball players. Notable works Behrands created all the statues for the San Francisco Giants at Or ...

. It is located in Mets Plaza, next to the Shea Stadium Home Run Apple.

Grimace seat

On September 16, 2024, the Mets installed a purple seat in Section 302, Row 6, Seat 12 to honor the

McDonaldland McDonaldland is a McDonald's media franchise and the fictional fantasy world inhabited by Ronald McDonald and his friends. Starting with the creation of Ronald McDonald in 1963, it is primarily developed and published by McDonald's. Initial atte ...

character

Grimace Grimace may refer to: *A type of facial expression usually of disgust, disapproval, or pain * Grimace (composer), a French composer active in the mid-to-late 14th century *Grimace (character), a McDonaldland marketing character developed to prom ...

, who has been embraced by the fans when the team went on a seven-game winning streak after he threw the first pitch on the June 12, 2024 game against the Miami Marlins.

Amenities and facilities

Behind the center field scoreboard is the FanFest area, an expanded family entertainment area that includes a miniature

wiffleball Wiffle ball is a scaled back Variations of baseball, variation of baseball that was developed in 1953 in Fairfield, Connecticut. Originally, it was intended to be played in confined space or otherwise small area, but became a popular outdoor ac ...

field replica of Citi Field called

Mr. Met Mr. Met is the official mascot for Major League Baseball's New York Mets. Mr. Met first appeared in 1963 as a cartoon drawing in programs. When the team moved to Shea Stadium the following year, he came to life in the form of a costumed mascoth ...

's Kiddie Field, a batting cage, a dunk tank, video game kiosks and other attractions. Citi Field offers a wide choice of eateries. ''Taste of the City'' is a food court located in the center field section of the ballpark. It features food from restaurateur

Danny Meyer Daniel Meyer (born March 14, 1958) is a New York City restaurateur and the founder and executive chairman of the Union Square Hospitality Group (USHG). Background and early career Meyer was born and raised in a reform Jewish family in St. Loui ...

's Union Square Hospitality Group and includes a variety of stands, including

Shake Shack Shake Shack is an American multinational fast casual restaurant chain based in New York City. It started out as a hot dog cart inside Madison Square Park in 2001, and its popularity steadily grew. In 2004, it received a permit to open a permane ...

(burgers, fries, shakes), Blue Smoke (barbecue), El Verano Taqueria (Mexican cuisine), Catch of the Day (featuring seafood from chef Dave Pasternack of Esca), and Box Frites (Belgian French fries); the Shake Shack stand also has the New York skyline replica that topped the old scoreboard at Shea Stadium above it. The World's Fare Market is located on the field level in right field and features sushi from Daruma of Tokyo, sandwiches and pastries from Mama's of Corona, Chinese cuisine from Tai Pan Bakery and Korean food from Café Hanover. Citi Field also offers a choice of fresh fruit at several stands around the stadium. In 2010 Citi Field upgraded the food choices on the Promenade Level behind home plate. Blue Smoke BBQ and Box Frites both open a second location. Restaurants and clubs are also available in every level of the ballpark. The 350-seat Acela Club (now

Porsche Dr. Ing. h.c. F. Porsche AG, usually shortened to Porsche (; see below), is a German automobile manufacturer specializing in luxury, high-performance sports cars, SUVs and sedans, headquartered in Stuttgart, Baden-Württemberg, Germany. Th ...

Grill) located in left field on the Excelsior Level, is the dining highlight of the new park and features a full view of the playing field as well as food from

Drew Nieporent Drew Nieporent is an American restaurateur based in New York City. He owns Myriad Restaurant Group, Nobu and Nobu London, which have earned him two Michelin stars. Career Nieporent’s first restaurant, Montrachet opened in Tribeca in 1985. A ...

's Myriad Restaurant Group, renowned for

Nobu Nobu Hospitality, LLC is an American company founded by Nobu Matsuhisa, Robert De Niro, and Meir Teper in partnerships with Drew Nieporent as an Operator with Myriad Restaurant Group. History In 1987, Nobu Matsuhisa moved to Los Angeles and ...

and

Tribeca Grill Tribeca Grill was a New American restaurant at 375 Greenwich Street (at Franklin Street) in Tribeca, Manhattan, New York City, co-owned by Robert De Niro and Drew Nieporent. Celebrity investors include Bill Murray, Sean Penn, Christopher Walken, ...

. Admission into the high-end luxury Porsche Grill and Delta Sky360 Club, and including the other semi-luxury clubs are exclusive to high-end ticket holders only, and some restaurants enforce that reservations be made. A McFadden's Restaurant and Saloon opened at Citi Field in 2010. It is located directly under the

Good Humor Good Humor is a Good Humor-Breyers brand of ice cream started by Harry Burt in Youngstown, Ohio, United States, in the early 1920s with the Good Humor bar, a chocolate-coated ice cream bar on a stick sold from ice cream trucks and retail outlet ...

FanFest and is open to the public year-round.

Mets Hall of Fame & Museum

The Mets Hall of Fame & Museum is located adjacent to the Jackie Robinson Rotunda on the first base side and opened on April 5, 2010. The museum includes plaques honoring the inductees of the

New York Mets Hall of Fame The New York Mets Hall of Fame was created in order to recognize the careers of former New York Mets players, managers, broadcasters and executives. There are presently 30 members. Originally located in the Diamond Club at Shea Stadium, the ind ...

, the team's World Series trophies from and , as well as artifacts on loan from noted collectors, former players and the

National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum The National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum is a history museum and hall of fame in Cooperstown, New York, operated by a private foundation. It serves as the central collection and gathering space for the history of baseball in the United St ...

. The museum boasts several displays including autographed memorabilia, original scouting reports on players such as Darryl Strawberry, and handwritten notes from the team's first manager

Casey Stengel Charles Dillon "Casey" Stengel (; July 30, 1890 – September 29, 1975) was an American Major League Baseball right fielder and Manager (baseball), manager, best known as the manager of the championship New York Yankees of the 1950s and later, t ...

. In addition to this the team has installed interactive touchscreens, television screens, and timelines that guide visitors through various aspects of the franchise's history.

Public opinion

Business Insider ''Business Insider'' (stylized in all caps: BUSINESS INSIDER; known from 2021 to 2023 as INSIDER) is a New York City–based multinational financial and business news website founded in 2007. Since 2015, a majority stake in ''Business Inside ...

'' praised the stadium for its aesthetics and named it one of the top 100 venues in sports, while BaseballParks.com called it "perfect" and especially lauded the Jackie Robinson Rotunda. Reviewers also praised the many culinary offerings at Citi Field's concession stands. Despite the modern amenities, the new Citi Field was not without criticism. Fans complained of obstructed views and an overemphasis on the celebration of the

' legacy over the history of the Mets. Mets owner

, a Brooklyn native, had grown up a Brooklyn Dodgers fan and admitted to going overboard. Legal analyst

Jeffrey Toobin Jeffrey Ross Toobin (; born May 21, 1960) is an American lawyer, author, blogger, and legal analyst for CNN. During the Iran–Contra affair, Toobin served as an associate counsel on its investigation at the Department of Justice. He moved from ...

wrote in ''

The New Yorker ''The New Yorker'' is an American magazine featuring journalism, commentary, criticism, essays, fiction, satire, cartoons, and poetry. It was founded on February 21, 1925, by Harold Ross and his wife Jane Grant, a reporter for ''The New York T ...

'', In response to these criticisms, the team installed photographic imagery of famous players and historic moments in Mets history on the Field and Promenade levels as well as the display of team championship banners on the left-field wall during the 2009 season. They also constructed a Mets Hall of Fame and Museum prior to the 2010 season, located adjacent to the Jackie Robinson Rotunda, and changed the color of the outfield wall from black to Mets blue prior to the 2012 season, which many Mets fans had campaigned for. The team also worked on fixing the obstructed views in the Promenade level. During its first three seasons in existence, Citi Field played as an extreme " pitcher's park", and was cited as the cause of the decreased offensive production of

David Wright David Allen Wright (born December 20, 1982) is an American former professional baseball third baseman who spent his entire 14-year Major League Baseball (MLB) career with the New York Mets. Chosen by the Mets in the 2001 Major League Baseball dr ...

and

Jason Bay Jason Raymond Bay (born September 20, 1978) is a Canadian-American former professional baseball left fielder who played 11 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB). Initially drafted by the Montreal Expos, he played for the San Diego Padres, Pitts ...

. Wright hit only 10 home runs in 2009 after hitting 30 or more in each of the previous two seasons, while Bay had the worst offensive production of his career in his first season with the Mets in 2010, hitting only 6 home runs, with an on-base percentage of just .347, and a career low .402 slugging percentage.

Jeff Francoeur Jeffrey Braden Francoeur (; born January 8, 1984), nicknamed "Frenchy", is an American former professional baseball right fielder, who played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Atlanta Braves, New York Mets, Texas Rangers, Kansas City Royals ...

, who played with the Mets during their first two years at Citi Field, criticized the ballpark's dimensions, calling it "a damn joke". During the 2011 season, Citi Field allowed 1.33 home runs per game, the third lowest total out of the 16 National League ballparks. The team responded by altering the ballpark dimensions for the 2012 season, creating a much more neutral ballpark. Wright's 2012 offensive numbers improved due to the alterations. "It's a huge difference", Wright said. "It allows you to relax and know you don't have to try to hit the ball a mile to see results. And at the same time, if you do hit the ball well and you see results, instead of a flyout, you're 1-for-1 and feeling good about yourself."

Access and transportation

Citi Field is located in the borough of

, adjacent to the neighborhoods of

Corona Corona (from the Latin for 'crown') most commonly refers to: * Stellar corona, the outer atmosphere of the Sun or another star * Corona (beer), a Mexican beer * Corona, informal term for the coronavirus or disease responsible for the COVID-19 ...

, which lies to its west, and

Willets Point Willets Point, also known locally as the Iron Triangle, is an industrial neighborhood within Corona, in the New York City borough of Queens. Located east of Citi Field near the Flushing River, it has been known for its automobile shops and j ...

and

Flushing Flushing may refer to: Places Netherlands * Flushing, Netherlands, an English name for the city of Vlissingen, Netherlands United Kingdom * Flushing, Cornwall, a village in Cornwall, England * The Flushing, a building in Suffolk, England ...

to the east.

Flushing Bay Flushing Bay is a tidal embayment in New York City. It is located on the south side of the East River and stretches to the south near the neighborhood of Flushing, Queens. It is bordered on the west by LaGuardia Airport and the Grand Central Pa ...

is to the north, and the rest of

is to the south. Because it lies within the Flushing postal zone, and because of its location in Flushing Meadows–Corona Park, Citi Field is frequently referred to as being in Flushing proper. Citi Field is accessible via the

New York City Subway The New York City Subway is a rapid transit system in New York City serving the New York City boroughs, boroughs of Manhattan, Brooklyn, Queens, and the Bronx. It is owned by the government of New York City and leased to the New York City Tr ...

via the

IRT Flushing Line The IRT Flushing Line is a rapid transit route of the New York City Subway system, named for its eastern terminal in Flushing, Queens. It is operated as part of the A Division. The Interborough Rapid Transit Company (IRT), a private operator, ...

() at the Mets–Willets Point station, the Q48 bus, and the

Long Island Rail Road The Long Island Rail Road , or LIRR, is a Rail transport, railroad in the southeastern part of the U.S. state of New York (state), New York, stretching from Manhattan to the eastern tip of Suffolk County, New York, Suffolk County on Long Islan ...

station on the

Port Washington Branch The Port Washington Branch is an electrified, mostly double-tracked rail line and service owned and operated by the Long Island Rail Road in the U.S. state of New York. It branches north from the Main Line at the former Winfield Junction stat ...

, also called Mets–Willets Point. The park is also close to several major thoroughfares, including the

Grand Central Parkway The Grand Central Parkway (GCP) is a 14.61-mile (23.51 km) controlled-access parkway that stretches from the Triborough Bridge in New York City to the Queens– Nassau County line on Long Island. At the Nassau County line, it becomes t ...

, the Whitestone and Van Wyck Expressways, the

Long Island Expressway Long may refer to: Measurement * Long, characteristic of something of great duration * Long, characteristic of something of great length * Longitude (abbreviation: long.), a geographic coordinate * Longa (music), note value in early music mens ...

Roosevelt Avenue Roosevelt Avenue and Greenpoint Avenue are main thoroughfares in the New York City boroughs of Queens and Brooklyn. Roosevelt Avenue begins at 48th Street and Queens Boulevard in the neighborhood of Sunnyside. West of Queens Boulevard, the ...

Northern Boulevard New York State Route 25A (NY 25A) is a state highway on Long Island in New York (state), New York, United States. It serves as the main east–west route for most of the North Shore (Long Island), North Shore of Long Island, running ...

and Astoria Boulevard.

Park and ride A park and ride, also known as incentive parking or a commuter lot, is a parking lot with public transport connections that allows commuters and other people heading to city centres to leave their vehicles and transfer to a bus, Rail transport, r ...
s

Since the construction of Citi Field began, satellite parking lots in Flushing Meadow Park (access from College Point Boulevard) have been opened. Some of these have been designated as park and rides, used by commuters connecting to the trains and the , and buses. In 2020,

Columbia Transportation Columbia Transportation is a fare-free bus network providing service to Columbia University campuses. It is operated by Academy Bus Lines and Luxury Transportation to serve employees and students. The buses are open to all Columbia faculty, stu ...

started a commuter service, the to the Southfield Parking Lot, mainly for commuters from Queens to go to before boarding the bus to Columbia. This service was discontinued in December 2021.

Attendance records

Overall

Bold indicates the winner of each game.

Regular season

Bold indicates the winner of each game.

Progression

Bold indicates the winner of each game.

Naming rights

On November 13, 2006, it was announced that the ballpark would be called Citi Field, named for

Citigroup Inc Citigroup Inc. or Citi (Style (visual arts), stylized as citi) is an American multinational investment banking, investment bank and financial services company based in New York City. The company was formed in 1998 by the merger of Citicorp, t ...

. Citigroup will be paying $20 million a year for the

to the park over the next 20 years. This made Citi Field the second major league sports venue in the New York metropolitan area and the first in the city itself to be named for a corporate sponsor. At the time, the

Meadowlands Arena Meadowlands Arena (formerly Brendan Byrne Arena, Continental Airlines Arena and Izod Center) is a closed indoor sports and concert venue located in the Meadowlands Sports Complex in East Rutherford, New Jersey, United States. Since closing, ...

New Jersey New Jersey is a U.S. state, state located in both the Mid-Atlantic States, Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern United States, Northeastern regions of the United States. Located at the geographic hub of the urban area, heavily urbanized Northeas ...

Meadowlands Sports Complex The Meadowlands Sports Complex is a sports complex located in East Rutherford, New Jersey, United States. The facility is owned and operated by the New Jersey Sports and Exposition Authority (NJSEA). It is named for the New Jersey Meadowlands ...

had carried the

Continental Airlines Continental Airlines (simply known as Continental) was a major airline in the United States that operated from 1934 until it merged with United Airlines in 2012. It had ownership interests and brand partnerships with several carriers. Continen ...

name. The deal includes an option on both sides to extend the contract to 40 years, and is the most expensive sports-stadium naming rights agreement ever, subsequently equaled by MetLife Stadium's $400 million deal. At the groundbreaking for Citi Field, it was announced that the main entrance, modeled on the one in Brooklyn's old Ebbets Field, would be called the

Rotunda, possibly due to campaigns to forgo naming rights revenue and name the ballpark after Robinson. The Mets spent more than $600 million for the new ballpark, which New York City and New York state are also supporting with a total of $165 million for such costs as infrastructure and site preparation. On February 24, 2008, the Mets and Citigroup unveiled the new Citi Field logo.

Controversy

Jonathan Lethem Occupy Wall Street 2011 Shankbone

The

naming rights deal, the most lucrative in history to that point, was criticized during the

2008 financial crisis The 2008 financial crisis, also known as the global financial crisis (GFC), was a major worldwide financial crisis centered in the United States. The causes of the 2008 crisis included excessive speculation on housing values by both homeowners ...

, while $45 billion of taxpayer funds were loaned to Citigroup by the U.S. federal government in two rescue packages. Congressman

Elijah Cummings Elijah Eugene Cummings (January 18, 1951October 17, 2019) was an American politician and civil rights advocate who served in the United States House of Representatives for from 1996 until his death in 2019, when he was succeeded by his predecess ...

Maryland Maryland ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It borders the states of Virginia to its south, West Virginia to its west, Pennsylvania to its north, and Delaware to its east ...

, who served on the

United States House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform The Committee on Oversight and Government Reform is the main investigative United States congressional committee, committee of the United States House of Representatives. The committee's broad jurisdiction and legislative authority make it one o ...

, stated in regards to the Citi Field naming rights deal, "This type of spending is indefensible and unacceptable to Citigroup's new partner and largest investor: the American taxpayer.... I strongly urge Citigroup to find a way out of this contract and instead spend that $400 million on retaining its employees and restoring confidence in its operations." ''

The Wall Street Journal ''The Wall Street Journal'' (''WSJ''), also referred to simply as the ''Journal,'' is an American newspaper based in New York City. The newspaper provides extensive coverage of news, especially business and finance. It operates on a subscriptio ...

'' reported on February 3, 2009, that Citigroup considered breaking the naming rights deal. Instead, Citi stated that no government TARP funds would be used in the sponsorship deal. The naming rights controversy reemerged in a ''

New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...

'' opinion piece when details about owner Fred Wilpon's involvement in

Bernard Madoff Bernard Lawrence Madoff ( ; April 29, 1938April 14, 2021) was an American financial criminal and financier who was the admitted mastermind of the largest known Ponzi scheme in history, worth an estimated $65 billion. He was at one time ...

Ponzi scheme A Ponzi scheme (, ) is a form of fraud that lures investors and pays Profit (accounting), profits to earlier investors with Funding, funds from more recent investors. Named after Italians, Italian confidence artist Charles Ponzi, this type of s ...

came to light and a lawsuit was filed on behalf of victims of Madoff's investment scandal in 2011. Citigroup paid back the loan in full, with interest, by 2014. Jackie Robinson Memorial

Notable events

Notable baseball games

* April 13, 2009 – In the first Mets game ever played at Citi Field,

Jody Gerut Joseph Diego Gerut (born September 18, 1977) is an American former professional baseball center fielder who played six seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB). Initially drafted by the Colorado Rockies, he played for several teams between 2003 and ...

of the

hit a home run off

Mike Pelfrey Michael Alan Pelfrey (born January 14, 1984) is an American college baseball coach and former professional baseball pitcher. He was the pitching coach at Wichita State University from 2019 to 2023, where he played from 2003 to 2005 for head coach ...

as the first batter of the game, becoming the first player in Major League Baseball history to open a ballpark with a leadoff home run. * April 17, 2009 –

Gary Sheffield Gary Antonian Sheffield (born November 18, 1968) is an American former professional baseball outfielder who played in Major League Baseball for eight teams from 1988 to 2009. After his playing career, he became a sports agent. For most of his c ...

hit his 500th home run against the

Milwaukee Brewers The Milwaukee Brewers are an American professional baseball team based in Milwaukee. The Brewers compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League Central, Central Di ...

, becoming the first player to reach this milestone as a pinch hitter. It was Sheffield's first home run as a Met, which made Sheffield the first player to hit number 500 as his first home run with a new team. * June 28, 2009 –

Mariano Rivera Mariano Rivera (born November 29, 1969) is a Panamanian Americans, Panamanian-American former professional baseball pitcher who played 19 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the New York Yankees, from 1995 to 2013. Nicknamed "Mo" and " ...

of the

recorded his 500th career save, becoming only the second relief pitcher to reach this milestone. The Mets gave Rivera the pitching rubber from Citi Field used in the game in honor of his achievement. (Rivera's only RBI, on a bases-loaded walk, also occurred in the game.) * August 23, 2009 -

Philadelphia Phillies The Philadelphia Phillies are an American professional baseball team based in Philadelphia. The Phillies compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) East Division. Since 2004, the team's home stadium has ...

second baseman

Eric Bruntlett Eric Kevin Bruntlett (born March 29, 1978) is an American former professional baseball utility player. Between 2003 and 2009, he played seven seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Houston Astros and Philadelphia Phillies. Born in Lafay ...

executed an

unassisted triple play In baseball, an unassisted triple play occurs when a defensive player makes triple play, all three outs by himself in one continuous play, without his teammates making any Assist (baseball), assists. Neal Ball was the first to achieve this in Majo ...

to finish off a 9–7 win over the Mets. This is just the second game-ending unassisted triple play in Major League Baseball history. * September 11, 2011 – Citi Field hosted a nationally televised game against the

Chicago Cubs The Chicago Cubs are an American professional baseball team based in Chicago. The Cubs compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League Central, Central Division. Th ...

to mark the tenth anniversary of the attacks of that day in 2001. The pregame ceremonies featured members of the 2001 team who played at Shea Stadium on September 21, 2001, the first major sporting event held in New York City since the attacks. * June 1, 2012 –

Johan Santana Johan Alexander Santana Araque (; born March 13, 1979) is a Venezuelan former professional baseball starting pitcher. Santana pitched in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Minnesota Twins from 2000 to 2007 and for the New York Mets from 2008 ...

threw the first

no-hitter In baseball, a no-hitter or no-hit game is a game in which a team does not record a hit (baseball), hit through conventional methods. Major League Baseball (MLB) officially defines a no-hitter as a completed game in which a team that batted in ...

in Mets franchise history in an 8–0 victory over the

St. Louis Cardinals The St. Louis Cardinals are an American professional baseball team based in St. Louis. The Cardinals compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League Central, Centra ...

. * July 16, 2013 – Citi Field hosted the

, with the American League defeating the National League 3–0. The attendance of 45,186 was the largest in Citi Field's history. * June 9, 2015 –

Chris Heston Christopher Lee Heston (born April 10, 1988) is an American former professional baseball pitcher. He played college baseball for East Carolina University and played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the San Francisco Giants, the Seattle Mariners ...

of the

San Francisco Giants The San Francisco Giants are an American professional baseball team based in San Francisco. The Giants compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League West, West Div ...

threw a no-hitter in a 5–0 victory over the Mets. * October 3, 2015 –

Max Scherzer Maxwell Martin Scherzer (born July 27, 1984), nicknamed "Mad Max", is an American professional baseball pitcher for the Toronto Blue Jays of Major League Baseball (MLB). He has previously played in MLB for the Arizona Diamondbacks, Detroit Tige ...

of the

Washington Nationals The Washington Nationals are an American professional baseball team based in Washington, D.C. The Nationals compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) East Division. They play their home games at Na ...

threw a no-hitter in a 2–0 victory over the Mets, becoming the fifth pitcher in major league history to throw two no hitters in a season. * October 12, 2015 – Citi Field hosted its first playoff game, with the Mets defeating the

Los Angeles Dodgers The Los Angeles Dodgers are an American professional baseball team based in Los Angeles. The Dodgers compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League West, West Div ...

13–7 in Game 3 of the

2015 NLDS The 2015 National League Division Series were two best-of-five-game series to determine the participating teams in the 2015 National League Championship Series. The three divisional winners (seeded 1–3) and a fourth team—the winner of a on ...

. * October 30, 2015 – Citi Field hosted its first

World Series The World Series is the annual championship series of Major League Baseball (MLB). It has been contested since between the champion teams of the American League (AL) and the National League (NL). The winning team, determined through a best- ...

game, with the Mets defeating the

Kansas City Royals The Kansas City Royals are an American professional baseball team based in Kansas City, Missouri. The Royals compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League Central, Central Division. The team ...

9–3 in Game 3 of the

2015 World Series The 2015 World Series was the championship series of Major League Baseball's (MLB) 2015 season. The 111th edition of the World Series, it was a best-of-seven playoff between the National League (NL) champion New York Mets and the American Lea ...

. * November 1, 2015 – The Kansas City Royals won the

, their first World Series championship since the

1985 World Series The 1985 World Series was the championship series of Major League Baseball's (MLB) 1985 season. The 82nd edition of the World Series, it was a best-of-seven playoff played between the American League (AL) champion Kansas City Royals and the Nat ...

with a 7-2 Game 5 victory over the Mets in 12 innings. * July 30, 2016 - In a

pre-game ceremony A pre-game ceremony or pre-match ceremony is an on-field ceremony occurring before a sporting event. Such ceremonies may celebrate a past event, honour a retiring athlete, commemorate a deceased athlete, or promote a cause. Celebrating past event ...

before a 7–2 loss to the

Colorado Rockies The Colorado Rockies are an American professional baseball team based in Denver. The Rockies compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League West, West Division. Th ...

Mike Piazza Michael Joseph Piazza ( ; born September 4, 1968) is an American former professional baseball catcher who played 16 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB), from 1992 to 2007, and is a member of the Major League Baseball Hall of Fame. He intended ...

's #31 was retired, only the second time in club history that the Mets retired a player's number. * October 5, 2016 - The San Francisco Giants defeated the Mets 3–0 in the

2016 National League Wild Card Game The 2016 National League Wild Card Game was a play-in game during Major League Baseball's (MLB) 2016 postseason played between the National League's (NL) two wild card teams, the New York Mets and the San Francisco Giants. As both teams fini ...

. * September 11–13, 2017 - A three-game series between the New York Yankees and

Tampa Bay Rays The Tampa Bay Rays are an American professional baseball team based in the Tampa Bay area. The Rays compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League East, East Division. They are one of two major ...

was moved from

Tropicana Field Tropicana Field (nicknamed "The Trop") is a domed multipurpose stadium located in St. Petersburg, Florida, United States. "The Trop" was the home of the Tampa Bay Rays of Major League Baseball (MLB) from 1998 Tampa Bay Devil Rays season, 1998 to ...

to Citi Field due to

Hurricane Irma Hurricane Irma was an extremely powerful and devastating tropical cyclone that was the first Category 5 hurricane to strike the Leeward Islands on record, followed by Hurricane Maria, Maria two weeks later. At the time, it was considered ...

. The Rays were the "home" team for this series because the games were supposed to be played in Tropicana Field. These were the first Major League Baseball games to be played at Citi Field that did not involve the New York Mets. Additionally, these were the first games played in Flushing under AL rules (excluding the 2013 All-Star Game) since April 1998, when the Yankees played a "home" game at Shea Stadium, after a beam caused structural damage at the original

, and during the 1974 and 1975 seasons, while Yankee Stadium was being renovated. * September 28, 2019 - Mets rookie first baseman

Pete Alonso Peter Morgan Alonso (born December 7, 1994), nicknamed "Polar Bear", is an American professional baseball first baseman for the New York Mets of Major League Baseball (MLB). Internationally, Alonso represents the United States. Alonso played co ...

broke the record for most home runs in a season by a rookie set by

Aaron Judge Aaron James Judge (born April 26, 1992) is an American professional baseball right fielder for the New York Yankees of Major League Baseball (MLB). He is a six-time MLB All-Star and two-time American League (AL) Most Valuable Player Award (MVP ...

in 2017. * September 23, 2020 - The

clinched the

American League East The American League East is one of Major League Baseball's six divisions. MLB consists of an East, Central, and West division for each of its two 15-team leagues, the American League (AL) and National League (baseball), National League (NL). T ...

with a 8–5 win over the Mets. * June 25, 2021 - In a 2–1 loss to the Mets,

Aaron Nola Aaron Michael Nola (born June 4, 1993) is an American professional baseball pitcher for the Philadelphia Phillies of Major League Baseball (MLB). Nola was born in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, and played baseball alongside his older brother Austin No ...

of the

struck out 10 Mets batters in a row, tying

's record set in 1970. * August 28, 2021 - In a pre-game ceremony before a 5–3 win over the Washington Nationals,

Jerry Koosman Jerome Martin Koosman (born December 23, 1942) is an American former professional baseball pitcher. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the New York Mets, Minnesota Twins, Chicago White Sox, and Philadelphia Phillies between and . Koo ...

's #36 was retired, only the third time in club history that the Mets retired a player's number. * September 11, 2021 - In a pre-game ceremony before an 8–7 loss to the

Yankees The New York Yankees are an American professional baseball team based in the New York City borough of the Bronx. The Yankees compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East Division. They are one ...

, the Mets and Yankees remembered the

September 11 attacks The September 11 attacks, also known as 9/11, were four coordinated Islamist terrorist suicide attacks by al-Qaeda against the United States in 2001. Nineteen terrorists hijacked four commercial airliners, crashing the first two into ...

on the 20th anniversary of the attacks. The Mets and

rival A rivalry is the state of two people or Social group, groups engaging in a lasting competitive relationship. Rivalry is the "against each other" spirit between two competing sides. The relationship itself may also be called "a rivalry", and each ...

Yankees lined up on the foul lines together for the

national anthem A national anthem is a patriotic musical composition symbolizing and evoking eulogies of the history and traditions of a country or nation. The majority of national anthems are marches or hymns in style. American, Central Asian, and European ...

and a

moment of silence A moment of silence (also referred to as a minute's silence or a one-minute silence) is a period of silent contemplation, prayer, reflection, or meditation. Similar to flying a flag at half-mast, a moment of silence is often a gesture o ...

for the victims of the attacks. Both teams wore

NYPD The City of New York Police Department, also referred to as New York City Police Department (NYPD), is the primary law enforcement agency within New York City. Established on May 23, 1845, the NYPD is the largest, and one of the oldest, munic ...

and

FDNY The New York City Fire Department, officially the Fire Department of the City of New York (FDNY) is the full-service fire department of New York City, serving all five boroughs. The FDNY is responsible for providing Fire Suppression Services, ...

hats, and the game was nationally televised Major League Baseball on Fox, on Fox. * April 29, 2022 - Five Mets pitchers combined to throw the second no-hitter (and first combined no-hitter) in Mets franchise history in a 3–0 Mets victory over the

. * November 10–12, 2023 - Two teams from the Dominican Professional Baseball League, Dominican Republic Professional Baseball League (LIDOM), the Águilas Cibaeñas from Santiago and the Tigres del Licey from Santo Domingo, played three exhibition games in Citi Field, making it the first time that a LIDOM game was played outside of the Dominican Republic. Billed as the "Titans of the Caribbean" series, the Águilas swept the inaugural season in three games. With a total audience of 90,900 from the three games, it also became one of the highest attended LIDOM matches ever recorded. * October 9, 2024 - The Mets defeated the Philadelphia Phillies 4–1 in Game 4 of the 2024 National League Division Series, marking the first time the Mets clinched a playoff series at Citi Field.

Soccer matches

Citi Field has hosted international soccer friendlies since shortly after it opened. It was a host venue for the 2011 World Football Challenge. New York City FC played Major League Soccer matches at Citi Field in 2017 and 2019, when conflicts with the Yankees' schedule caused their regular home Yankee Stadium to be unavailable. Beginning with the 2022 season, NYCFC has used Citi Field as a part-time home field, hosting nearly half their home matches. The club is constructing a soccer-specific stadium across the street named Etihad Park (New York City), Etihad Park, which broke ground in 2024 and is slated to open in 2027.

Other sports events

* The inaugural Metropolitan Lacrosse Classic was played at Citi Field on March 17, 2013, only the second time a major-league baseball stadium has staged college lacrosse, according to the Mets. In 1971, Navy played Johns Hopkins at the Houston Astrodome. Holy Cross played Navy at noon, followed by Colgate-Michigan at 3 p.m. Holy Cross defeated Navy 7–5 and Colgate defeated Michigan 10–7, before a crowd of 15,656. * On June 7, 2015, the first "Legends of Wrestling" event took place at Citi Field. It was a professional wrestling event, featuring veteran wrestlers such as Rob Van Dam, Lita (wrestler), Lita, The Nasty Boys, Scott Steiner, and many more independent professional wrestlers, in up to six matches taking place; the event was headlined by Ric Flair, Bret Hart, Bret "The Hitman" Hart, and Bill Goldberg. * On November 7, 2015, Citi Field hosted the first game of the Cricket All-Stars, Cricket All-Stars Series 2015, featuring many retired cricket players from around the world and led by great cricket legends Sachin Tendulkar and Shane Warne. Warne's Warriors defeated Sachin's Blasters by 6 wickets. * On January 1, 2018, Citi Field hosted the 2018 NHL Winter Classic, 10th edition of the NHL Winter Classic between the New York Rangers and the Buffalo Sabres. The Rangers won the game in overtime, 3–2. Paul Carey, Michael Grabner, and J.T. Miller scored for the Rangers, while Sam Reinhart, and Rasmus Ristolainen scored for the Sabres. The Sabres were the designated home team for the game, as the Rangers' home arena of Madison Square Garden would lose its property tax exemption from the City of New York if any Rangers home games are not played there. * On November 16, 2019, Citi Field hosted the Players Champions Cup#2019, New York Hurling Classic—a one-day hurling tournament featuring Limerick GAA, Limerick, Kilkenny GAA, Kilkenny, Tipperary GAA, Tipperary, and Wexford GAA, Wexford for the Players Champions Cup—which was won by Kilkenny.

Concerts

* July 17, 18 and 21, 2009 - Paul McCartney played the first concert ever held at Citi Field. McCartney was part of The Beatles' 1965 US tour#Shea Stadium concert, a historic concert at Shea in 1965 as one of The Beatles, and had also been a guest at Billy Joel's The Last Play at Shea, farewell event for the stadium. The performances, for which 180,000 tickets sold out within hours of the announcement (and also had Joel as a guest), were registered on the live album ''Good Evening New York City''. * July 16 and 17, 2010 - Dave Matthews Band played two sold out nights at Citi Field with opening guests Zac Brown Band. The show on July 17 was released as live album Live in New York City (Dave Matthews Band album), "Live in New York City". * June 7–8, 2016 - American singer-songwriter and actress Beyoncé sold out two nights at Citi Field on her ''Formation World Tour''. The two shows grossed $11,461,340 and had an attendance of 73,486 sold-out concert goers. * July 29–30, 2017 - the two-day Classic East event, put on by music mogul Irving Azoff. The first night featured The Doobie Brothers, Steely Dan and Eagles (band), The Eagles. The second night featured Earth, Wind & Fire, Journey (band), Journey and Fleetwood Mac. This concert would mark Lindsey Buckingham’s last full concert as a member of Fleetwood Mac; he would be fired from the band six months later after a dispute. * August 28–29, 2017 - American singer-songwriter and actress Lady Gaga sold out two nights at Citi Field on her ''Joanne World Tour''. The two shows grossed $9,520,390 and had an attendance of 69,978 fans. * October 6, 2018 - South Korean Boy Band BTS performed at Citi Field during their ''BTS World Tour: Love Yourself, Love Yourself World Tour'' in 2018, being the first South Korean act to ever sell out a stadium in the United States. As a part of their successful world tour, they also completed 12 other stadium shows in North America, in cities such as Chicago, IL, Los Angeles and Oakland, CA, Fort Worth, TX, Newark, NJ, and Hamilton, ON. * June 23, 2019 - Dead & Company performed at the stadium for their Dead & Company Summer Tour 2019, Summer Tour 2019. * October 12–13, 2019, October 28–30, 2021 & September 23–25, 2022 - Large hip-hop music festival ''Rolling Loud'' was held at the stadium. 2019 headliners included Travis Scott, Meek Mill, Wu-Tang Clan, A$AP Rocky, and Lil Uzi Vert. 2021 headliners included 50 Cent, J. Cole, and Travis Scott. 2022 performers included A$AP Rocky, Future (rapper), Future, Nicki Minaj and Ice Spice. * August 4, 2021 - Green Day and Weezer continued their ''Hella Mega Tour'' to a sold-out crowd. Fall Out Boy was scheduled to co-headline, but cancelled their appearance day-of-show due to a positive COVID-19 test within their camp. * June 24, 2022 - Def Leppard and Mötley Crüe performed to a sold-out crowd at Citi Field during their ''The Stadium Tour'', with Poison (American band), Poison and Joan Jett, Joan Jett and The Blackhearts as special guests. * September 24–26, 2021 & June 10–12, 2022 - The ''Governors Ball Music Festival'' was held at the stadium. Some of the 2021 headliners included Billie Eilish, A$AP Rocky, J Balvin, and Post Malone. 2022 headliners included Kid Cudi, Halsey (singer), Halsey, and J. Cole. * On June 9, 2023, American singer-songwriter Romeo Santos became the first Spanish-language, Latin music act to sell out Citi Field. Santos is also the first Bachata (music), bachata artist to perform at Citi Field. The concert was part of his ''Fórmula, Vol. 3: La Gira, Formula, Vol. 3 Tour'', which also saw Santos perform at several other large-capacity stadiums across the country. * On August 3, 2023, American singer-songwriter Pink performed at the stadium as part of her Summer Carnival (tour), Summer Carnival tour, breaking the attendance record with an estimated audience of 43,700. * On July 17 and 19, 2024, the Foo Fighters performed at the stadium as part of their Everything or Nothing at All Tour. The band's July 17 performance ended prematurely halfway through due to a lightning storm in the area. * On July 21, 2024. pop-punk band blink-182 performed at the stadium, as part of their One More Time Tour, with support from Pierce the Veil and Ekkstacy as support acts. * On August 3, 2024, K-pop boy group Ateez performed at the stadium as part of their North American List of Ateez concert tours#Towards The Light: Will To Power, Towards the Light : Will to Power 2024 Tour. * On August 5, 2024, rock band Green Day performed at the stadium as part of their North American leg of The Saviors Tour. The band performed their classic albums Dookie and American Idiot. * On August 7, 2024, Def Leppard and Journey (band), Journey performed at the stadium as part of the ''Summer Stadium Tour'' with the Steve Miller Band as the opener. * On June 18 and 19, 2025, Stray Kids will perform at the stadium as part of their North American leg of Dominate World Tour. * On July 26 and 27, 2025, Blackpink will perform at the stadium as part of their Deadline World Tour.

Mets Concert Series post-game concerts (2012–2016)

Between 2012 and 2016, the Mets had a post-game concert series entitled "Mets Concert Series" after selected games. Unlike the concerts where the performance was the sole attraction of the evening, "Mets Concert Series" events were considered promotional dates, and admission to the concert was included in the price of the game ticket. The stage was set up in shallow center field.

COVID-19 pandemic

On January 12, 2021, the Mets and the Mayor Bill De Blasio announced that Citi Field would become a mass vaccination center during the COVID-19 pandemic beginning on January 25. Originally located in the Delta Club, the location was later moved to the former site of McFadden's. Run by the city's public hospital system, the site administered over 200,000 vaccinations.

Notes

References

External links

Stadium site on Mets.com

{{Authority control Citi Field, 2009 establishments in New York City Sports venues completed in 2009 New York Mets stadiums Baseball venues in New York City Cricket grounds in New York City Major League Baseball venues Soccer venues in New York City Sports venues in Queens, New York Music venues in Queens, New York Citigroup buildings, Field Populous (company) buildings New York City FC Flushing, Queens Flushing Meadows–Corona Park

History

Planning

Construction

Modifications

Features

Jackie Robinson Rotunda

Home Run Apple

Tom Seaver statue

Grimace seat

Amenities and facilities

Mets Hall of Fame & Museum

Public opinion

Access and transportation

Park and ride A park and ride, also known as incentive parking or a commuter lot, is a parking lot with public transport connections that allows commuters and other people heading to city centres to leave their vehicles and transfer to a bus, Rail transport, r ...s

Attendance records

Overall

Regular season

Progression

Naming rights

Controversy

Notable events

Notable baseball games

Soccer matches

Other sports events

Concerts

Mets Concert Series post-game concerts (2012–2016)

COVID-19 pandemic

See also

Notes

References

External links

Park and ride A park and ride, also known as incentive parking or a commuter lot, is a parking lot with public transport connections that allows commuters and other people heading to city centres to leave their vehicles and transfer to a bus, Rail transport, r ...
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