After playing at the much-maligned Shea Stadium for 44 years and sharing the field with other pro sports teams, the Mets finally got their own stadium when Citi Field was erected. Ground broke for this facility on November 13th, 2006, with the stadium opening on March 29th, 2009. The first regular season game took place on April 13th, 2009.

With a price tag of $900 million, this stadium is one of the most expensive in the world, even after you adjust for inflation and currency changes over the years. Citigroup purchased the naming rights for the stadium despite the fact that this financial institution was bailed out twice by the U.S. Government to the tune of $45 billion. As a result, New York City politicians have been moved to refer to this ballpark as “Citi-Taxpayer Field”. The naming rights deal is reported to have cost $400 million, which angered many who observed the fiasco.

Located in Queens, New York, around the boundaries of Flushing Meadows and Corona Park, this stadium is surrounded by Flushing Bay and Flushing Creek. Known as a pitcher’s park, after a season in which the number of home runs hit ranked towards the bottom of the pack, the ballpark’s dimensions were altered to make it friendlier to home run hitters.

New York Mets Stadium

Although the 2015 MLB Park Factor stats may be skewed by the Mets superb cast of pitchers, the fact of the matter remains that Citi Field ranks in the bottom five in terms of the number of runs and hits produced. The rate of home runs, triples and walks produced are about average while the number of doubles hit hovers around the bottom third of the league.

The 2015 version of the Mets performed much better than expected, especially considering that the Washington Nationals were expected to run away with the division and challenge for a World Series title. Their home record is close to the 50-win mark and the team will finish the season with only a few less wins on the road. The 2014 version of the team fell well short of the playoffs, finishing with a 40-41 record at home with a slightly worse road record of 39-42.

Mercifully, they managed to avoid repeating the historic collapse that they experienced in 2007, when the team lost 12 of their last 17 to allow the Phillies to sneak in the division title on the last day of the regular season.

Stadium Vitals

Date Opened: March 29, 2009

Construction Cost: $900 million

Architect: Populous

Ballpark Type: Retro Classic

Capacity Attendance: 41,922

Playing Surface: Kentucky Bluegrass

Previous New York Mets Stadiums

Polo Grounds; Shea Stadium

Other Major Events

2013 MLB All-Star Game

The 2013 MLB All-Star Game was held at Citi Field on July 16th, setting an attendance record for this venue with a total of 45,186 fans taking in the event. The American League shut out the National League by a score of 3-0, earning home field advantage for the A.L. during the World Series.

International Soccer

Ecuador and Greece visited Citi Field for a friendly match that ended with a 1-1 draw on June 7th, 2011. Three weeks later, the 2011 World Football Challenge was hosted here, featuring Juventus beating Club America by a score of one-nil.