When Did Citi Field Open?
Citi Field opened up on April 13th, 2009 out in Flushing Meadows Corona Park New York. The new ballpark (under the naming rights from Citigroup) was built right across from Shea Stadium. Since 2009, Citi Field has gone under some major renovations to help improve the fan and game experience.
Where is Citi Field Located?
Citi Field is in Flushing Meadows which is in the Queens borough in NY. The location is in a giant parking lot, so it’s easy for fans who don’t live in Long Island or upstate NY to drive to Queens and park. Check out the Mets parking guide if you plan to drive to the game. The exact address of the venue is 123-01 Roosevelt Ave, Queens, NY 11368, New York.
In addition to Mets baseball, New York City has plenty of additional sports to check out. The Knicks basketball team plays in Manhattan, the Nets basketball team plays in Brooklyn, and the New York Jets and Giants play out in New Jersey. If you are looking for Madison Square Garden Parking, Barclays Center Parking, or MetLife Stadium Parking, you can visit those links.
When Do Citi Field Gates Open?
The ballpark opens two hours before the first pitch for regular season games. Check out the Citi Field Food guide before your next visit!
What Team Plays at the New York Mets Stadium?
Citi Field is the home of the Mets baseball team. The New York Mets are an MLB team in the National League East Division. In the National League East, you have the Philadelphia Phillies, Atlanta Braves, Washington Nationals, and Miami Marlins.
What the Dimensions at Citi Field?
The 2019 dimensions of the baseball stadium are not what the sizes were in 2009. Due to the lack of home runs hit during regular season games, the Mets moved in the fences. In 2009, the dimensions at Citi Field were 335 feet in left field, 384 feet in left center, 408 in the center, 378 feet in the right center, and 330 in right field.
In 2019, the new dimensions are 335 in left field, 385 in left center, 408 in center field, 375 in right center, and 330 in right field. While this does not sound like a significant change, the Mets made the biggest change in right-center closer to center field where the fence was 415 feet away from home plate. The new distance is 398 feet, so the gaps are not as far as they were in 2009.
What is the Capacity at the New York Mets Stadium?
Since opening in 2009, Citi Field’s capacity continues to be at 41,922. When the Mets hosted the Major League Baseball All-Star Game in 2013, the crowd attendance was 45,186 due to standing room seats. When the Mets were in the World Series in 2015, they drew a crowd attendance of 44,859 people.
Similar Capacity Size Parks
Citi Field is similar in seating size to a few different venues in the game. Comerica Park capacity sits at the 42k mark. Citizens Bank Park capacity sits at over 42k people. Minute Maid Park capacity also falls into this seating range as well. Nationals Park Capacity sits out at 42k people as well. Coors Field capacity is slightly larger than Detroit as that arena holds around 46k people.
New York Mets Tickets
The New York Mets have seen their regular season attendance drop over the past two seasons due to the quality of the team. In 2018, the New York Mets Stadium had an average of 28,164 fans show up per game, so lots of seats were remained unfilled. Minus opening day, games against the New York Yankees, Washington Nationals, San Diego Padres, and Los Angeles Dodgers, you can get tickets easily.
Nearby Parks
With the Mets Park in NYC, you have a few options to the north and south of your location. The closest ballpark next to Queens is Yankee Stadium in the Bronx, NY. Yankee Stadium is where the New York Yankees play, so try and plan your trip when both teams are playing to maximize your trip.
If you go northeast, Fenway Park is about 3.5 hours away by bus, car, and train. If you go north from Yankee Stadium, can get to Rogers Centre which is about ten hours away.
To the south of Queens, you can find Citizens Bank Park which is out in Philly. That is the home of the Philadelphia Phillies. Not too far from that, you can catch a game at Camden Yards which is home to the Baltimore Orioles.
Notable Features
The New York Mets history is a mixture of the Brooklyn Dodgers and New York Giants. The colors of the Mets is orange and blue with orange for the Giants and blue for the Brooklyn Dodgers. Another way the Mets honor the past is by having the front of the stadium mimic Ebbets Field which was the home of the Brooklyn Dodgers. For current day, the Mets have pictures of Mike Piazza, David Wright, and many others throughout the park.
One feature that came across the parking lot where Shea Stadium stood was the NY Mets home run apple. The Mets put the original apple out in the bullpen plaza while the new home run apple is two times bigger than the original. When a Mets player hits a home run during a game, you will see the apple go up and down.
Keeping with the tradition of their past, Citi Field welcomes fans through the Jackie Robinson Rotunda through their main gates. The Jackie Robinson Rotunda is in honor of Jackie Robinson who broke the color barrier in baseball for the Brooklyn Dodgers. In the rotunda, Mets fans will see pictures of Jackie Robinson all along the area.
Finally, another fan favorite to visit is the Mets Hall of Fame. The Mets Hall of Fame sits next to the Jackie Robinson Rotunda as you enter the venue. The Mets Hall of Fame will have memorabilia, posters, scouting reports and more that celebrate their baseball history.
Check out the Citi Field Review !