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04/11/2009 1:33 PM ET
Tom Seaver, Mike Piazza, and West Side Story Join Mets for Inaugural Opening Day Monday, April 13 at Citi Field
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More Than 200 Veterans Spanning Generations and All Five U.S. Armed Services
Take To Field For Presentation of Football Field-Size American Flag During Pre-Game Ceremony
City Lights Up For Opening of Mets' New World Class Home:
Empire State Building Goes Orange and Blue;
Game To Be Broadcast in Rockefeller Center and Times Square
FLUSHING, N.Y., April 11, 2009 - The New York Mets today announced that Hall of Fame pitcher Tom Seaver will throw out Citi Field's inaugural ceremonial first pitch to All-Star catcher Mike Piazza prior to the Mets Home Opener, this Monday, April 13 vs. the San Diego Padres at 7:10 p.m.
Seaver, the club's all-time leader in wins, ERA, strikeouts, and innings pitched, will be reunited with Piazza, who ranks second in team history in home runs and RBI. Seaver and Piazza closed the centerfield gate following the Mets final game at Shea Stadium September 28 last year.
The cast of the Broadway revival West Side Story will perform the National Anthem. The uniquely New York classic opened on Broadway in 1957 when New York had two National League baseball teams.
More than 200 veterans representing all five U.S. Armed Services - Army, Air Force, Coast Guard, Marines and Navy - will be on the field during the presentation of a football field-size American flag. The Anthem will conclude with a flyover by four U.S. Marine F18 Hornets from VMFA 251 based in Beaufort, S.C.
The Empire State Building will light its world-famous tower in orange and blue to commemorate the opening of the Mets' new home. Monday's 7:10 p.m. game will be broadcast live in Rockefeller Center at SNY's Studios and carried on ABC Television's SuperSign above their Good Morning America studio in the heart of Times Square.
The Mets are encouraging fans to take mass transit to Mets home games at Citi Field this season. The 7 train is the fast, convenient, and "green" way to travel to the game. The Mets-Willets Point stops adjacent to the Jackie Robinson Rotunda. The Long Island Rail Road's Port Washington Branch from Penn Station or Woodside has half-hourly service, the ride from Manhattan is 16 minutes. For those coming from the northern suburbs, all Metro-North trains on the Hudson, Harlem and New Haven lines connect with the 7 Subway. For more details visit www.mta.info and click on "Take the Train to the Game"™ or you also can call New York City Transit at 718-330-1234, Long Island Rail Road at 718-217-LIRR (NYC), 516-822-LIRR (Nassau), 631-231-LIRR (Suffolk) or Metro-North at 800-METRO-INFO.
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