It rained hard all afternoon and I was very worried that the game would be rained out. The rain let up for a while but it start raining again and delayed the game for an hour and a half. This rain delay gave me the opportunity to fully explore Citi Field. Citi Field itself is right off the subway and surrounded by a parking lot. Even though I prefer stadiums in the middle of the city, this location was welcoming as there were attractions on the short walk from the subway to the gate. The grand entrance to Citi Field is called the Jackie Robinson Rotunda featuring many pictures and tributes to Robinson. The most notable is a giant 42 in the center of the room. I also went into the Mets Hall of Fame which showcased the history of the Mets. Citi Field is a classic retro park with a lot of brick and steel railings. One notable retro feature is a small steel bridge connecting the concourses in left field and center field resembling some of the bridges connecting Manhattan to Queens. The large scoreboard and videoboard in centerfield provided all the necessary baseball information and gave the ballpark a taste of modern technology. One bizzare feature of the ballpark is a tiered outfield wall in left field which was added to make it easier to hit a homerun after the first year of the stadium.
David's uncle has connections within the Mets organization and was able to get us free tickets - 10 rows above above the Mets dugout. I thought I would get something to eat and sit under the roof in the section of our seats to wait out part of the rain delay. The food selection at Citi Field was pretty diverse. There was a few different burger places, a burrito bar, a pizza stand, and a craft beer bar. I went for a pulled pork sandwich from Blue Smoke BBQ stand. As I returned to my seats with food in hand, the usher told me I had club access and that would be a good place to wait out the rain delay. The Delta club at Citi Field was underneath the main concourse and had bars, couches, and special food stands. It gave me a feeling of superiority over the common fan even though it only lasted for one game.
The game itself was a thriller. Starter Hiroki Kuroda and Matt Harvey both pitched gems, combining for 17 strikeouts in 15 innings and giving up only 1 run. The Yankees score their run in the 6th inning after Brett Gardner singled and reached second on a fielding error by Mets rightfielder Marlon Byrd. Yankees closer Mariano Rivera entered the game in the 9th. Daniel Murphy lead off the inning with a ground rule double, David Wright tied the game with a base hit, and Lucas Duda ended the game with a third straight hit. Just like that, the second walk-off win I attended in as many games.
My take-away from Citi Field is that it is one many new-age retro ballparks but has enough nuances to make it unique. I also felt Citi Field radiates a near-perfect balance of baseball vibe, New York flair, and nostalgic flashbacks.
David's uncle has connections within the Mets organization and was able to get us free tickets - 10 rows above above the Mets dugout. I thought I would get something to eat and sit under the roof in the section of our seats to wait out part of the rain delay. The food selection at Citi Field was pretty diverse. There was a few different burger places, a burrito bar, a pizza stand, and a craft beer bar. I went for a pulled pork sandwich from Blue Smoke BBQ stand. As I returned to my seats with food in hand, the usher told me I had club access and that would be a good place to wait out the rain delay. The Delta club at Citi Field was underneath the main concourse and had bars, couches, and special food stands. It gave me a feeling of superiority over the common fan even though it only lasted for one game.
The game itself was a thriller. Starter Hiroki Kuroda and Matt Harvey both pitched gems, combining for 17 strikeouts in 15 innings and giving up only 1 run. The Yankees score their run in the 6th inning after Brett Gardner singled and reached second on a fielding error by Mets rightfielder Marlon Byrd. Yankees closer Mariano Rivera entered the game in the 9th. Daniel Murphy lead off the inning with a ground rule double, David Wright tied the game with a base hit, and Lucas Duda ended the game with a third straight hit. Just like that, the second walk-off win I attended in as many games.
My take-away from Citi Field is that it is one many new-age retro ballparks but has enough nuances to make it unique. I also felt Citi Field radiates a near-perfect balance of baseball vibe, New York flair, and nostalgic flashbacks.
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