The New York Mets first appeared on the National League schedule in 1962, a season that was largely forgettable. The club won just 40 games and produced the worst season in MLB history. While the cross-town Yankees get more national attention, the Mets have a dedicated fan base that has seen more lows than highs over the last 60-some seasons.
Ballpark / Stadium – Citi Field
The Mets made news headlines by moving into Citi Field at the beginning of the 2009 season after close to a half-century at Shea Stadium. Like Shea, Citi Field is located in the Flushing Meadows neighborhood of Queens. The new ballpark holds 41,922 spectators and is known for such features as the Jackie Robinson Rotunda at the park’s main entrance, the legendary Home Run Apple from Shea and a new version of the apple built for the new ballpark.
World Series Championships
Although their World Series triumphs are largely overshadowed by those of the New York Yankees, the Mets have enjoyed championship glory on two occasions. The franchise’s first title, won in 1969, was the result of the unexpected success of a squad that became known as the Amazin’ Mets or the Miracle Mets. That team, which triumphed over the heavily favored Baltimore Orioles, is often considered one of the biggest upstarts in baseball history. The Mets also won the 1986 World Series, beating Boston on the infamous Bill Buckner error. The team most recently represented the National League in the 2015 World Series, losing to the Kansas City Royals.
New York Mets Roster
Only one player off the all-time Mets roster — Tom Seaver — wears the team’s cap in the Baseball Hall of Fame, but many other hall of famers wore the Mets blue and orange at some point in their careers. Former Mets inducted as members of another team are Roberto Alomar, Richie Ashburn, Yogi Berra, Gary Carter, Tom Glavine, Rickey Henderson, Willie Mays, Eddie Murray, Nolan Ryan, Duke Snider, Warren Spahn, Casey Stengel and Joe Torre. Other notable members of the Mets have included fan favorites Darryl Strawberry, Dwight Gooden, Mike Piazza and David Wright.
Spring Training
The Mets play the home games on their Spring Training schedule at Tradition Field in Port St. Lucie, FL. The park opened in 1988 and has hosted the Mets ever since. Tradition Field has an official capacity of 7,160 and has previously been called Thomas J. White Stadium and Digital Domain Park. The Mets Minor League Baseball affiliates are the Triple-A Las Vegas 51s, Double-A Binghamton Mets, Advanced-A St. Lucie Mets, Class-A Savannah Sand Gnats, Short-Season A Brooklyn Cyclones and rookie league Kingsport Mets, Gulf Coast League Mets and Dominican Summer League Mets.
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