Seaver, Piazza reunite to open Citi Field
The Amazin' 1969 Mets
Mets 2009 season, game by game
Citi Field construction
MIAMI - Tom Seaver and Mike Piazza will get a do-over Monday when they join forces again for the ceremonial first pitch at Citi Field.
The pair was last seen exiting Shea Stadium through the centerfield fence after Seaver delivered that building's final pitch to Piazza last September. But that day lives in infamy: The Marlins had eliminated the Mets from playoff contention only an hour earlier.
Despite the disappointment, many of the 56,059 fans in attendance that afternoon stayed for the 50-minute farewell ceremony. This time there will be a much more positive vibe, even though the capacity of Citi Field will mean a smaller crowd of roughly 42,000.
"Actually, I'm probably more excited about this than the last pitch at Shea Stadium," Seaver said on a conference call. "The only thing, from a personal standpoint, is I hope I can throw the ball 60 feet without bouncing it."
That may sound strange coming from Seaver, a Hall of Famer with 311 career wins and three Cy Young Awards. But the beloved Met known as "The Franchise'' actually did short-hop Piazza with his final pitch at Shea.
Maybe it was the magnitude of the moment. Seaver was surrounded by 45 former Mets - a group that spanned Shea's 45-season history - during the closing ceremony.
It will be a little more intimate tomorrow. Other than Seaver and Piazza, the only VIPs directly involved with the opening of Citi Field will be the new cast of "West Side Story,'' which will sing the national anthem.
Seaver is the only Mets player to have his number retired by the team - other than Jackie Robinson and managers Casey Stengel and Gil Hodges, of course. But with Piazza again sharing the main stage, Seaver suggested that the likely Hall of Fame catcher may be a close second in popularity among this generation of fans.
"You could make a very sound argument that Mike Piazza is arguably the most popular player in Mets history," Seaver said. "When they announced everybody, the ovation [Piazza] got, the one that [Darryl] Strawberry got - it shows you how special that '86 season was. Granted, the fans there for the 1969 era were probably fewer, just because of lifespan. But you saw the real wonderful emotion that they had for Mike and Darryl."
