MIAMI — On his first visit to Citi Field, Mets pitcher Mike Pelfrey was happy to see the high outfield wall and 415-foot sign in deep right-center.
He figures the spacious dimensions will look especially appealing when he stands on the mound tonight to throw the first pitch against the Padres as the Mets open their sparkling new ballpark.
“I might as well just throw the ball down the middle and let them hit it,” Pelfrey said. “They might have to hit it twice just to get it out of there. It’s definitely a big park. It definitely seems that way. I guess we’ll find out.”
While the early consensus is that Citi Field will be pitcher-friendly, the Mets figure it will take much of the season to fully assess their new home. The $800 million ballpark with 41,800 seats replaces Shea Stadium, the team’s home since 1964. The Mets played in the old Polo Grounds during their first two seasons, 1962-63.
The club went 3-3 on a season-opening trip that ended Sunday with a 2-1 loss at Florida, then headed for Queens and a night of pomp and celebration.
Hall of Famer Tom Seaver will throw out the first pitch to former New York catcher Mike Piazza, and the Broadway cast of “West Side Story” will perform the national anthem. The game will be televised in Rockefeller Center and Times Square, and the Empire State Building will be lit in Mets’ orange and blue.
Pelfrey, who went 13-11 with a 3.72 ERA last year in his first full major-league season, will pitch in the brightest spotlight of his career.
“I imagine it’s going to be kind of like a playoff atmosphere with all of the fans there and the excitement,” he said Sunday. “I don’t want to get too amped up and start overthrowing and get away from executing pitches. I’m going into it like it’s going to be another start, but the reality is that it’s going to be an awesome time.”
The most expensive seats at the new stadium average $495, but under the Mets variable pricing format they cost $695 for opening night. Two tickets owned by Bernard L. Madoff Investment Securities were sold for $7,500, the highest of 68 bids in an eBay auction that ended at 7:56 a.m. MDT Sunday.
Citi Field gets its name from Citigroup, criticized by some congressmen for its $400 million, 20-year naming rights deal with the Mets because the company accepted a government bailout to stay in business.
With its intricate brickwork and Jackie Robinson Rotunda, the cozy ballpark was designed to invoke the charm of Ebbets Field, beloved home of the Brooklyn Dodgers from 1913-57.
The Mets played two exhibition games at Citi Field against the Boston Red Sox in early April, and reviews were favorable. Players liked the training room, the weight room and a clubhouse 2 1/2 times the size of the Shea locker room.
