Baseball season is here, and 2024 marks the 16th season that the Mets have called Citi Field home.
When arriving at Citi Field this year, fans will notice many updates throughout the ballpark, including an expanded team store and new food offerings.
Before heading to the game, here is a guide to Citi Field that includes everything fans need to know.
Notable home games this year
There are a pair of jersey retirements this year. Dwight Gooden’s No. 16 was retired before a game against the Royals on April 14, and Darryl Strawberry’s No. 18 will be immortalized on June 1 prior to a duel with the Diamondbacks.
The Yankees will come to Queens for the Subway Series on June 25 and June 26. The Mets will host the Braves seven times in 2024: a three-game series in May and a four-game slate in July.
The Mets will host four teams — the Red Sox, the Reds, the Nationals and the Phillies — during the final month of the regular season in September.
This year, there will be no Saturday night home games, and all contests will instead begin during daylight hours.
"This game time change was driven by the results from a Mets fan survey that indicated nearly 90% of respondents favored earlier game times on Saturdays in order to bring kids, family and large groups to games," the team said in a January press release.
What will the Mets give away this season?
The Mets will be hosting a variety of giveaways this season. Unique items include a Mr. Met London telephone booth bobblehead, pickleball paddles, and team-branded basketball, football, hockey and soccer jerseys.
There will also be fireworks shows after four home games in 2024. The displays are currently scheduled for May 31, June 28, July 26 and Aug. 16.
The team's full promotional calendar can be viewed here.
How to get tickets to the game
Tickets can be purchased directly from the Mets either online or at the box office.
Fans can also purchase tickets on the secondary ticket market from SeatGeek, Stubhub, TickPick or other marketplaces.
What happens when a game is rained out?
When games are postponed due to inclement weather, fans with tickets to the original game will usually receive tickets to the rescheduled game, as was the case with Opening Day this season.
The team’s full ticket and parking rainout policy can be viewed here.
How to get to the game via public transportation
For those taking public transportation in the city, the 7 train services Citi Field at the Mets–Willets Point subway station. The Q48 bus stops near the stadium on Roosevelt Avenue.
Fans coming from Long Island can take the Long Island Rail Road to the Mets-Willets Point station, but the Port Washington branch is the only LIRR line that stops at that station. Those taking other lines must transfer at the Woodside station to get to the ballpark.
This season, fans can now take a Citi Bike to the game. Fans can dock their bikes in two places near the ballpark — one in Mets Plaza to the left of the Home Run Apple, and the other in the pedestrian plaza adjacent to the intersection of Shea Road and Boat Basin Place.
How to get to the game via car
Citi Field is located at 41 Seaver Way in Flushing. Fans can get to the stadium by taking exit 13D on the Whitestone Expressway, or exit 9P or 9E on the Grand Central Parkway. The stadium can also be accessed locally.
Like it did in 2023, parking costs $40 for cars this year.
What to eat at the game
Citi Field has a wide variety of food options. The Mets offer ballpark classics like cotton candy, chicken tenders, hamburgers, hot dogs, ice cream, nachos, peanuts and pretzels.
The Mets have brought back Keith's Grill on the promenade level in 2024. Its offerings include a burger with hot pastrami and deli mustard, and another with bacon, guacamole, chipotle aioli and jalapeños.
Signature donuts by Glaze Donuts are sold throughout the ballpark, as are slices of pizza courtesy of Prince Street Pizza.
The Mets also have a food court in back of center field that includes, among other food options, a Shake Shack, though there is almost always a long line for the popular burger joint.
This year, Citi Field has partnered with three new celebrity chefs: Adam Richman, Anne Burrell and Judy Joo.
Richman's Burger Hall of Fame has debuted two unique burgers at the ballpark; Burrell’s Italian Eats is selling a garlic bread chicken parmesan hero and loaded pepperoni chips; Seoul Bird is bringing Joo’s Korean street food to Citi Field.
And Wok N’ Roll, a local Italian Asian fusion restaurant, has created a new egg roll — featuring a rainbow cookie with raspberry jam and chocolate syrup rolled in an egg roll wrapper — that fans can try this season.
The Mets will have a rainbow cookie egg roll as a new food item at Citi Field this season 👀
— MLB (@MLB) March 22, 2024
It contains rainbow cookie, raspberry jam and chocolate syrup rolled in an egg roll wrapper pic.twitter.com/GkfXzZHyTs
What else is new at Citi Field this year?
Food is not the only thing that has changed at the ballpark this year. The Mets have unveiled a new and expanded team store in the Jackie Robinson Rotunda. The 10,000-square-foot store is approximately 50% larger than the old shop and features a new self-checkout system.
The store expanded into the space formerly occupied by the team's Hall of Fame and museum. The Hall of Fame plaques were moved to the top of the Jackie Robinson Rotunda, and the team's museum is now located in the Fan Fest area on the field level concourse.
There are also new LED stadium lights that will enhance the visual experience at the ballpark, including when All-Star closer Edwin Díaz enters the game to “Narco.”
And the Mets have launched a new co-ed dance team this season called the Queens Crew, a 19-member hype group that is performing at approximately 30 games in 2024.
What to expect from the Mets on the field this year
After a 75-87 record last season, the Mets are looking to bounce back in 2024 under new president of baseball operations David Stearns and rookie manager Carlos Mendoza.
The Mets now have a different look than they did this time last year. Future Hall of Famers Max Scherzer and Justin Verlander are gone, traded away by the Mets at last season's trade deadline before Stearns arrived.
Stearns mainly added depth pieces this offseason, including starting pitchers Adrian Houser, Sean Manaea and Luis Severino, relievers Jake Diekman, Shintaro Fujinami and Jorge López, and outfielder Harrison Bader. The Mets did make a March signing of a former All-Star in designated hitter J.D. Martinez.
Perhaps the biggest addition for the Mets this season is the return of Díaz. The star closer suffered a season-ending knee injury during last year’s World Baseball Classic after posting a 1.31 ERA in 62 innings for the Mets in 2022.
Díaz reunites with a core that includes first baseman Pete Alonso, catcher Francisco Álvarez, shortstop Francisco Lindor, second baseman Jeff McNeil and outfielder Brandon Nimmo.
Outfielder Starling Marte is looking to bounce back from an injury-plagued 2023, and young third baseman Brett Baty will try to improve on a poor showing last season.
Starting pitching is a big concern this year. Ace Kodai Senga will be out until at least May with a shoulder strain. How the rest of the rotation will perform is uncertain. Multiple starters will need to stay healthy and exceed expectations for the team to challenge for a postseason spot.
Alonso’s pending free agency is also a storyline to follow throughout the year. Stearns, owner Steve Cohen and Alonso himself have all said they do not expect an extension to be finalized before the World Series.