Tom Seaver at Shea Stadium in 1974 (Wikimedia Commons)
June 25, 2019 By Shane O’Brien
The New York Mets will honor the career of legendary pitcher Tom Seaver on Thursday by renaming the Flushing street in front of Citi Field in his honor.
The renaming ceremony is one of several events taking place from June 28-30 to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the Mets’ 1969 World Series winning team.
The ceremony, which takes place at 11 a.m., will see the ballpark’s address officially changed to 41 Seaver Way. Seaver’s number was 41, a number the Mets retired in 1988.
Additionally, 126th Street, in front of the stadium, will be renamed Seaver Way.
Plans were unveiled in spring to honor Seaver, nicknamed the Franchise, as part of the 50th anniversary celebrations. The 74-year old played an integral role in the Mets’ triumph 50 years ago. He has since retired from public life, having been diagnosed with dementia. He will not be attending the event.
The ceremony will be attended by Mets COO Jeff Wilpon as well as Seaver’s former teammates–Jerry Koosman, Cleon Jones, Ron Swoboda–and his children. The event is open to the public and fans are encouraged to head down to Citi Field at 10 a.m. to honor him.
The team is also expected to announce plans for a Seaver statue.
The renaming ceremony will be followed by additional festivities at Citi Field this weekend. On Friday, all those in attendance will receive a 1969 replica jersey. On Saturday, when the players will be honored before the 4 p.m. game against the Braves, the first 15,000 fans will be given a commemorative pennant.
On Sunday, the first 15,000 fans will receive a replica World Series ring.
Citi Field courtesty of the Mets
One Comment
A fitting tribute for a great man! I have a baseball he signed. Such a shame that he is suffering from dementia. I wish him and his family all the very best.