A statue of Tom Seaver finally made its debut at Citi Field on Friday, just hours before the Mets opened in 2022 and years after it was probably built.
The statue depicts Seaver – who more than 50 years ago turned the Mets from a joke into world champions – into his famous home delivery. It was such a powerful throwing move that the back knee sometimes scratched the mound, producing spots on the uniform that were proof of another determined performance by the best player in Mets history.
The statue, designed by sculptor William Behrends, is made of bronze and stainless steel. He is 10 feet tall, weighs 3,200 pounds and, at first glance, was almost surprising to see on Friday. He will now greet fans arriving at the stadium’s main entrance, some of whom were old enough to see Seaver’s pitch, and many of them not. And at least some of the two groups might look at the statue with appreciation and wonder if all this could have been done long ago, when Seaver was still alive and in relatively good health.