Fly to new york

NEW YORK -- There were hard-hat construction workers outside and scattered "wet paint" signs inside. Fans wandered the concourses and players roamed the clubhouse, all still trying to find their way around the new ballpark.

In almost every respect, the Mets' exhibition game against the Boston Red Sox Friday was more of a dress rehearsal than a grand opening for Citi Field.

But for all that remains a work in progress, the Mets can be sure of one thing:

The tarp works just fine.

Video: The Mets play their first game at Citi Field

Photo slideshow: The Mets get their first look at Citi Field

The grounds crew left it out all afternoon as steady rain fell, and rolled it out again when the rain returned during the sixth inning, causing a one-hour, seven-minute delay. The Mets won, 4-3, but the weather made for an unpleasant backdrop for the first major-league game ever played at Citi.

"We expected it was going to be cold," Mets center fielder Carlos Beltran said. "But the rain of course makes everything different. The grass is wet. The game is slow." Still, Beltran added, "It was good to be out there."

The Mets were thankful they got to play at all after rain forced them to take batting practice indoors. Players got a quick look at the stadium late Thursday night, when they returned from spring training in Port St. Lucie, Fla. But Friday was their first opportunity to settle in and get acquainted with the field.

"It was a lot of rain," said Mets starter Livan Hernandez. "I came to the field wondering what was going to happen -- whether we were going to play or not."

Tickets for the game sold out within 45 minutes online earlier this month, and the announced attendance was 37,652. But there were a noticeable amount of empty seats, with some fans perhaps deterred by the weather and others more interested in walking around the ballpark.

It was not the first game played at Citi Field, which hosted a college game between St. John's and Georgetown on Sunday. Still, there were cameras flashing from the stands throughout the evening as several historical footnotes were made.

Hernandez threw the first major-league pitch in stadium history, a ball to Red Sox center fielder Jacoby Ellsbury to start the first inning. Beltran recorded the first out, snagging Ellsbury's fly to center.

The next batter, Dustin Pedroia, had the first hit on a short fly to right that turned into a ground rule double when it bounced into the stands along the third-base line. The first run came on a double by Red Sox first baseman Chris Carter, driving in J.D. Drew.

But those were about the only plays that counted for much. The Mets were more concerned with getting comfortable in their new surroundings.

Many players arrived earlier than they normally would for a regular-season night game hoping to spend extra time on the field in the afternoon. Outfielders, in particular, needed all the practice time they could get to learn how the ball is likely to play off the wall.

"I need to work the wall," Mets left fielder Daniel Murphy said. "I need to get a feel for what the ball is going to do when it caroms down the line. It looks like there's not a lot of foul territory, so anything that might get snatched down the third-base line, it might ricochet out into the playing field."

But the rain forced players to remain indoors for most of the afternoon. Right fielder Ryan Church said he arrived at about 11:45 a.m. hoping to take some extra fly balls. But the only thing he got familiar with was the game room in the clubhouse.

"I'm still trying to get the high score in the pinball machine in there," he said.

New York Mets open Citi Field with 4-3 exhibition win over Boston Red Sox - New York Mets baseball - NJ.com