The first New York Met to hit a home run at Citi Field

It is hard to believe it has been nearly 14 years since Citi Field opened after the longtime New York Mets Stadium, Shea Stadium said its goodbye after the 2008 season. But when Citi Field opened in 2009, there was one specific memory that will live in Mets history.

It is no secret the Mets have a tendency of winning on Opening Day as they enter this season winning six out of their last Opening Day games and going an overall, major league-best 41-21 in those games. So there have been a ton of memorable moments but how about when Citi Field debuted in 2009?

Who was the first Mets player to hit a home run at Citi Field?

Flashback to the 2009 season, 14 years ago. The Mets were set to play their first-ever game at Citi Field against the San Diego Padres with a soldout crowd and Mets legends Mike Piazza and Tom Seaver on hand to throw out the first pitch before the game got underway. Though with all the excitement of the Mets playing their first game at their new home, they were greeted rather rudely as the very first batter of the Citi Field era, Jody Gerut of the Padres started with a bang, hitting a leadoff home run giving the Padres a 1-0 and eventually a 5-2 lead.

But come the bottom of the fifth inning, David Wright changed the complexion of the game and got the Mets faithful excited and rowdy when he crushed a three home homer to left field tying the game up at five off Padres pitcher Walter Silva. The Padres would eventually spoil the Mets' Citi Field debut and go on to win the game 6-5.

So even though the Mets did not win their first game played at Citi Field, David Wright started off the Citi Field debut strong for the New York Mets. Who better to hit the first Mets home run in ballpark history?