Mar
26
2012

Mets To Honor Gary Carter On Opening Day

An article by 72MetsFan

The New York Mets will honor the memory of Gary Carter on Opening Day, Thursday, April 5 at Citi Field with his family participating in a special pre-game ceremony prior to the season’s opener against the Atlanta Braves at 1:10 p.m. Carter passed away February 16 after a courageous 10-month battle with brain cancer.

Gary’s wife, Sandy, son, D.J., and daughters, Kimmy and Christy, and their families will be on the field during a moment of silence for their father and for the ceremonial first pitch.

“We are thrilled that the Carters will be with us,” said Mets COO Jeff Wilpon. “On Opening Day, Mets fans will have the chance to pay their respects and remember all of his accomplishments.”

Carter was acquired by the Mets from the Montreal Expos for four players in December, 1984. Two years later, he helped direct the team’s young pitching staff to a World Championship. Gary was inducted into the Mets Hall of Fame in 2001 and the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 2003.

“Our family is so honored to be part of the Mets’ Opening Day at Citi Field,” said Sandy Carter. “It will be an incredible experience for us to celebrate Gary’s legacy by having our family throw out the first pitch. The Mets and the fans of New York always had a special place in Gary’s heart and that admiration will live on in our hearts for years to come. Thanks to the Wilpon family and the entire Mets organization for making this possible.”

Mets players are wearing a patch on their right sleeve featuring a black home plate with “KID 8” in white lettering to honor Carter during the 2012 season.

About the Author: Drew Staley

On June 1, 2012 Johan Santana officially became my favorite current Met! I'm a Queens native who grew up in the shadows of Big Shea. I was a huge Ron Darling, Dave Magadan and John Olerud fan. Honored to be a part of such a great site for Mets fans. Ya Gotta Believe!

13 Comments + Add Comment

srt March 26, 2012 at 7:01 pm

Nice job with honoring Gary Carter on day one of the season. Hope they do it up right in honor of the Kid.
Mike.BTB March 26, 2012 at 7:31 pm

What are the chances the Mets surprise everyone on Opening Day; most notably Carter’s family; and retire his number? That would be the ultimate touch of class. And besides, it’s time to reopen the debate regarding the retirement of some more Met numbers anyway.
- srt March 26, 2012 at 8:02 pm
  
  It’s obvious each team has their own criteria for retiring numbers. Yankees seem to be at one end of the spectrum with the Mets at the other.
  
  I’m thinking though, if the Mets had planned to do this it would have been announced.
- trs86 March 26, 2012 at 8:10 pm
  
  You have to be careful that you are not giving him a sympathy retiring. Carter was incredible and as my name suggest I fell in love with the Mets in 86. But I am not so sure what the qualifications should even be for retiring Mets numbers. In fact I have been thinking about it even more and if the policy of retiring numbers shouldn’t go more the way of the Cowboys. They pass on the great’s numbers to the next great.
  - stick March 27, 2012 at 8:51 am
    
    Is that like break up sex?
MetsMan86 March 26, 2012 at 8:56 pm

It’s a shame the Nationals don’t recognize their Expos past. Being he’s in the Hall as an Expo, they should honor him as well.
- trs86 March 26, 2012 at 8:58 pm
  
  I thought they were going to. I am not sure why.
Bayonne Mets Fan March 26, 2012 at 9:19 pm

It’s a shame that the ballplayer that gets the most recognition at Citi Field is visible right when you walk in and never even played for the Mets.
- trs86 March 26, 2012 at 9:21 pm
  
  Agreed on both counts, I wish it wasn’t that prominent and I wish he had played for us LOL.
  - stick March 26, 2012 at 9:33 pm
    
    he would have fit perfectly with the ’62 Mets. 43 YO and retired for 6 years. Still might have been an upgrade!
    
    actually, when I looked at his stats to see when he reitired, I was surprised to see he had a lot more power, and fewer steals, than I would have guessed.
Kay March 27, 2012 at 7:45 am

I wasn’t going to go to Opening Day this year, then changed my mind about a week ago. Glad I did, and happy I’ll be there.
Kranepool7 March 27, 2012 at 7:56 am

I’ll be there Opening Day! I cant wait to see what the Mets have planned.
- stick March 27, 2012 at 8:57 am
  
  Ii wish I could be. I had a long string of consecutive opening days, but have not been in years.

NL East Standings

Team	W	L	Pct.	GB
Braves	23	18	.561	-
Nationals	23	19	.548	0.5
Phillies	20	22	.476	3.5
Mets	16	23	.410	6.0
Marlins	11	31	.262	12.5

Last updated: 05/18/2013

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