In advance of a weekend honoring the 50th Anniversary of the 1969 Mets, the organization held a ceremony today to officially change Citi Field’s address to 41 Seaver Way. While Tom Seaver was not there to celebrate the address change and the weekend, his family was on hand for a ribbon cutting ceremony.

At the same ceremony, Mets COO Jeff Wilpon also announced the team has officially commissioned a Seaver statue to be built in front of Citi Field. The address chance and statue are honors befitting not just the best player in franchise history, it’s also an honor befitting someone who is among one of the best right-handed pitchers of all-time.

To date, Seaver remains the franchise leader in wins (198), ERA (2.57), GS (295), strikeouts (2,541), complete games (171), shutouts (44), and other categories. He was the 1967 Rookie of the Year, 12 time All-Star, and a three time Cy Young Award winner. He still remains the starting pitcher with the highest percent of the vote for Hall of Fame induction.

As such, he was the first Mets player enter the Hall of Fame and to have his number retired. He is now the first Mets player to have his statute standing outside Citi Field. Due to what The Franchise has meant to this Mets franchise, he deserves this and many more honors. Unfortunately, due to his illness, he will not be able to attend the ceremonies honoring him.