In appreciation of the 2008 season being the last season for the New York Mets at Shea Stadium. I will be taking all of us back on a trip down memory road, to relive some of the great moments to take place at Shea.

Part one of my series brings right back to the beginning, on April 17, 1964. It was on that day that the Mets would take on the Pittsburgh Pirates in the first ever opening day at Shea.

Jack Fisher took the mound for the Mets that day, and the first batter he faced was Ducky Schofield (father of Dick Schofield, who would play with the Mets in the early 1990's). Though Schofield popped out for the ballpark's first out, the Pirates would eventually go on to record the first win at the ballpark defeating the Mets 4-3. Bob Friend got the win for Pittsburgh, while Ed Bauta took the loss for the Mets.

In the bottom of the first Tim Harkness took his place in Mets and Shea Stadium history as the first Mets batter to come to the plate at Shea. In his first at bat he grounded out to Schofield at shortstop. The man who made the put out at first was none other than future Met Donn Clendenon. Clendenon of course would become one of the leaders of the 1969 Miracle Mets, with that special season culminating in him being named the 1969 World Series MVP. Harkness would record the first ever Mets hit at Shea in the bottom of the third inning.

That day a few future Hall of Famers (all Pittsburgh players of course) took their place in Shea history. Willie Stargell recorded the ballpark's first hit and home run, all on one swing in the second inning. In addition to Stargell etching his name in Shea history, Roberto Clemente would be the ballpark's first strike out victim as Fisher would sit him down in the first. In the sixth inning Bill Mazeroski (one of the greatest defensive second basemen of all time mind you), would be the third Hall of Famer to be linked to opening day at Shea, as he made the first error in the ballpark's history.

It would be almost a week before Ron Hunt would hit the first Mets home run at Shea, but never the less, a new era in the great history of not just baseball in New York, but the City of New York was born. Though the Mets lost that first game, it would only be four years before Shea hosted a championship sports season, and five years before the Mets would win their first World Series. Shea Stadium, had arrived and a new era had begun.