Mets Unveil New Food, Sign And More At Citi Field

NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- New York Mets fans will be treated to more than just baseball this season at Citi Field.

Attendance at Citi Field was up 18 percent last year and Mets executives hope to top that this season. This year, tickets sales are up 100 percent from last season.

On Wednesday, the team announced several changes coming to the ballpark, including new interactive elements at games and food options.

CBS2's Steve Overmyer reports for those who play video games, there is a motion-sensing video monitor where fans can play home run derby against virtual Mets.

"Yeah, we have the technology in the screen to measure your power and how far [the ball] is going," Coca-Cola Marketing's Chloe Stewart said. "It'll stitch together a GIF of your swing and it's send it to you so you can share it on social media."

At the top of the fifth inning, auto giant Ford will sponsor a race of characters dressed up as cars, 1010 WINS' Carol D'Auria reported. There will also be a trivia contest for a lucky fan.

In between other innings, handheld cannons will shoot t-shirts into the stands.

Fans will also be able to upload photos that will appear on the stadium's Nikon screen.

The stadium also looks a little different.

PHOTOS: Citi Field's New Coca-Cola Corner

Mets Chief Revenue Officer DePaoli said the familiar Pepsi sign above the right field seating area is gone. It's now known as the "Coca-Cola Corner."

"It's a full LED sign, meaning you can do full motion video, and the key here is that we're going to be activating it throughout the game," DePaoli said.

Stewart told Overmyer about the theme they were going for.

"We've kind of got a backyard theme going here. We've got turf, cornhole," Stewart said.

For generations the culinary highlight at baseball games was a hot dog, but that's not the case anymore.

Now, fans will be able to indulge in a spicy fried chicken sandwich at Chef David Chang's Fuku stand, which will be located on the first level concourse near section 102. Milk Bar will provide the dessert at the stand: a compost cookie packed with pretzels, potato chips, coffee, oats, butterscotch and chocolate chips.

If you're really hungry, you can get a 38-ounce Tomahawk rib chop for just $154.

The Mets say, however, their real value is in the event.

"It's also an entertainment experience. You want to provide a 360-degree entertainment experience, so when you're here with your children, there's fun things for them to do," DePaoli said. "That's who we are, that's in our DNA from 1962 on. We're fan-friendly, family-friendly, and we said, 'You know, let's stick with that.'"

The Mets home opener is Friday, April 8 against the Philadelphia Phillies.