Return to Hiram Bithorn?

[Benjamin Grimm]

NY Mets likely to play Florida Marlins in Puerto Rico next season, report says By Brian Costa/The Star-Ledger January 08, 2010, 12:23AM The Mets and Marlins are close to announcing that they will play a three-game series in San Juan, Puerto Rico, next season, according to a report in The South Florida Sun-Sentinel. The series, which was scheduled to be played in Miami from June 28-30, would instead be held at Hiram Bithorn Stadium, which has hosted the World Baseball Classic and was the Montreal Expos' part-time home in 2003 and 2004. Marlins president David Samson told The Sun-Sentinel he expects plans to be finalized within the next week. "We have a lot of fans down there," Samson told the paper. "We were asked by Baseball if we were interested and we said absolutely yes." While the Marlins would be the home team, the Mets figure to be a major draw because of their Puerto Rican players: Carlos Beltran, Pedro Feliciano, Angel Pagan, Omir Santos, Alex Cora and -- if they re-sign him -- Carlos Delgado. The Mets played a combined seven games against the Expos in San Juan in 2003 and 2004.

San Juan's Hiram Bithorn Stadium, pictured here during a Mets-Expos series in 2003.

I don't think I knew that Hiram Bithorn had artificial turf.

[Benjamin Grimm]

Unless I'm overlooking something, I think that Hiram Bithorn would become only the second road stadium in which the Mets have played against two different teams.

One honorary Schaefer point to the first person to name the other park.

[Guest Swan Swan H]

County Stadium in Milwaukee?

[Benjamin Grimm]

County Stadium in Milwaukee?

[Guest metsguyinmichigan]

I'm a little surprised that the Marlins would bring the Mets to San Juan again.

From what I've been able to tell, the Mets are among the Marlins' biggest draws, with all the New Yorkers in South Florida.

You'd think the San Juan games would draw well no matter which team they play, so why not bring the Pirates or someone?

[Guest Edgy DC]

Mets have a following in San Juan due to (1) high concentration of Puerto Ricans in New York, and (2) employing big Puerto Rican names like Beltran and (maybe) Delgado.

I'm guessing that they're hoping a New York ex-pat who went to four of the nine Met-Marlin games in Miami last year might go to four of the six this year.

[G-Fafif]

Marlins president David Samson told The Sun-Sentinel he expects plans to be finalized within the next week. "We have a lot of fans down there," Samson told the paper. "We were asked by Baseball if we were interested and we said absolutely yes."

I do not believe, for a moment, that the Marlins have a lot of fans anywhere.