Mets stay in Kingsport for another five years

The New York Mets and the city of Kingsport have extended their cooperation with each other for another five years. The cooperation between the two parties will last through the 2020 season.

The Kingsport Mets are the New York Mets’ Appalachian League (rookie league) affiliation. The Mets landed in Kingsport in 1980 and have never left ever since. One tiny exception was 1983, when the franchise played one season in the Gulf Coast League because the stadium was renovated.

Since the Mets and the city of Kingsport are partners, the rookie league team has won two league titles, 1988 and 1995.

Several New York Mets players have worn the jersey of the Kingsport affiliation: David Wright, Jose Reyes, Darryl Strawberry, Dwight Gooden and Lastings Milledge and Kevin Mitchell.

The city of Kingsport and the Mets exchanged the necessary courtesy, as it is supposed to be.

Both parties explained how happy they are with each other with the usual blabla. On the other hand, when a Major League club sticks with a city for more than thirty years, they must be happy indeed.

The Kingsport Mets are owned by their New York namesake but the business is run by Kingsport Convention and Visitors Bureau and the City of Kingsport. Thanks to the deal, Hunter Wright Stadium will have a major upgrade for the 2016 season.