If you’re a baseball fan, you may have seen the Citi Field Home Run Apple rise from its housing, bringing Mets fans and New York City to life. Originally a Shea Stadium tradition that was recreated for the new Citi Field, the Home Run Apple is a 16 foot tall, 18 foot diameter, red apple weighing 4800lbs. When a Mets player hits a home run, their trademark and branded apple rises from its home into the air for the entire stadium to see.
The Apple is raised with a hydraulic cylinder which was designed and manufactured by Aggressive Hydraulics for an engineering firm tasked with developing the entire system for the new Mets landmark. With the height and weight of the red apple in mind, Aggressive Hydraulics’ engineers developed a Purpose-Built™ cylinder for safe and effective operation. What appears to be a fairly simple project actually required unique considerations to accommodate operating parameters, structural integrity and safety interlocks. A custom Purpose-Built™ hydraulic cylinder was necessary to achieve the speed and safety requirements. If you’re watching the Mets in the World Series look for the Home Run Apple at Citi Field and remember that’s a Purpose-Built™ cylinder from Aggressive Hydraulics powering the show.
