The 1951 Fall Classic was Joe DiMaggio's farewell to baseball. It was Mickey Mantle's first trip to the World Series (Alas, he badly hurt his knee in the second contest, ending his October early). It was also Willie Mays' first World Series (Willie and Mickey were rookies in '51).
New York Yankees manager Casey Stengel had another hall of famer in Yogi Berra behind the dish. Their cross-town rivals the Giants had Wes Westrum. And it was these three players who would later become manager of the New York Mets years later.
Casey Stengel was fired after the Yankees lost the 1960 Fall Classic to the Pittsburgh Pirates. Yogi Berra stayed on as a player until the end of the 1963 season, also serving as first base coach that year. In '64, Yogi took over as manager from Ralph Houk, who'd succeeded Stengel in 1961. Berra took New York all the way to game seven of the World Series in his first year as skipper. The Yankees narrowly lost to the St. Louis Cardinals, 7-5 in the deciding game. Alas, Berra was himself fired after the Cards won game seven.
It was then that Berra caught on with the New York Mets. In only their fifth season, their manager was Casey Stengel, and their veteran catcher was Yogi Berra. Yogi got into just four games as a player. It ended up being the last four games of his career. Stengel was replaced in 1965 after breaking his hip at a bar. The Mets were bad, just 31-64 that season.
It'd been that way since the get-go for the expansion New York Mets. In '62, they lost 120 games. Then they lost 111 the next season. 1964 saw them lose 109. 1965 ended with a 50-112 record. Losing had become a habit of the Mets.
The team itself was having some great player development, though. In '64, New York traded their star slugger Frank Thomas (No relation to the Chicago White Sox slugger of the 1990s) to the Philadelphia Phillies for two non-descript players. But the team still had Charlie Smith, the third basemen who hit 20 home runs. Jim Hickman and Larry Elliot both spent time in center field and combined for 20 HR. Jesse Gonder, the catcher hit .270 in 131 games. Another catcher, Chris Cannizzaro, hit over .300 in 60 games. Two regulars, Joe Christopher and Ron Hunt, hit over .300 as well.
So while the team continued to lose over 100 games every year, they were getting better, slowly. The addition of Yogi Berra and Warren Spahn on the coaching and Wes Westrum as the manager in '65 signified the end of the Mets as the laughing stock of the National League.
Harvey Haddix and Whitey Herzog joined the Mets' coaching staff in 1966. The team continued to get better despite Spahn not being around anymore. The '66 New York Mets won 66 games! That marked the first time the team had lost less than 100 games.
And look at the players! First basemen Ed Kranepool hit sixteen home runs. Veteran third basemen Ken Boyer hit fourteen. However, it was the pitching staff that was vastly improved. Bob Shaw, who'd starred with the 1959 Chicago White Sox, went 11-10. Dennis Ribant was 11-9 with a 3.20 ERA. Jack Fisher, who'd been just 8-24 in 1965, improved to 11-14 with a 3.68 ERA. Fisher was the third starter to post an earned run average under four. Closer / spot starter Jack Hamilton was just 6-13 but saved thirteen games and posted an ERA of 3.93. Some kid named Nolan Ryan pitched his first two games in the bigs that year for this team. He'd be good. Real good!
Alas, New York fell back in 1967, going just 61-101. It was still good enough for the team's second best season (To that point). But another rookie arrived. 22-year old Tom Seaver served notice that he'd be real good, too. The right-handed pitched won sixteen games. Pretty good for a rookie. And he'd get better, trust me.
The rest of the starters didn't quite measure up to Seaver, though (Ryan did not appear in any games with New York in '67). That's what resulted in the 101 losses. The bullpen, though, was excellent. Ron Taylor, the Canadian who'd helped the St. Louis Cardinals beat Yogi Berra's Yankees in 1964, was now the closer. The Canuck was 4-6, but posted an ERA of just 2.34 and recorded eight saves. Another reliever, Dick Selma was just 2-4 but with a 2.77 ERA. Rookie Don Shaw (No relation to Bob) went 4-5 with a 2.99 earned run average. Ex-Yankee Hal Reniff was 3-3 with a 3.35 ERA.
The team got it's first look-see at another reliever named Tug McGraw. And a starter, Jerry Koosman. The seeds of a championship were being sewn. Wes Westrum did not finish the season as the reins were handed over to Salty Parker with just eleven games to go and New York just 57-94.
It was Gil Hodges who became the pilot of the Mets in 1968, resulting in 73-win season. Now, New York could win games on pitching alone. Five regular or occasional starters posted an earned run average under three. Bullpen men Ron Taylor and Cal Koonce combined for twenty-five saves and each posted sub-3.00 ERA.
When the team arrived in the spring of 1969, Hodges was still the manager. Yogi Berra was the first base coach and Eddie Yost, the third. It was Rube Walker that was the pitching coach. He'd joined the team the previous year. Rube hadn't been a pitcher, but look at the results!
They continued in '69 for the New York Mets. Seaver? He won 25. Koosman? 17. Gary Gentry was just 13-12 but had a more-than-respectable ERA, 3.43. Veteran Don Cardwell was only 8-10, but his earned run average was 3.01.
The bullpen consisted of reliever Ron Taylor (9-4, 2.72 ERA and 13 saves), Tug McGraw (9-3, 2.24 ERA and 12 saves), Nolan Ryan (6-3, 3.53 ERA and a save), Cal Koonce (6-3, 4.99 ERA and 7 saves). Rounding it out the relievers was Jack DiLauro. Jack went only 1-4, but his earned run average was excellent, 2.40.
The team had quite an outfield. Tommie Agee, in centre, hit 26 home runs and hit .271. Cleon Jones, the left fielder, hit .340 with twelve HR. Ron Swoboda, who never quite matched his rookie totals of 19 home runs as a rookie in '65, hit nine in 109 games in '69. However, the New York Mets as a team reversed the 100 loses to the win column in 1969! 100-62! They had won their first Division title!
Their bats were hot when the pitching staff wasn't. In the inaugural National League Championship Series vs. Atlanta, New York couldn't hold off Hank Aaron and company. Hank blasted the Mets' pitching: 3 HR and 7 RBI! Orlando Cepeda hit .455 with a home run and three RBIs.
But the Mets' bats would not be denied. The Braves scored five runs in the first game. But the visiting New York team scored nine. Then the Mets outscored 'em 11-6 in the second contest. Game three in New York's Shea Stadium went to the home team, 7-4. The Mets had themselves a sweep!
Now, it was Baltimore's turn. The World Series winners of 1966, the Baltimore Orioles had a great manager in Earl Weaver. The Orioles pitching? Guys like Jim Palmer, Dave McNally and Mike Cuellar seemed like a mountain too steep for the upstart New York Mets.
Game one went to Baltimore 4-1 as Cuellar beat Seaver at home. New York clawed back via a 2-1 squeaker in the second contest, with Jerry Koosman narrowly getting the better of Baltimore's Dave McNally.
Game three at Shea went the Mets' way, 5-0. But don't let the score fool you. Gerry Gentry and Nolan Ryan needed Tommie Agee's two excellent catches to keep the Orioles' bats at bay. Seaver returned to the hill and needed ten innings to overcome the visitor's, 2-1.
Baltimore was down 3-1. Game five was at Shea. But if the Orioles won, game six was back at Memorial Park in Baltimore. Dave McNally got the ball. As he was in the second contest he pitched well.
And Dave hit well, too. In the top of the third, he came up after light-hitting Mark Belanger had started the inning off with a single. The pitcher then helped his own cause by booming a two-run home run. Before the home team could grab lumber in the bottom of the frame, Frank Robinson went yard himself. 3-0, Orioles.
The score stayed that way until the bottom of the sixth. McNally hit Cleon Jones to start the inning, as Gil Hodges showed the umpire some shoe polish to prove it. Don Clendenon matched McNally by hitting a two-run home run of his own. 3-2.
McNally got the next three batters out. But light-hitting Al Weiss tied it at three with a solo shot in the last of the seventh. Again, Dave settled down and New York went 1-2-3. Dave was still pitching well.
But so was Jerry Koosman. The New York pitched had got things in order after that shaky third. And better still, the Mets wouldn't have to worry about Dave McNally in the last of the eight. Earl Weaver had pinch hit for hits pitcher in the top of the frame, only to see Curt Motton ground to short to start the frame. Koosman got the next two batters out for a fine 1-2-3 eight.
Eddie Watt came in to pitch the bottom of the eighth. Cleon Jones got it going with a double. Don Clendenon grounded out, but Ron Swoboda doubled Jones home! 4-3. Ron came through in the clutch. Ed Charles flew out, two away and Swoboda still at second. But Jerry Groat hit a grounder to first that Orioles' Boog Powell couldn't come up with cleanly. By the time he did, Groat was pretty much on first. Worst still, Powell's throw to Watt, covering first, was dropped by the pitcher. Off with the crack of the bat, Swoboda scored in all that commotion! And first base coach Yogi Berra was liking what he was seeing!
Koosman walked Frank Robinson to start the top of the ninth. 5-3 up, but the Orioles had the tying run at the dish. Jerry dug deep. He got Powell to force Frank Robinson at second. Then Brook Robinson (No relation to Frank), flied out to Swoboda in right. When Davey Johnson (Who would lead the Mets to a championship seventeen years later) flied out to Cleon Jones just shy of the warning track in left, the Mets were champions! They'd gone from worst (1962-1965 and again in 1967) to first in the course of just two years!
The Mets didn't repeat, and Gil Hodges sadly passed away in the spring of 1972. So, it was Yogi Berra who was the skipper. Unlike in 1964, his team would not win the pennant. Berra's first year managing the New York Mets saw them finish in third place, 83-79.
The next year, New York won fewer games. 82 to be exact. The team seemed to have fallen a long way in four years. Tom Seaver was great, though. 19-10 with a NL-leading 2.08 earned run average. But the started with a winning record was George Stone. And Stone won just twelve games. John Milner led the team with just 23 home runs! This team seemed like easy picking when Seaver wasn't pitching!
However, the Mets upset the defending National League Champion Cincinnati Reds in the NLCS, 3-2. A very tough opposition awaited them in the World Series. That, in name, was the Oakland Athletics, the defending World Champions!
Still, New York hung tough. They lost the opener on the road, just like four years earlier. But, New York took game two in extras! Oakland, however, eked out a 3-2 win at Shea Stadium in eleven innings to regain the series lead.
The Mets, though, got some amazing pitching at home from there. Jon Matlack had been just 14-16 in the regular season. In a must-win game four, Matlack went eight strong innings, allowed just three hits, one run, and squared the series with a 6-1 win.
Jerry Koosman, still pitching and still effective, allowed just three hits and no runs through 6 1/3 innings of game five. A run in the last of the second and sixth saw Koosman depart with a 2-0 lead. Tug McGraw preserved it by limiting Oakland to no runs, and no hits over the last 2 2/3 innings. New York was up 3-2!
Alas, Oakland was not to be denied. Tom Seaver pitched heroically, but it was the A's Catfish Hunter who edged him 3-1 in a game six pitcher's duel. Then, in game seven, Oakland strafed Matlack in the last of the third, pushing four runs across the dish. By the time New York finally pried a run loose in the top of the sixth, they still trailed 5-1. The Mets added another in the top of the ninth off ace reliever Rollie Fingers, eventually knocking him out of the game. The Mets sure battled! When Wayne Garrett popped out against Darold Knowles, New York had two more runners on. I guess another miracle just wasn't in the cards.
References
Sports Reference LLC. Baseball-Reference.com - Major League Statistics and Information. https://www.baseball-reference.com/. 13 Feb. 2020. Web.
Google LLC, and Youtube. YouTube, http://www.youtube.com/. 13 Feb. 2020. Web.
New York Yankees manager Casey Stengel had another hall of famer in Yogi Berra behind the dish. Their cross-town rivals the Giants had Wes Westrum. And it was these three players who would later become manager of the New York Mets years later.
Casey Stengel was fired after the Yankees lost the 1960 Fall Classic to the Pittsburgh Pirates. Yogi Berra stayed on as a player until the end of the 1963 season, also serving as first base coach that year. In '64, Yogi took over as manager from Ralph Houk, who'd succeeded Stengel in 1961. Berra took New York all the way to game seven of the World Series in his first year as skipper. The Yankees narrowly lost to the St. Louis Cardinals, 7-5 in the deciding game. Alas, Berra was himself fired after the Cards won game seven.
It was then that Berra caught on with the New York Mets. In only their fifth season, their manager was Casey Stengel, and their veteran catcher was Yogi Berra. Yogi got into just four games as a player. It ended up being the last four games of his career. Stengel was replaced in 1965 after breaking his hip at a bar. The Mets were bad, just 31-64 that season.
It'd been that way since the get-go for the expansion New York Mets. In '62, they lost 120 games. Then they lost 111 the next season. 1964 saw them lose 109. 1965 ended with a 50-112 record. Losing had become a habit of the Mets.
The team itself was having some great player development, though. In '64, New York traded their star slugger Frank Thomas (No relation to the Chicago White Sox slugger of the 1990s) to the Philadelphia Phillies for two non-descript players. But the team still had Charlie Smith, the third basemen who hit 20 home runs. Jim Hickman and Larry Elliot both spent time in center field and combined for 20 HR. Jesse Gonder, the catcher hit .270 in 131 games. Another catcher, Chris Cannizzaro, hit over .300 in 60 games. Two regulars, Joe Christopher and Ron Hunt, hit over .300 as well.
So while the team continued to lose over 100 games every year, they were getting better, slowly. The addition of Yogi Berra and Warren Spahn on the coaching and Wes Westrum as the manager in '65 signified the end of the Mets as the laughing stock of the National League.
Harvey Haddix and Whitey Herzog joined the Mets' coaching staff in 1966. The team continued to get better despite Spahn not being around anymore. The '66 New York Mets won 66 games! That marked the first time the team had lost less than 100 games.
And look at the players! First basemen Ed Kranepool hit sixteen home runs. Veteran third basemen Ken Boyer hit fourteen. However, it was the pitching staff that was vastly improved. Bob Shaw, who'd starred with the 1959 Chicago White Sox, went 11-10. Dennis Ribant was 11-9 with a 3.20 ERA. Jack Fisher, who'd been just 8-24 in 1965, improved to 11-14 with a 3.68 ERA. Fisher was the third starter to post an earned run average under four. Closer / spot starter Jack Hamilton was just 6-13 but saved thirteen games and posted an ERA of 3.93. Some kid named Nolan Ryan pitched his first two games in the bigs that year for this team. He'd be good. Real good!
Alas, New York fell back in 1967, going just 61-101. It was still good enough for the team's second best season (To that point). But another rookie arrived. 22-year old Tom Seaver served notice that he'd be real good, too. The right-handed pitched won sixteen games. Pretty good for a rookie. And he'd get better, trust me.
The rest of the starters didn't quite measure up to Seaver, though (Ryan did not appear in any games with New York in '67). That's what resulted in the 101 losses. The bullpen, though, was excellent. Ron Taylor, the Canadian who'd helped the St. Louis Cardinals beat Yogi Berra's Yankees in 1964, was now the closer. The Canuck was 4-6, but posted an ERA of just 2.34 and recorded eight saves. Another reliever, Dick Selma was just 2-4 but with a 2.77 ERA. Rookie Don Shaw (No relation to Bob) went 4-5 with a 2.99 earned run average. Ex-Yankee Hal Reniff was 3-3 with a 3.35 ERA.
The team got it's first look-see at another reliever named Tug McGraw. And a starter, Jerry Koosman. The seeds of a championship were being sewn. Wes Westrum did not finish the season as the reins were handed over to Salty Parker with just eleven games to go and New York just 57-94.
It was Gil Hodges who became the pilot of the Mets in 1968, resulting in 73-win season. Now, New York could win games on pitching alone. Five regular or occasional starters posted an earned run average under three. Bullpen men Ron Taylor and Cal Koonce combined for twenty-five saves and each posted sub-3.00 ERA.
When the team arrived in the spring of 1969, Hodges was still the manager. Yogi Berra was the first base coach and Eddie Yost, the third. It was Rube Walker that was the pitching coach. He'd joined the team the previous year. Rube hadn't been a pitcher, but look at the results!
They continued in '69 for the New York Mets. Seaver? He won 25. Koosman? 17. Gary Gentry was just 13-12 but had a more-than-respectable ERA, 3.43. Veteran Don Cardwell was only 8-10, but his earned run average was 3.01.
The bullpen consisted of reliever Ron Taylor (9-4, 2.72 ERA and 13 saves), Tug McGraw (9-3, 2.24 ERA and 12 saves), Nolan Ryan (6-3, 3.53 ERA and a save), Cal Koonce (6-3, 4.99 ERA and 7 saves). Rounding it out the relievers was Jack DiLauro. Jack went only 1-4, but his earned run average was excellent, 2.40.
The team had quite an outfield. Tommie Agee, in centre, hit 26 home runs and hit .271. Cleon Jones, the left fielder, hit .340 with twelve HR. Ron Swoboda, who never quite matched his rookie totals of 19 home runs as a rookie in '65, hit nine in 109 games in '69. However, the New York Mets as a team reversed the 100 loses to the win column in 1969! 100-62! They had won their first Division title!
Their bats were hot when the pitching staff wasn't. In the inaugural National League Championship Series vs. Atlanta, New York couldn't hold off Hank Aaron and company. Hank blasted the Mets' pitching: 3 HR and 7 RBI! Orlando Cepeda hit .455 with a home run and three RBIs.
But the Mets' bats would not be denied. The Braves scored five runs in the first game. But the visiting New York team scored nine. Then the Mets outscored 'em 11-6 in the second contest. Game three in New York's Shea Stadium went to the home team, 7-4. The Mets had themselves a sweep!
Now, it was Baltimore's turn. The World Series winners of 1966, the Baltimore Orioles had a great manager in Earl Weaver. The Orioles pitching? Guys like Jim Palmer, Dave McNally and Mike Cuellar seemed like a mountain too steep for the upstart New York Mets.
Game one went to Baltimore 4-1 as Cuellar beat Seaver at home. New York clawed back via a 2-1 squeaker in the second contest, with Jerry Koosman narrowly getting the better of Baltimore's Dave McNally.
Game three at Shea went the Mets' way, 5-0. But don't let the score fool you. Gerry Gentry and Nolan Ryan needed Tommie Agee's two excellent catches to keep the Orioles' bats at bay. Seaver returned to the hill and needed ten innings to overcome the visitor's, 2-1.
Baltimore was down 3-1. Game five was at Shea. But if the Orioles won, game six was back at Memorial Park in Baltimore. Dave McNally got the ball. As he was in the second contest he pitched well.
And Dave hit well, too. In the top of the third, he came up after light-hitting Mark Belanger had started the inning off with a single. The pitcher then helped his own cause by booming a two-run home run. Before the home team could grab lumber in the bottom of the frame, Frank Robinson went yard himself. 3-0, Orioles.
The score stayed that way until the bottom of the sixth. McNally hit Cleon Jones to start the inning, as Gil Hodges showed the umpire some shoe polish to prove it. Don Clendenon matched McNally by hitting a two-run home run of his own. 3-2.
McNally got the next three batters out. But light-hitting Al Weiss tied it at three with a solo shot in the last of the seventh. Again, Dave settled down and New York went 1-2-3. Dave was still pitching well.
But so was Jerry Koosman. The New York pitched had got things in order after that shaky third. And better still, the Mets wouldn't have to worry about Dave McNally in the last of the eight. Earl Weaver had pinch hit for hits pitcher in the top of the frame, only to see Curt Motton ground to short to start the frame. Koosman got the next two batters out for a fine 1-2-3 eight.
Eddie Watt came in to pitch the bottom of the eighth. Cleon Jones got it going with a double. Don Clendenon grounded out, but Ron Swoboda doubled Jones home! 4-3. Ron came through in the clutch. Ed Charles flew out, two away and Swoboda still at second. But Jerry Groat hit a grounder to first that Orioles' Boog Powell couldn't come up with cleanly. By the time he did, Groat was pretty much on first. Worst still, Powell's throw to Watt, covering first, was dropped by the pitcher. Off with the crack of the bat, Swoboda scored in all that commotion! And first base coach Yogi Berra was liking what he was seeing!
Koosman walked Frank Robinson to start the top of the ninth. 5-3 up, but the Orioles had the tying run at the dish. Jerry dug deep. He got Powell to force Frank Robinson at second. Then Brook Robinson (No relation to Frank), flied out to Swoboda in right. When Davey Johnson (Who would lead the Mets to a championship seventeen years later) flied out to Cleon Jones just shy of the warning track in left, the Mets were champions! They'd gone from worst (1962-1965 and again in 1967) to first in the course of just two years!
The Mets didn't repeat, and Gil Hodges sadly passed away in the spring of 1972. So, it was Yogi Berra who was the skipper. Unlike in 1964, his team would not win the pennant. Berra's first year managing the New York Mets saw them finish in third place, 83-79.
The next year, New York won fewer games. 82 to be exact. The team seemed to have fallen a long way in four years. Tom Seaver was great, though. 19-10 with a NL-leading 2.08 earned run average. But the started with a winning record was George Stone. And Stone won just twelve games. John Milner led the team with just 23 home runs! This team seemed like easy picking when Seaver wasn't pitching!
However, the Mets upset the defending National League Champion Cincinnati Reds in the NLCS, 3-2. A very tough opposition awaited them in the World Series. That, in name, was the Oakland Athletics, the defending World Champions!
Still, New York hung tough. They lost the opener on the road, just like four years earlier. But, New York took game two in extras! Oakland, however, eked out a 3-2 win at Shea Stadium in eleven innings to regain the series lead.
The Mets, though, got some amazing pitching at home from there. Jon Matlack had been just 14-16 in the regular season. In a must-win game four, Matlack went eight strong innings, allowed just three hits, one run, and squared the series with a 6-1 win.
Jerry Koosman, still pitching and still effective, allowed just three hits and no runs through 6 1/3 innings of game five. A run in the last of the second and sixth saw Koosman depart with a 2-0 lead. Tug McGraw preserved it by limiting Oakland to no runs, and no hits over the last 2 2/3 innings. New York was up 3-2!
Alas, Oakland was not to be denied. Tom Seaver pitched heroically, but it was the A's Catfish Hunter who edged him 3-1 in a game six pitcher's duel. Then, in game seven, Oakland strafed Matlack in the last of the third, pushing four runs across the dish. By the time New York finally pried a run loose in the top of the sixth, they still trailed 5-1. The Mets added another in the top of the ninth off ace reliever Rollie Fingers, eventually knocking him out of the game. The Mets sure battled! When Wayne Garrett popped out against Darold Knowles, New York had two more runners on. I guess another miracle just wasn't in the cards.
References
Sports Reference LLC. Baseball-Reference.com - Major League Statistics and Information. https://www.baseball-reference.com/. 13 Feb. 2020. Web.
Google LLC, and Youtube. YouTube, http://www.youtube.com/. 13 Feb. 2020. Web.
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