article

The New York Mets are a Major League Baseball team based in Flushing, in the New York City Borough of Queens, New York. They play in the Eastern Division of the National League. The Mets are one of two major league franchises in the City of New York; the other is the New York Yankees of the American League.

Franchise History

Origins

In 1957, the Brooklyn Dodgers and New York Giants abandoned New York for California, leaving the largest city in the United States without a National League franchise. Two years later, on July 27, 1959, attorney William Shea announced the formation of a third major baseball league, the Continental League. After a contentious year, in 1960, Shea and the other Continental League organizers reached a deal with the established major leagues. In exchange for abandoning the new league, four new expansion franchises were created — two in each league. New York City received one of the National League teams with Joan Whitney Payson and her husband Charles Shipman Payson, former minority owners of the Giants, as the principal owners. Former Giants director M. Donald Grant, the only member of the board to oppose the Giants' move West, became chairman of the board.

The new team required a new name and many were suggested. Among the finalists were "Bees", "Burros", "Continentals", "Skyscrapers", "Jets", as well as the eventual runner-up, "Skyliners". Although Payson had admitted a preference for "Meadowlarks," the owners ultimately selected "Metropolitan Baseball Club of New York," or Mets in part because it was closely related to the club's already-existing corporate name "New York Metropolitan Baseball Club, Inc.", in part because it harkened back to "Metropolitans", a historically significant name used by an earlier New York team in the American Association from 1883 to 1887, and in part because its brevity would naturally fit in newspaper headlines. The name was met with broad approval among fans and press.

1962-1968: Lovable Losers

In October, 1961, the National League held an expansion draft to stock the rosters of the Mets and the Houston Colt .45s with players from other clubs. 22 players were selected by the Mets, including some with notable previous success such as Roger Craig, Al Jackson, Frank Thomas and Richie Ashburn. But rather than select talented young players with future potential, Mets management preferred to sign faded stars of the Dodgers, Giants and Yankees to appeal to fans' nostalgia. Legendary Yankees manager Casey Stengel was hired out of retirement to lead the team, but his managerial acumen wasn't enough to overcome the severe deficiency of talent among the players. The Mets began their on-field play in 1962, losing their first nine games en route to a 40-120 record. Their .250 winning percentage was the third worst by any major league team since the beginning of the 20th Century. Throughout major league history only the 1899 Cleveland Spiders (20-134) lost more games in a single season than the 1962 Mets.

Beloved by New York fans despite their losing ways — or perhaps because of them — the Mets of the early 1960s became famous for their ineptitude. Journeyman players like the ironically nicknamed "Marvelous Marv" Throneberry became icons of athletic incompetence. Ex-Dodger and Giant pitcher Billy Loes, who was selected by the Mets in the 1961 expansion draft, was credited with this ungrammatical quotation: "The Mets is a good thing. They give everybody jobs. Just like the WPA." Even the Mets proved to have standards, however. In 1962, Cleveland Indians catcher Harry Chiti was purchased, then the Mets shipped him to the Indians for a player to be named later in the season. That "player to be named later" ended up being Harry Chiti.

In 1964, the Mets, who played their first two seasons in the old Polo Grounds, the former home of the Giants, moved to the newly constructed Shea Stadium, a 55,300-seat multipurpose facility built in the Flushing neighborhood of the Borough of Queens, adjacent to the site of the 1939 and 1964 New York World's Fairs. One high point of Shea Stadium's first season came on Father's Day, when Philadelphia Phillies pitcher Jim Bunning threw a perfect game against the Mets, the first in the National League since 1880. For perhaps the only time in the stadium's history, the Shea faithful found themselves rooting for the visitors, caught up in the rare achievement, and roaring for Bunning on every pitch in the ninth inning. His strikeout of John Stephenson capped the performance. Another high point was Shea Stadium's hosting of the 1964 All-Star Game.

The Mets' image as lovable losers was wearing a little thin as the decade progressed, but things began to change slowly in the late '60s. The Mets acquired top pitching prospect Tom Seaver in a lottery and he became the league's Rookie of the Year in 1967, despite the team finishing last again. He and two other young players, catcher Jerry Grote and shortstop Bud Harrelson, formed a new, determined clubhouse nucleus that had no interest in losing, lovably or otherwise. By the 1968 season, Wes Westrum would be replaced as manager by Gil Hodges. Pitcher Jerry Koosman joined the staff and had a spectacular rookie season in 1968, winning 19 games. Leftfielder Cleon Jones developed as a batter and exciting center fielder Tommie Agee came over in a trade. But although much improved, the 1968 team still finished the season in 9th place.

1969: The Miracle Mets

The Mets began the 1969 season with a mediocre start, going 21-23 through the end of May. By mid-August, the favored Chicago Cubs seemed safely on their way to winning the pennant in the newly-formed National League East Division while the Mets sat in third place, ten games behind. But the Cubs began to collapse and the Mets, with outstanding pitching from their young staff, piled up victory after victory, winning 38 of their last 49 games and finishing in first place with a 100-62 record for the season, their first winning year ever.

The "Amazin' Mets" or "Miracle Mets", as they became known by the press, went on to win a three-game sweep of the strong Atlanta Braves, led by legend Henry Aaron, in the divisional playoffs.

The Mets were given very little chance in the 1969 World Series, facing a powerful Baltimore Orioles team that had gone 109-53 in the regular season and included future Hall of Famers Frank Robinson, Brooks Robinson and Jim Palmer. Before the series began, pundits predicted Tom Seaver might win the opening game, but that the Mets would have trouble winning again in the World Series. As it turned out, just the opposite occurred; Seaver was roughed up in the opener, which he lost -- but the Mets rallied superbly to take the next four games, winning the World Series of 1969 4 games to 1.

This rags-to-riches story is regarded as one of baseball history's great turnarounds, giving hope to underdogs, also-rans and lost causes everywhere. Soon after the season ended, Tom Seaver lent his name to a commercial saying "If the Mets can win the World Series, America can get out of Vietnam."

1970-1979: "Ya Gotta Believe!" and the Midnight Massacre

The Miracle Mets magic wore off as the 1970s began. In subsequent years, Mets pitchers generally excelled but received lackluster support from the hitters with mediocre finishes the result. Efforts to improve the offense backfired with blunders such as trading young pitcher Nolan Ryan for infielder Jim Fregosi after the 1971 season. Once out of the glaring New York spotlight, Ryan became one of the best pitchers in history, spending 22 more years in the majors and entering the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1999. Fregosi battled injuries and played just 146 games for the Mets over a season and a half.

The team was thrown into confusion and shock prior to the 1972 season, when Manager Gil Hodges, who had led the team to the World Series victory in 1969, suffered a sudden heart attack at the end of Spring Training and died. Coach Yogi Berra succeeded Hodges.

Berra's Mets found themselves in last place with a 61-71 record at the end of August, 1973 but they recovered behind relief pitcher Tug McGraw and his "Ya gotta believe!" rallying cry, winning 21 of their last 29 games. In a peculiar circumstance, their final record of only 82-79 was good enough to win the division while five better teams in the Majors missed the postseason. Despite the worst winning percentage ever by a division winner (until the 2005 San Diego Padres), the Mets then shocked the heavily-favored Cincinnati Reds "Big Red Machine" in the NLCS. Their record remains the worst of any pennant-winning team but they managed to push the A.L. champion Oakland A's to a seventh game. Their near-miracle season ended with a loss to Ken Holtzman in the final contest.

As the 1975 season ended, owner Joan Whitney Payson died. Her husband Charles delegated ownership authority to his daughters, while board chairman M. Donald Grant managed the baseball operations. Payson had been the driving force behind the Mets but her survivors did not share her enthusiasm for investing in the future of the team. Contract disputes with star pitcher Tom Seaver and slugger Dave Kingman erupted in 1977. Both players were traded on June 15, the trading deadline, in what New York tabloids dubbed "The Midnight Massacre." The Mets received six players in the two deals, but none had any lasting impact. Attendance fell, the team finished in last place yet again and Grant was relieved of his duties in 1978. The Mets continued to struggle, and did not become a competitive team again until well into the 1980s.

1980-1985: Cashen Rebuilds

In January, 1980 the Payson heirs sold the Mets franchise to the Doubleday publishing company for $21.1 million. Nelson Doubleday Jr. was named chairman of the board while minority shareholder Fred Wilpon took the role of club president. Wilpon quickly hired longtime Baltimore Orioles executive Frank Cashen as general manager to begin the process of rebuilding the Mets.

Cashen's positive impact on the organization took some time to be felt at the major league level. But the seeds of future success were planted when the Mets selected slugging high school phenomenon Darryl Strawberry as the number one overall pick in the 1980 amateur draft. Two years later, hard-throwing hurler Dwight Gooden was taken as the fifth overall selection in the 1982 draft. The pair rose quickly through the minors, winning successive Rookie of the Year awards (Strawberry in 1983, Gooden in 1984). Cashen's mid-season 1983 trade for former MVP Keith Hernandez helped spark the Mets' return to competitive contention in 1984. Future Hall of Fame catcher Gary Carter's acquisition prior to the 1985 season completed the transformation of the Mets from a historically weak hitting club into a very well-rounded team with outstanding offense, pitching and defense. Second-year manager Davey Johnson led the team to a 98-64 record, third-best in the majors in 1985. But they just failed to make the playoffs, finishing three games behind the East Division champion St. Louis Cardinals.

1986-1990: World Series Champions Again

Unlike their previous two championship seasons, the 1986 Mets broke away from the rest of the division early and dominated throughout the year. They won 20 of their first 24 games, clinched the East Division title on September 17, and finished the year 108-54. Only two National League teams have won more games in a season — the 1906 Chicago Cubs (116) and the 1909 Pittsburgh Pirates (110).

In the National League Championship Series, the Mets met the Houston Astros. The Mets took a two-games-to-one lead with a come-from-behind walk-off home run by Lenny Dykstra. In Game 6, the Mets turned a 3-0 ninth-inning deficit into a legendary sixteen-inning marathon victory (the longest game in playoff history until 2005) to clinch the National League pennant and earn their third World Series appearance.

In the World Series against the Boston Red Sox, the Mets were facing elimination leading into an even more legendary Game 6. The Red Sox came within one strike of winning their first World Series since 1918 but the Mets staged a remarkable rally to tie the game. Mookie Wilson then hit a seemingly harmless grounder that became infamous when it went through the legs of first baseman Bill Buckner to win the game for the Mets. The Mets went on to earn their second World Series title by winning Game 7. They remain the only team to come within one out — let alone one strike — of losing a World Series before recovering to become World Champions.

While the team around the 1986 championship were strong, they also became infamous for off-the-field controversy. Both Strawberry and Gooden were young kids who wound up burning out long before their time because of various substance abuse and personal problems. Both of their problems started before age 25, and have continued through the present (2006). Hernandez's cocaine abuse was the subject of persistent rumors even before he joined the Mets, although he publicly acknowledged his addiction in 1985 and made a successful recovery. Lenny Dykstra's reputation was recently tainted by allegations of steroid use and gambling problems . Instead of putting together a winning dynasty, the problems caused the Mets to soon fall apart . Despite Darryl Strawberry's numerous off-the-field mishaps, he remains the Mets' all-time leader in home runs and runs batted in.

After winning the World Series in 1986, the Mets' ace Dwight Gooden was admitted to a drug clinic. It was the biggest shock since the Midnight Massacre of 1977. But "Dr. K" was back, and so were the Mets. They would surge to battle St. Louis for the division title. But on September 11 in a game against St. Louis, 3rd baseman and future MVP Terry Pendleton hit a homer to give the Cardinals a lead, and eventually the NL East title.

After missing the playoffs in 1987, the 1988 Mets again won the division. Spearheaded by great starting pitching and a lethal middle of the lineup, the Mets coasted to their second 100-win season in three years. The Mets played the Los Angeles Dodgers in the 1988 National League Championship Series in a season where they beat them 10 out of 11 times but the Dodgers continued their Cinderella story season by beating the Mets in seven games.

The Mets (as well as the Montreal Expos) would battle the Cubs for the division title in 1989, but Chicago would prevail. The next season, the Mets would surge again to battle the Pittsburgh Pirates, but Pittsburgh's tough line-up (which included Barry Bonds , future Mets Bobby Bonilla and Jay Bell and former Met Wally Backman) led Pittsburgh to their first NLCS since 1979.

1991-1996: "Hardball Is Back" and The Worst Team Money Could Buy

With all of the personal problems swirling around the Mets after the 1986 championship, the Mets tried to rebuild using experienced superstars. They picked up the aging eventual Hall of Famer Eddie Murray for over $3 million, the younger but troubled Pittsburgh Pirates slugger Bobby Bonilla for over $6 million, one-time record-setting base stealer Vince Coleman for over $2 million, one-time World Series hero Bret Saberhagen for $3 million and veteran pitcher Frank Tanana for $1.5 million. The rebuilding was supported by the slogan, "Hardball Is Back." THE MEDIA BUSINESS: ADVERTISING -- ADDENDA; A New Approach For the Mets, The New York Times, March 26, 1993 The experiment of building a team via free agency quickly flopped as Saberhagen and Coleman were soon injured and spent more time on the disabled list than on the field. The lowest point of the experiment was the 1993 season when the Mets lost 103 games. In April of that year, Gooden was injured when Coleman accidentally hit Gooden's shoulder with a golf club while practicing his swing. In July, Saberhagen threw a firecracker under a table near reporters. Their young pitching prospect Anthony Young started the '93 season at 0-13 and his overall streak of 27 straight losses over two years set a new record. After Young's record-setting loss, Coleman threw a firecracker out of the team bus window and injured three people resulting in felony charges that effectively ended his Mets career. Only a few days later, Saberhagen was in trouble again, this time for spraying bleach at three reporters. The meltdown season resulted in the worst record for a Mets team in the last 40 years (since 1965). Their descent was chronicled by the book, The Worst Team Money Could Buy: The Collapse Of The New York Mets (ISBN 0803278225).

1997-2004: Piazza , Bobby V, and the Subway Series

While the 1990s started horribly for the Mets, things started looking up in 1997. While they missed the playoffs by only four games, they improved by 17 games over 1996. Their switch hitting catcher, Todd Hundley, who had broken several records the year before, was having another great season. However, he went down late in 1997 with a devastating elbow injury and needed Tommy John surgery. For a time, it looked like the Los Angeles Dodgers were going to be shopping their superstar catcher, Mike Piazza, in a trade rather than pay the exorbitant salary that 1997's MVP runner-up was going to demand at the end of the 1998 season. In a puzzling move, on May 14, 1998, the Dodgers sent Piazza to the Florida Marlins who were purging themselves of every high salary they could to alleviate their claimed financial problems. The Marlins' move made more sense when, just a week later, they re-traded Piazza to the Mets for Preston Wilson and two prospects. The Dodgers had no free agency problem, the Marlins had young players with small salaries and the Mets had their new lineup-anchoring catcher.

After the 1998 trade, the Mets played well, but missed the 1998 postseason by only one game. With only 5 games left in that 1998 season, the Mets could not win a single game against both the Montreal Expos at home and the Atlanta Braves on the road, the Mets could have forced a 3-way wild card tie by winning their last game. Although it seemed like a terrible ending to a good season, Met fans felt confident that the team was moving in the right direction. After signing Mike Piazza to a seven-year contract, the Mets acquired Armando Benítez from the Baltimore Orioles, and signed Robin Ventura, Rickey Henderson, Bobby Bonilla and Roger Cedeño to fill out the needs for the start of the 1999 season. John Olerud anchored the heart of the Mets' order.

1999 started well for the Mets but Bobby Bonilla turned out not to be the player the Mets had hoped he would be and the Mets played well to begin the season. When June came around, the Mets started to fall. On June 6, after losing two games to the New York Yankees, the Mets started taking action by firing their coaching staff except for their manager, Bobby Valentine. On that day, the Mets, in front of a national audience on ESPN Sunday Night Baseball, beat the New York Yankees 7-2 and they never looked back. Both Mike Piazza and Robin Ventura started to have MVP-type seasons and Benny Agbayani began to have an important role on the team. Also this was the breakout year for Mets second baseman Edgardo Alfonzo, as he had 108 RBI, and Roger Cedeño, who broke the single season steals record for the Mets. At the very end of the season, the Mets had to play a one game playoff against the Cincinnati Reds to see which team would advance to the playoffs. In that game, Met ace Al Leiter pitched the best game of his Met career as he led the team to a 5-0 victory to advance to the playoffs. In the NLDS, the Mets defeated the Arizona Diamondbacks 3 games to 1, their series-clinching victory coming on an unlikely Home Run hit by backup Catcher Todd Pratt, playing due to a thumb injury to Piazza. The Mets would advance to the 1999 National League Championship Series, their first NLCS since 1988, only to lose to the Atlanta Braves in six exciting games which included the famous grand slam single by Robin Ventura to win game 5 for the Mets.

In the offseason after the 1999 NLCS defeat, the Mets traded Roger Cedeño and Octavio Dotel to the Houston Astros for Derek Bell and Mike Hampton. Todd Zeile was signed to play first base, replacing departing free agent Olerud. The Mets were heading to the 2000 season as a powerhouse in the National League.

2000 began well for the Mets as Derek Bell became the best hitter on the team for the first month. The Mets enjoyed good play the whole year. The highlight of the season came on June 30, when the Mets beat their rivals, the Atlanta Braves in a memorable game at Shea Stadium on Fireworks Night. With the Mets losing 8-1 to begin the bottom of the 8th, the Mets rallied back with two outs to tie the game, capped with Mike Piazza's three run home run to put the Mets up 11-8 to give them the lead and eventually the win. The Mets easily made the playoffs winning the National League wild card. In the playoffs, the Mets beat the San Francisco Giants in the first round and the St. Louis Cardinals in the 2000 National League Championship Series to win their fourth ever N.L. Championship. Mike Hampton was named the NLCS MVP for his great pitching performances during the series as the Mets headed to the 2000 World Series to face their cross town rivals, the New York Yankees. Unfortunately for the Mets, they were defeated in the much-hyped "Subway Series". Even though they lost 4 games to 1, they scored only three fewer runs than the Yankees. This was the first all-New York World Series since 1956, when the Yankees defeated the Brooklyn Dodgers.

In the seasons following the 2000 World Series, the Mets struggled mightily as the result of several poor player acquisitions, including Mo Vaughn, Roberto Alomar, Roger Cedeño (again) and Jeromy Burnitz. These acquisitions were made by then General Manager Steve Phillips, who was fired during the 2003 season. Phillips was credited with building the 2000 World Series team, but also blamed for the demise of the Mets' farm system and the poor play of the acquired players. The Mets record in 2003 (66-95) was among the worst in baseball, and Piazza had missed two-thirds of the season with a torn groin muscle. His steady decline around that time mirrored the Mets' fortunes for the first half of the decade.

In 2004, the Mets signed Japanese shortstop Kazuo Matsui. General Manager Jim Duquette brought in Kris Benson for Ty Wigginton at the trade deadline just before sending highly-touted pitching prospect Scott Kazmir to the Tampa Bay Devil Rays for the disappointing Victor Zambrano. The Mets also developed two young infielders with bright futures; David Wright and Jose Reyes. The Mets finished 71-91 in 2004, and would let Mike Piazza's contract expire following the conclusion of the 2005 season. His contributions to the team as a hitter were unparalleled by anyone in the history of the Mets, and his talent and flair for the dramatic often willed the Mets to victory.

2005-present: Minaya Takes the Reins

After the 2004 season, Mets ownership made significant changes to their management strategy. With their televsion contract with MSG Network set to expire at the end of 2005, they announced plans to establish their own cable network to broadcast Mets games, rivaling the Yankee-owned YES Network. This investment in what became known as SportsNet New York was coupled with an aggressive plan to upgrade the performance of the team on the field. Jim Duquette was replaced as general manager by former Expos GM Omar Minaya. Minaya, an ex-Mets assistant GM, achieved notable success in Montreal by making bold player moves on an extremely limited budget. With the Mets, Minaya was given substantially more financial resources to develop a winning team by the time the new network launched in 2006.

Minaya began by hiring Yankee bench coach Willie Randolph as manager, then signed two of that year's most sought-after free agents — Pedro Martinez and Carlos Beltrán — to large multi-year deals. Though Beltrán underperformed, Martinez and a rejuvenated Tom Glavine led the pitching staff while Cliff Floyd and David Wright sparked the offense. The team finished 83-79, their first winning season since 2001.

After 2005, Mike Piazza's departure from the Mets gave Minaya enough financial flexibility to take full advantage of a payroll-reduction effort by the Florida Marlins. All-star first baseman Carlos Delgado and all-star catcher Paul Lo Duca were acquired from Florida in exchange for three prospects. Minaya also made major changes to improve the bullpen by signing star free agent closer Billy Wagner. Gambling on the depth of the Mets starting pitching, Minaya swapped Kris Benson to the Baltimore Orioles for hard throwing reliever Jorge Julio, and sent Jae Weong Seo to the Los Angeles Dodgers for reliever Duaner Sanchez. Early season injuries to starters Victor Zambrano, Brian Bannister and John Maine exposed the rotation as a weak point, compelling Minaya to send Julio to the Arizona Diamondbacks for veteran right-handed starter Orlando Hernandez.

The Mets entered the 2006 All-Star break with a 12-game lead over the second-place Phillies and a record of 53-36, the best in the National League. A franchise record six players were named to the National League All-Star team. Outfielder Carlos Beltran, catcher Paul Lo Duca, shortstop Jose Reyes and third baseman David Wright were voted in as starters along with pitchers Tom Glavine and Pedro Martinez who were later named to the team.

Stadium plans

Main article: New Mets Ballpark
On June 12, 2005 a plan for a New Mets Ballpark in Willets Point, Queens, in the parking lot of Shea Stadium was announced. Construction of the new stadium is expected to be paid by the Mets, while "infrastructure improvement" costs at the site are to be paid by the city. The final mix of private and public funding has not been settled. As of 2005, Shea Stadium is the sixth oldest stadium among the 30 facilities in major league baseball. It is nearly as old as Ebbets Field was when the Dodgers abandoned it.

Trivia

  • When a Mets player hits a home run at Shea Stadium, a big red apple emerges from a giant top hat behind center right field sometimes accompanied by a small fireworks display.
  • The Mets' first scheduled game was postponed due to rain on April 10, 1962 at St. Louis.
  • Gil Hodges hit the first home run in New York Mets history on April 11, 1962 at St. Louis.
  • Roger Craig is the only Met to have lost 20 or more games in a season twice (10-24 in 1962, 5-22 in 1963).
  • Ken Mackenzie was the only pitcher on the 1962 staff with a winning record (5-4, 4.95)
  • Jerry Koosman is the only Mets pitcher to have won 20 games in a season and lost 20 games in a season.
  • The 1969 Mets recorded an album featuring them singing a variety of songs, including "You Gotta Have Heart" from the musical Damn Yankees.
  • On April 10, 1969 Tommie Agee became the only player ever to hit a home run to the small area of fair territory in the upper level of Shea Stadium. A painted sign on the stands nearby commemorates the spot.
  • In 1966, the Mets chose catcher Steve Chilcott as the first overall selection in the amateur draft. He became the first number one draft pick to retire without reaching the major leagues. The second pick that year was Hall of Famer Reggie Jackson.
  • No Met pitcher has ever thrown a no-hitter.
  • The Mets are the major league franchise that has gone the longest without pitching a no-hitter — more than seven thousand games.
  • On July 9, 1969 at Shea Stadium, Tom Seaver came within two outs of a perfect game, but gave up a one-out, ninth-inning single to the Chicago Cubs' Jimmy Qualls for the only hit in the Mets' 4-0 victory.
  • The latest "near-no-hitter" occurred on August 14, 2005, when Pedro Martínez came within five outs of pitching a hitless game against the Los Angeles Dodgers. He ultimately gave up a triple and a home run in the eighth inning and wound up losing the game, 2-1.
  • Several Mets pitchers have pitched no-hitters with other teams, including Nolan Ryan (7 times), Tom Seaver, Dwight Gooden, Al Leiter, and David Cone (a perfect game).
  • The Mets have been no-hit six times: Sandy Koufax (1962), Jim Bunning (1964), Bob Moose (1969), Bill Stoneman (1972), Ed Halicki (1975), and Darryl Kile (1993).
  • The two pitchers who recorded the final outs of the Mets' two World Championships were traded for one another. Jerry Koosman of the 1969 team was dealt to the Minnesota Twins in 1978 for Jesse Orosco of the 1986 team.
  • On June 16, 1997, pitcher Dave Mlicki led the Mets to a 6-0 win over the New York Yankees at Yankee Stadium in the first ever regular-season game played between the crosstown rivals.
  • The first major sports event to take place in New York City after the events of September 11, 2001 was played in Shea Stadium on September 21, 2001, when the Mets hosted the Atlanta Braves. The Mets came from behind to win, 3-2, on an eighth inning home run by Mike Piazza. Mayor Rudy Giuliani, a devout fan of the rival Yankees, attended the game and was cheered by the crowd for his leadership in the preceding ten days.
  • In 1998, the Independent Budget Office of the City of New York published a study on the economic impact of the city's two major league baseball teams. The study included an analysis of where fans of both the Mets and the Yankees resided. The study found that 39% of Mets fans lived in one of the five boroughs of New York, 49% in the tri-state area outside the city and 12% elsewhere. Mets fans were likelier to be found in Long Island, Queens, Brooklyn and Staten Island whereas Manhattan, the Bronx, New Jersey, Connecticut, and Westchester and Rockland counties leaned more towards the Yankees.
  • The 2006 Mets were the first team in MLB history to win 8 consecutive road games and score in the 1st inning of each game.
  • George Herbert Walker, Jr., uncle of President George H. W. Bush, was a member of the original ownership group when the franchise was created. He served as vice president and treasurer until 1977.
  • On July 16, 2006, the Mets set a franchise record by scoring 11 runs in one inning. It took place in the sixth inning against the Chicago Cubs. There were three home runs in the inning; a two-run homer by David Wright, and grand slams from both Cliff Floyd and Carlos Beltran. The Mets sent 16 batters to the plate in the inning, which took 41 minutes to complete.

Quick facts

Current uniform colors: Blue, Orange, and Black (the orange chosen to represent the New York Giants, the blue chosen to represent the Brooklyn Dodgers). Blue and orange are also the colors of the flag of New York City.
Current logo design: Intertwined 'N' and 'Y' in orange, on blue field (the NY logo is identical to the cap logo last worn by the New York Giants, the blue field chosen because that was the color of the caps worn by the Brooklyn Dodgers). The Mets skyline logo was designed by cartoonist Ray Gotto. The shape of the insignia, with its orange stitching, represents a baseball, and the bridge in the foreground symbolizes that the Mets, in bringing back the National League to New York, represent all five boroughs.
Team theme songs: "Meet the Mets" (1963), by Bill Katz and Ruth Roberts;
Current Team Motto: The Team. The Time. The Mets
Current mascot: Mr. Met
Local television outlets: SportsNet New York; WPIX (channel 11)
Local radio outlets: WFAN (660 AM; in English); WADO (1280 AM; in Spanish)
Spring Training Facility: Thomas J. White Stadium, Port St. Lucie, FL

Postseason appearances

Year NLDS NLCS World Series
1969 Atlanta Braves W (3-0) Baltimore Orioles W (4-1)
1973 Cincinnati Reds W (3-2) Oakland Athletics L (4-3)
1986 Houston Astros W (4-2) Boston Red Sox W (4-3)
1988 Los Angeles Dodgers L (4-3)
1999 Arizona Diamondbacks W (3-1) Atlanta Braves L (4-2)
2000 San Francisco Giants W (3-1) St. Louis Cardinals W (4-1) New York Yankees L (4-1)

Baseball Hall of Famers

Tom Seaver is the only member depicted in a Mets cap on his commemorative plaque in the Baseball Hall of Fame. Of the others, only Stengel and Carter achieved any significant amount of their fame from their time with the Mets.

Retired numbers

Number 42 is retired throughout Major League Baseball in honor of Jackie Robinson

New York Mets Team Captains

Current roster

Minor league affiliations

2006 WFAN Mets Radio Network

(New York Flagship) 660 WFAN New York, NY (Albany Market) 980 WOFX (Fox Sports)Troy, NY (Syracuse Market) 1390 WFBL Syracuse,NY (Night Games) 1050 WSEN Baldwinsville, NY (Day Games)

See also

References

External links

Major League Baseball teams | Sports in New York City | 1962 establishments

New York Mets | New York Mets | Mets de New York | 뉴욕 메츠 | New York Mets | ニューヨーク・メッツ | New York Mets | New York Mets | 紐約大都會

 

This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the "New York Mets".

Home Page • arts • business • computers • games • health • hospitals • home • kids & teens • news • physicians • recreation• reference • regional • science • shopping • society • sports • world