New York Mets history

In 1959, New York attorney William Shea announced the formation of a third major league, the Continental League, to begin play in 1961. One of the Charter teams for the league that would be placed in New York. In 1960, the Continental League disbanded on promises that four of its franchises would be accepted to the NL and AL as expansion franchises.

In 1961, The New York Metropolitan Baseball Club Inc. formally received a certificate of membership from National League President Warren Giles. New York’s National League club announces that the team nickname will be “Mets”, a natural shortening of the corporate name. The name was chosen in light of the 19th century American Association Metropolitans.

The Mets sought to appeal to the large contingent of former Giants and Dodgers fans as well as those who disliked the New York Yankees. The colors reflected the orange for the Giants and blue for the Dodgers.

In 1961, the National League held its first expansion draft. The Mets spent $1.8 million to draft 22 players.

In 1962, the Mets made their debut against the St. Louis Cardinals in an 11-4 loss. The Mets lost their first nine games and ending the season with a 40-120 record. Their .250 winning percentage was the third worst by any major league team since the beginning of the 20th century.

The Mets of the early 1960s were known for their inability to win games. In 1964, the Mets, who played their first two, season at the Polo Grounds, the former home of the Giants. On Fathers day of 1964, Philadelphia Phillies pitcher Jim Bunning threw a perfect game against the Mets, the first in the National League since 1880.

In 1967, the Mets fortune changed when they acquired top pitching prospect Tom Seaver. The Mets also signed catcher Gary Grote and shortstop Bud Harrelson. This trio of youth were not interested in losing, but determined to make the Mets a respectable franchise. By the 1968 season, Wes Westrum was replaced by manager Gil Hodges. Jerry Koosman joined the club and had a remarkable rookie season winning 19 games along with Nolan Ryan.

In 1969, the Mets started the season with an 11-10 loss to the expansion Montreal Expos. The Mets sat in third place, ten games behind the Chicago Cubs, but in September the Cubs went 8-17, while the Mets piled up victory after victory winning 38 of their last 49 games. They took first place for good and ended the season with a 100-62 record. Tom Seaver led the way with a 25-7 record and Cleon Jones finished with a .340 batting average.

In the postseason, the Mets swept the favored Atlanta Braves led by legend Henry Aaron, in the very first National League Championship Series. The Mets were once again the underdogs against the powerful Baltimore Orioles led by Frank Robinson, Brooks Robinson and Jim Palmer. The Mets shut down the Orioles with their pitching and won the series 4 games to 1, to capture their first World Series pennant. The Mets triumph in the World Series earned them nicknames such as the “Miracle Mets” and “Amazin Mets”. After the season, Seaver did a commercial saying “If the Mets can win the World Series, America can get out of Vietnam”.

After the Mets triumph in 1969, efforts to improve their offensive lineup, the Mets made some unpopular trades by sending Amos Otis to the Kansas City Royals for Joe Foy. They also traded Nolan Ryan for Jim Fregosi after the 1971 season.

Prior to the 1972 season, the Mets were shocked to learn that manager Gil Hodges suffered a sudden heart attack and died. Coach Yogi Berra succeeded Hodges.

The Mets found themselves in last place with a 61-71 record at the end of August in 1973, but they recovered behind pitcher Tug McGraw. The Mets finished the season 82-79, winning their division, then shocked the heavily favored Cincinnati Reds in the NLCS winning the series 3 games to 2. In the World Series they faced off against the powerful Oakland A’s. Their near miracle season came to an end with a loss to Ken Holtzman in the final game.

In 1974, the Mets finished 17 games out of first place with a 71-91 record. In 1977, the Mets traded star pitcher Tom Seaver and slugger Dave Kingman due to contract disputes.

In 1980, the Mets were sold to Doubleday publishing company for $21.1 million. Nelson Doubleday, Jr. was named chairman of the board while Frank Wilpon took over as club president. Wilpon acted quickly by hiring Frank Cashen as general manager.

Cashen’s impact was felt when he drafted high school phenomenon Darryl Strawberry as the number one overall pick during the 1980 amateur draft. Two years later he drafted pitcher Dwight Gooden in the 1982 amateur draft. The two quickly rose through the minor leagues winning successive Rookie of the Year Awards with Strawberry winning it in 1983 and Gooden in 1984. Cashen made a trade to acquire former MVP Keith Hernandez. The trade helped spark the Mets return to dominance in the National League.

In 1984, new manager Davey Johnson led the club to a 90-72 record, their first winning record since 1976. In 1985, the Mets signed Hall of Fame catcher Gary Carter from the Montreal Expos and won 98 games, but lost the division title to the St.Louis Cardinals.

The Amazin’ Mets of 1969 stunned the baseball world with great pitching and timely hitting. The Macho Mets of 1986 dominated the sport with a dazzling combination of power, speed, and pitching. Twenty-one-year-old flame-thrower Dwight “Doctor K” Gooden (17-6), Ron Darling (15-6), Bobby Ojeda (18-5) and Sid Fernandez (16-6) created the soundest starting staff in the majors. Scrappy hitters Lenny Dykstra (.295, 31 stolen bases), Wally Backman (.320), and Ray Knight (.298) and RBI men Gary Carter (24 home runs, 105 RBI), Darryl Strawberry (27 home runs, 91 RBI), and Keith Hernandez (.310, 83 RBI) provided solid hitting. The Mets went on to win the NL East by 21 1/2 games, a record margin since the majors went into divisional play.

The Mets and the Astros faced off in the NLCS. Trailing by three for most of game six, the Mets tied it in the ninth. In the 16th inning, New York took a 7-4 advantage. Houston trimmed the lead to one; then with two out and two on, Jesse Orosco fanned Kevin Bass, ending the longest postseason game.

New York and Boston staged a memorable World Series. The Red Sox won the first two games in Shea Stadium, the Mets took the next two in Fenway Park. Boston took game five at home.

The Sox took a 5-3 lead into the bottom of the tenth of game six. One out separated the Red Sox from its first title in 68 years. Gary Carter and Kevin Mitchell singled. Knight brought Carter home and Mitchell went to third. Up came Mookie Wilson. Reliever Bob Stanley’s wild pitch allowed Mitchell to tie the game at five-all. Wilson ended it by sending a slow roller to first, a certain out-until Bill Buckner let it squirt through his legs. Knight raced home with the winning run. Two days later, the celebration was official, as Orosco recorded the last out in the 8-5 New York win in game seven for the Mets second World Series title.

After winning the 1986 World Series, series MVP Ray Knight signed with the Orioles. Also, they traded Kevin Mitchell to the Padres for Kevin McReynolds. The biggest shock was when Mets ace Dwight Gooden was admitted to a drug clinic after testing positive for cocaine. Gooden would make his return and so would the Mets. They would surge to battle the St.Louis Cardinals, but failed to catch them. During the season, Darryl Strawberry and Howard Johnson became the first teammates to both hit 30 home runs and steal 30 bases in the same season.

The Mets missed the playoffs in 1987, but won the NL East in 1998. Thanks to stellar pitching from Dwight Gooden, Ron Darling and David Cone as well as offense from McReynolds, Strawberry and Howard Johnson, the Mets won 100 games for the second time in three years. The Mets played the Los Angeles Dodgers in the NLCS. The Mets had beat the Dodgers 10 out of 11 times during the regular season, but the Dodgers continued their Cinderella storied season by defeating the Mets in seven games.

In 1989, the Mets battled the Cubs for the division title, but would fall short. That off-season, the Mets would acquire New York native John Franco in a trade with Cincinnati. The Mets finished with a record of 91-71 in 1990, but failed to make the playoffs, it was also Darryl Strawberry’s last year in a Mets uniform and he was traded to the Los Angeles Dodgers.

Before the 1991 season, the Mets signed Eddie Murray and free agent Bobby Bonilla for over $6 million. They also traded for McReynolds and Jeffries for Bret Saberhagen. The rebuilding process was dubbed “Hardball is Back” During the 1991 season, the Mets were within 2.5 games in back of the Pirates, but they couldn’t keep up, and with a week left in the season, manager Bud Harrelson was fired, third base coach Mike Cubbage took over for the rest of the season. One bright spot in the season came when David Cone pitched a one-hit shutout against the Phillies at Veterans Stadium, in which he struck out 19 batters, tying the National League regulation game record.

In 1993, the Mets lost 103 games. Pitcher Dwight Gooden injured his arm when fellow teammate Vince Coleman accidentally hit Gooden’s shoulder with a golf club while practicing his swing. Young prospect Anthony Young started the season 0-13 and his overall streak of 27 straight losses over two years set a new record.

In 1994, franchise player Dwight Gooden tested positive for cocaine and was suspended by Major League Baseball for 60 days. Shortly after his suspension, it was announced that he had again tested positive for cocaine and was now being suspended by Major League Baseball for one year, ending his career with the Mets. The day after receiving his suspension notice, his former wife found him in their bedroom with a loaded gun to his head.

The 1996 season was highlighted by three young stars. Switch hitting catcher Todd Hundley broke the Major League single season record for home runs hit by a catcher with 41. Lance Johnson set a single-season franchise in hits (227), triples (21), at-bats (682), runs scored (117), and total bases (327). And Bernard Gilkey set franchise single-season records in doubles (44), and RBI (117). The Mets finished the season with a 71-91 record.

In 1998, the Mets acquired Mike Piazza from the Florida Marlins for Preston Wilson and two other prospects. The Mets played well in 1998, but missed the postseason by one game with an 88-74 record.

Before the 1999 season the Mets acquired Armondo Benitez from the Baltimore Orioles, and signed Robin Ventura, Rickey Henderson, Roger Cedeno, and Bobby Bonilla. The Mets started the season well with a 17-9 record. But an eight game losing streak got the coaching staff fired, except for manager Bobby Valentine. After the Mets defeated the Yankees in front of a national audience, they never looked back. The Mets made the postseason for the first time since 1988 with a 97-66 record. This was a break out year for second baseman Edgardo Alfonzo, as he had 108 RBI’s, and Roger Cedeno broke the single-season steals record for the Mets. In the NLDS, the Mets defeated the Arizona Diamondbacks 3 games to 1. The Mets would advance to the NLCS and face their rivals, the Atlanta Braves. The Mets would go on to lose the series in six exciting games.

In the off-season, the Mets traded Roger Cede no for Derek Bell and Mike Hampton. The Mets were heading into the 2000 season as a powerhouse in the National League.

The Mets enjoyed good play the whole year. Derek Bell became the best hitter on the team for the first half of the season. The Mets easily won the NL wild card with a 94-68 record. The Mets beat the San Francisco Giants in the NLDS 3 games to one, and then went on to defeat the Stylus Cardinals in the NLCS 4 games to 1, for their fourth National League pennant. The Mets headed to the 200 World Series to face their cross-town rivals, the New York Yankees. This was the first Subway Series since 1956. The Mets lost the series 4 games to one.

In the following seasons after the Mets won the NL pennant, they struggled as a result of poor trades. The Mets posted a 75-86 record in 2002, and in 2003 they finished the season with a 66-95 record, which was the fourth worst record in the season.

After the 2004 season in which they finished with a 71-91 record, the Mets hired Omar Minaya to replace Jim Duquette as the general manager. Minaya started off by hiring Willie Randolph as manager, and then signed the two most touted free agents on the market in pitcher Pedro Martinez and Carlos Beltran. Despite a 0-5 start, the team got back on track and finished the season with an 83-79 record.

After the 2005 season, the Mets acquired Carlos Delgado and all-star catcher Paul LoDuca in a trade with the Florida Marlins. Minaya’s transactions paid off in 2006, as the team, led by a franchise record of six all-stars (Beltran, Lo Duca, Reyes, Wright, Glavine, and Martinez), won the division title for the first time in 18 years. The Mets finished the season with a 97-65 record, the best record in the league. In the NLDS, the Mets used their potent offense and bullpen to sweep the Dodgers. In the NLCS, the Mets would lose the series to the St. Louis Cardinals in seven games.

The Mets entered the 2007 season as a marked team. They exited the season as the team that squandered a seven-game lead in 18 days, a collapse not comparable to the one endured by the ’64 Phillies, but reminiscent of it. The Mets were certain they would be sipping champagne by time pitcher Pedro Martinez came back from injury. The Mets appeared destined for an extension into October as individual accomplishments poured in. Tom Glavine won his 300th game against the Cubs at Wrigley Field. Pedro Martinez recorded his 3,000 strike out in Cincinnati, and Billy Wagner pushed his career save total past those of Roberto Hernandez, John Wettland, Rollie Fingers, and Randy Myers into seventh place all-time. The Mets lost their lead during the final weeks in September, losing 11 of their last 16 games, allowing the Phillies to tie them with three games left. The Mets lost their last game and the Phillies won their last game, ending the Mets season in one of the worst collapse in Major League Baseball history.