New York Mets

Franchise history

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 would be created — two in each league. New York City would receive one of the National League teams with Joan Whitney Payson and her husband Charles Shipman Payson the principal owners.

Related Topics:
1957 - Brooklyn Dodgers - New York Giants - July 27 - 1959 - William Shea - Continental League - 1960 - Joan Whitney Payson - Charles Shipman Payson

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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". The owners ultimately selected "Metropolitans", a historically significant name used by an earlier New York team in the American Association from 1883 to 1887. This name was also easily shortened to "Mets" and enjoyed broad approval among fans and press.

Related Topics:
"Metropolitans" - American Association - 1883 - 1887

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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 team since the beginning of the 20th Century. Their futility was exceeded only by the 1916 Philadelphia Athletics (36-117, .235) and the 1935 Boston Braves (38-115, .248). Throughout major league history only the 1899 Cleveland Spiders (20-134) lost more games in a single season than the 1962 Mets.

Related Topics:
20th Century - 1916 - Philadelphia Athletics - 1935 - Boston Braves - 1899 - Cleveland Spiders

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Beloved by New York fans despite their losing ways — or even 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.

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Washed-up former stars of the Dodgers, Giants and Yankees were offered Mets contracts as a way to appeal to fans' nostalgia. 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."

Related Topics:
Billy Loes - WPA

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In 1964 the Mets, who played their first two seasons in the old Polo Grounds, the former home of the Giants, moved to new Shea Stadium, a 55,300-seat multipurpose facility built in the Flushing area of the borough of Queens, adjacent to the site of the 1939 and 1964 New York World's Fairs. Earlier, New York City official Robert Moses tried to interest Brooklyn Dodgers owner Walter O'Malley in this site as the location for a new Dodger stadium, but O'Malley refused, claiming that if the Dodgers played anywhere but Brooklyn, they would cease to be the Brooklyn Dodgers. (He was right.)

Related Topics:
Polo Grounds - Shea Stadium - Flushing - Borough - Queens - New York World's Fair - Robert Moses - Brooklyn Dodgers - Walter O'Malley

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Shea Stadium, which featured lower decks on railroad tracks that could be moved to accommodate football, was also home to the New York Jets football team from 1964 to 1982 and also hosted historic concerts by The Beatles and other musical groups, as well as the 1964 All-Star Game and a 1979 mass by Pope John Paul II. The high point of the first season probably 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.

Related Topics:
New York Jets - The Beatles - All-Star Game - Pope John Paul II - Father's Day - Philadelphia Phillies - Jim Bunning

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The Mets ended their first decade on a high note of their own, though, as the 1969 team, dubbed the "Amazin' Mets" or "Miracle Mets", posted not only their first winning season, but their first NL pennant and World Series championship, upsetting the heavily favored Baltimore Orioles 4 games to 1. Managed by baseball legend Gil Hodges, they were also helped by a Cy Young Award-winning season by 25-game-winner Tom Seaver, the franchise's most successful player. This rags-to-riches story was regarded as one of baseball history's great turnarounds, giving hope to underdogs and also-rans everywhere. In the movie Oh God!, God (George Burns) tells John Denver, "I don't do miracles. They're too flashy. The last miracle I performed was the 1969 Mets. Before that, I think you'd have to go back to the Red Sea!"

Related Topics:
1969 - Baltimore Orioles - Gil Hodges - Cy Young Award - Tom Seaver - Oh God! - George Burns - John Denver

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The subsequent history of the franchise has been very checkered, with brief periods of success alternating with longer periods of struggle and mediocrity. In 1973, the Mets won an extremely weak NL East, finishing only three games above .500. Despite this, they beat the Cincinnati Reds in the NLCS to become the team with the worst regular-season winning percentage ever to play in the World Series. The Mets managed to push the eventual champion Oakland A's to 7 games, but lost in the final contest with Wayne Garrett's infield pop fly.

Related Topics:
1973 - Cincinnati Reds - NLCS - Oakland A's

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1980s

During the mid to late 1980s, the Mets fielded one of the strongest teams in baseball featuring fireballing right-handed pitcher Dwight Gooden, lanky power-hitting rightfielder Darryl Strawberry, Hall of Fame catcher Gary Carter, and slick-fielding first baseman Keith Hernandez. Some predicted a new baseball dynasty in the making. That Mets team managed to capture one world championship (1986), defeating the Boston Red Sox in a seven-game World Series that featured one of the most remarkable comebacks in baseball history. With two outs in the tenth inning of game 6, the Mets came back from two runs down to defeat Boston 6-5. Their last run was scored on the infamous ground ball off the bat of Mookie Wilson that trickled through the legs of Red Sox first baseman Bill Buckner. Despite the promise of that 1986 team, the rest of the 1980s would see mixed success.

Related Topics:
Dwight Gooden - Darryl Strawberry - Gary Carter - Keith Hernandez - Boston Red Sox - World Series - Game 6 - Mookie Wilson - Bill Buckner

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Since 1986, the Mets have made the playoffs three times, in 1988, 1999 and again in 2000 when they defeated the St. Louis Cardinals to win their fourth ever NL Championship. In the 2000 World Series they were defeated in the much-hyped "Subway Series" by their crosstown rivals, the New York Yankees. Even though they lost 4 games to 1, they scored only three fewer runs than the Yankees. This was the first Subway Series since 1956, when the Yankees defeated the Brooklyn Dodgers in what would be the Dodgers' last appearance before moving to Los Angeles.

Related Topics:
1986 - 1988 - 1999 - 2000 - St. Louis Cardinals - NL Championship - 2000 World Series - "Subway Series" - New York Yankees - 1956 - Los Angeles

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2000s

Since the 2000 World Series the Mets have struggled mightily as the result of several poor player acquisitions, including Mo Vaughn, Roberto Alomar, Roger Cedeño and Jeromy Burnitz. These acquisitions were made by then General Manager Steve Phillips, who was fired during the 2003 season. Mr. 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.

Related Topics:
Mo Vaughn - Roberto Alomar - Roger Cedeño - Jeromy Burnitz - 2003

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After the 2004 season, the Mets named former front office man Omar Minaya as their general manager. Since then, he has helped the Mets recruit stars such as Carlos Beltrán and Pedro Martínez. Minaya also hired former Mets and Yankees player and former Yankee third base coach Willie Randolph as the new manager, making him the first black MLB manager in Mets (and New York) history.

Related Topics:
2004 - Omar Minaya - Carlos Beltrán - Pedro Martínez - Willie Randolph

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