New York Mets
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The New York Mets are a Major League Baseball team based in Flushing, Queens, New York. They are in the Eastern Division of the National League.
- Founded: 1962 (National League expansion)
- Current Home ballpark: Shea Stadium (1964-present)
- Former home ballpark: Polo Grounds (1962-1963)
- Uniform colors: Blue, Orange, and Black (the orange chosen to represent the New York Giants, the blue chosen to represent the Brooklyn Dodgers).
- Logo design: Intertwined 'N' and 'Y' in orange, on blue field (the NY logo is identical to that of 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 Gatto. 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.
- Teams in Division: Atlanta Braves, Florida Marlins, Philadelphia Phillies, Washington Nationals
- Wild Card titles won (2): 1999, 2000
- Division titles won (4): 1969, 1973, 1986, 1988
- National League pennants won (4): 1969, 1973, 1986, 2000
- World Series championships won (2): 1969, 1986
- Team theme song: "Meet the Mets" (1963), by Bill Katz and Ruth Roberts
- Official television stations: MSG, WPIX, and Fox Sports New York
- Official radio station: WFAN 660AM in New York (English), WADO 1280AM in New York (Spanish)
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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.
The new team required a new name and many were suggested. Among the finalists were "Bees," "Burros," "Continentals," "Skyscrapers," and "Jets." 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.
The Mets began their on-field play in 1962, posting 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.
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. Washed-up former stars of the Dodgers, Giants and Yankees were offered Mets contracts as an 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 ungrammatic quotation: "The Mets is a good thing. They give everybody jobs. Just like the WPA."
The Mets ended their first decade on a high note, though, as the 1969 "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. They were helped by a Cy Young Award winning effort by Tom Seaver, the franchise's most successful player. This rags-to-riches story was regarded as one of history's great turnarounds, giving hope to underdogs and also-rans everywhere. In the movie Oh God!, "God" (George Burns) told 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!"
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.
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. However, that Mets team managed to capture only 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.
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.
Since the 2000 World Series the Mets have struggled significantly on the heels 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.
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 3rd base coach Willie Randolph as the new manager, making him the first black MLB manager in Mets history.
On June 12, 2005 a plan for a New Mets Stadium in Willets Point, Queens in the parking lot of Shea Stadium was announced. If approved it is to be completed for the 2009 baseball season. The plan would be to use the stadium for the 2012 Olympics while the Mets would play at a new Yankee Stadium in The Bronx for the 2012 season. This would put the Mets in much the same situation as the Yankees were in 1974-1975 when they played in Shea Stadium while Yankee Stadium was renovated. Construction of the new stadium is expected to be paid by the Mets, however "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.
The Mets' mascot is Mr. Met. Their most common nickname is "The Amazins."
Since the team is based in Queens, the Mets have a strong fan base there as well as in Brooklyn, Staten Island and the rest of Long Island. Yankee fans tend to be more concentrated in the rest of the city and the remaining parts of the metropolitan area (such as northern New Jersey, Westchester County, and southwest Connecticut), though fans of both clubs are scattered throughout the tri-state area. Notable Mets fans include celebrities Ray Romano, Jerry Seinfeld, Jon Stewart, Tim Robbins, Paul Auster, Bill O'Reilly and Kevin James (as well as his fictional character, Doug Heffernan).
Interesting Facts
- Every time a Met player hits a home run at Shea Stadium, a big red lighted apple comes up behind center right field.
- Only one home run has been hit to the Upper Level of Shea Stadium so far. Tommie Agee's blast to the Upper Level has been marked with a sign.
- Nolan Ryan started his career with the Mets, helping them to win the 1969 World Series, against the Baltimore Orioles.
- The Mets are the oldest Major League franchise without a no-hitter. (Several notable Mets players did pitch no-hitters with other teams, including Nolan Ryan and Tom Seaver.)
- During the first year of interleague play in 1997, the first ever regular season game played between the Mets and their bitter crosstown rivals, the New York Yankees, was taken by the Mets, 6-0, on a masterfully pitched game by Dave Mlicki.
- The first home game for the Mets after the horrific attacks of September 11 was played on September 21, 2001 against the Atlanta Braves. It was made even more memorable courtesy of a blast off the bat of Mike Piazza, to put the Mets ahead in the game. The Mets won that game, in one of the most memorable matches in Mets history. The game was attended by then-Mayor Rudy Giuliani, a devout fan of the rival New York Yankees. In spite of this, he was cheered by the crowd for his leadership in the preceding ten days.
- 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. [1] (http://www.tarpley.net/bush1.htm)
Players of note
Baseball Hall of Famers
- Richie Ashburn (1962)
- Yogi Berra (player 1965, manager 1972-1975)
- Gary Carter (1985-1989)
- Willie Mays (1972-1973)
- Eddie Murray (1992-1993)
- Nolan Ryan (1966, 1968-1971)
- Tom Seaver (1967-1977, 1983)
- Duke Snider (1963)
- Warren Spahn (1965)
- Casey Stengel (manager 1962-1965)
Current roster (updated on June 20, 2005)
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Pitchers
Catchers
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Infielders
Outfielders
Disabled List
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- Manager
- Coaches
- 50
Manny Acta (third base)
- 2
Sandy Alomar, Sr. (bench)
- 56
Guy Conti (bullpen pitching)
- 54 Rick Down (hitting)
- 53 Jerry Manuel (first base)
- 55 Tom Nieto (catching)
- 51 Rick Peterson (pitching)
- 50
Not to be forgotten
Retired numbers
- 14 Gil Hodges
- 37 Casey Stengel
- 41 Tom Seaver
- 42 Jackie Robinson (retired throughout baseball)
See also
Single Season Records
- Home Runs: 41 (1996) Todd Hundley
- Runs Batted In: 124 (1999) Mike Piazza
- Batting Average: .354 (1998) John Olerud
- Hits: 227 (1996) Lance Johnson
- Runs: 123 (1999) Edgardo Alfonzo
- Doubles: 44 (1996) Bernard Gilkey
- Triples: 21 (1996) Lance Johnson
- Stolen Bases: 66 (1999) Roger Cedeno
- Hitting Streak: 24 (1984) Hubie Brooks, (1999) Mike Piazza
- Walks: 125 (1999) John Olerud
- Pitching Wins: 25 (1969) Tom Seaver
- Pitching Strikeouts: 289 (1971) Tom Seaver
External link
- New York Mets official web site (http://newyork.mets.mlb.com/NASApp/mlb/nym/homepage/nym_homepage.jsp)
- The Ultimate Mets Database (http://ultimatemets.com/)
- New York Mets Team Index - Baseball-Reference.com (http://www.baseball-reference.com/teams/NYM/)