When Cleon Jones squeezed his glove around the ball that Baltimore Orioles second baseman Davey Johnson hit to left field in the top of the ninth in Game Five of the 1969 World Series to give the Mets their first championship in their eight-year history, it was something he never dreamed of doing. For Jones, making it as a major league ballplayer from his hometown of Africatown, a historic...
It goes without saying that the Mets had many weaknesses during their early years. But center field stood out more than the rest. For such a prominent and important position, it was a gaping hole the franchise could not fill. That began to change shortly after Gil Hodges left his managerial post with the Washington Senators to take over the Mets’ job in November 1967. “The first thing...
Think about the greatest Mets trades. Keith Hernandez for Allen and Ownbey. Gary Carter for Brooks, Fitzgerald, Winningham, and Youmans. A crop of soon-to-be Marlins in exchange for Mike Piazza. But perhaps the most impactful trade wasn’t for a player. Gil Hodges had been a Met, a member of the original 1962 club in the twilight of his playing career. More famously, he was a significant part of...
In the center of this vintage photo from 1962 is the first owner of the New York Mets, Mrs. Joan Payson, who is flanked by our first general manager George Weiss, and the team’s first manager Casey Stengel. All three played a significant role in the formative years of the Mets, and when Nelson Doubleday purchased the franchise in 1980, he believed the first of order of business was to honor the...
Good morning Mets fans! The New York Mets will officially introduce their latest free agent signing, RHP Dellin Betances, on Jan. 2 at Citi Field, per Mike Puma of the New York Post. Latest Mets News Jacob deGrom was named the New York Athlete of the Decade by the New York Post. The 2015 Mets were among the seven best teams of the decade to never win a World Series as listed by the New York...
