Remembering Mets History (1962) The New York Mets First Game

Wednesday April 11th 1962: This historic day in Mets history marks the very first ball game the National League New York Mets ever played. The game was played at the old Sportsman Park in St. Louis, Missouri in front of 16,147 fans.
The Mets were the new National League New York team, one of two new NL teams that year, the other being the Houston Colt 45’s, later to be renamed the Astros. the Mets donned blue & orange colors, in honor of the departed New York Giants & Brooklyn Dodgers who had left for California in 1957 (but that’s another story).
The Mets manager was “the old professor” Casey Stengel. Stengel was 72 years old in 1962 and had been a successful player & manager, since forever.
As Stengel once said “when a baby Mets fan is born his first words aren’t mommy or daddy its Metsie, Metsie”. A term Met legend Keith Hernandez uses today all the time on tv broadcasts. Stengel is a member of the baseball Hall of Fame & was the first Met to have his uniform number (#37) retired by the Mets.
The Mets starting line up that day was a rag tag of veteran players, as expansion in those days was different than the developing of a new team in todays times. The starting pitcher was Roger Craig who was to suppose to start the home opener the next day, but he had to start since scheduled pitcher Sherman “road block” Jones had burned himself on a team flight. The saga of the ’62 Mets just began………..
Starting Lineups
1 | Richie Ashburn | CF |
2 | Felix Mantilla | SS |
3 | Charlie Neal | 2B |
4 | Frank Thomas | LF |
5 | Gus Bell | RF |
6 | Gil Hodges | 1B |
7 | Don Zimmer | 3B |
8 | Hobie Landrith | C |
9 | Roger Craig | P |
1 | Curt Flood | CF |
2 | Julian Javier | 2B |
3 | Bill White | 1B |
4 | Stan Musial | RF |
5 | Ken Boyer | 3B |
6 | Minnie Minoso | LF |
7 | Gene Oliver | C |
8 | Julio Gotay | SS |
9 | Larry Jackson | P |

Ritchie Ashburn stepped up to the plate in the top of the 1st inning as the first batter in Mets history. He flew out to center field, the second batter was Felix Mantilla, he grounded out. Charlie Neal was next & flew out to right, Mets history was under way.
In the bottom of the 1st, Craig got Curt Flood out but then gave up a pair of singles & Hall of Famer Stan Musial singled in the first run against the Mets. Future Met Ken Boyer drove in the next.
In the 3rd inning, Ashburn singled to left field & Felix Mantilla walked. Then Charlie Neal drove in the first run in Mets history with a base hit & slugger Frank Thomas the second with a sac fly.
In the 4th, after the Cards went ahead 5-2, future Mets manager Gil Hodges led off the inning by hitting the first HR in Mets history. It was #363 of his great career. In the 5th inning,
Charlie Neal hit the second HR in Mets history, a line drive shot that carried right over the fence. Neal had the best day of all the Mets hitters going 3-4 with a HR, and two RBIs. Neal would also make the first error in Mets history when he booted a grounder in the sixth inning, helping the Cards as they scored four runs in the inning.

On the mound, Roger Craig was done by the 4th inning, giving up five runs on eight hits. He recorded the first Mets strike out by a pitcher, fanning catcher Gene Oliver. In the 4th inning, Bob Moorehead became the Mets first relief pitcher to come out of the bull pen.
The Mets would lose their first nine games before winning on April 23rd, 1962 at home in the Polo Grounds. The 1962 Mets went on to lose a record 120 games while winning only 40.
Trivia: The 1962 coaching staff behind Casey Stengel consisted of Hall of Famer Rogers Hornsby, former Brooklyn Dodger Cookie Lavagetto, Red Ruffing, Solly Hemus, & Red Kress.
Ritchie Ashburn: Ashburn was a longtime Philadelphia Phillies legend, a five time All Star getting inducted into the baseball Hall of Fame in 1995. A life time .308 hitter, and winner of two NL batting titles. He was the Mets first All Star & first .300 hitter. After the terrible losing 1962 season he retired & became a longtime Phillies broadcaster until his death in 1997. He suffered a heart attack & died in New York after broadcasting a Mets Phillies game. His #1 is retired by the team and Ashburn Alley is named in his honor at Citizen Banks Park.




Bob Moorehead: Moorehead would spend two years with the Mets never winning a game going 0-3. In 1962 he went 0-2 giving up 118 hits in 108 innings.
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