| 1964 New York Mets | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
.svg) | ||||
| League | National League | |||
| Ballpark | Shea Stadium | |||
| City | New York | |||
| Record | 53–109 (.327) | |||
| League place | 10th | |||
| Owners | Joan Whitney Payson | |||
| General manager | George Weiss | |||
| Manager | Casey Stengel | |||
| Television | WOR-TV | |||
| Radio | WHN (Ralph Kiner,Lindsey Nelson,Bob Murphy) | |||
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TheNew York Mets played their third regular season in 1964. They went 53–109 and finished tenth in theNational League, 40 games behind the World Series ChampionSt. Louis Cardinals. They were managed byCasey Stengel. They played home games atShea Stadium, which opened on April 17 of that year. This was Stengel's final full season as manager.
One high point of Shea Stadium's first season came onFather's Day, whenPhiladelphia Phillies pitcherJim Bunning threw aperfect 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.[2] His strikeout ofJohn Stephenson capped the performance.
Another high point was Shea Stadium's hosting of theAll-Star Game. Johnny Callison's ninth-inning three-run home run off Dick Radatz capped a four-run rally and gave the National League a 7–4 win over the American League in that game, which evened the series at seventeen wins for each league.
The stadium also saw pitcher Masanori Murakami of the San Francisco Giants become the first Japanese player to appear in the Major Leagues. He entered the game in the ninth inning of the Giants' 4–1 loss to the Mets
Unexpectedly thrust into the spotlight in the final hectic weekend of the 1964 season, the Mets relished the role of spoiler, beating the Cardinals in St. Louis on Friday and Saturday (keeping alive the hopes of the Phillies, Giants, and Reds) before succumbing to the eventual National League champions on Sunday.
| Team | W | L | Pct. | GB | Home | Road |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| St. Louis Cardinals | 93 | 69 | .574 | — | 48–33 | 45–36 |
| Philadelphia Phillies | 92 | 70 | .568 | 1 | 46–35 | 46–35 |
| Cincinnati Reds | 92 | 70 | .568 | 1 | 47–34 | 45–36 |
| San Francisco Giants | 90 | 72 | .556 | 3 | 44–37 | 46–35 |
| Milwaukee Braves | 88 | 74 | .543 | 5 | 45–36 | 43–38 |
| Pittsburgh Pirates | 80 | 82 | .494 | 13 | 42–39 | 38–43 |
| Los Angeles Dodgers | 80 | 82 | .494 | 13 | 41–40 | 39–42 |
| Chicago Cubs | 76 | 86 | .469 | 17 | 40–41 | 36–45 |
| Houston Colt .45s | 66 | 96 | .407 | 27 | 41–40 | 25–56 |
| New York Mets | 53 | 109 | .327 | 40 | 33–48 | 20–61 |
Sources:[1][2][3][4][5][6][7][8][9][10] | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team | CHC | CIN | HOU | LAD | MIL | NYM | PHI | PIT | SF | STL | |||
| Chicago | — | 6–12 | 11–7 | 10–8 | 8–10 | 11–7 | 6–12 | 9–9 | 9–9 | 6–12 | |||
| Cincinnati | 12–6 | — | 12–6 | 14–4–1 | 9–9 | 11–7 | 9–9 | 8–10 | 7–11 | 10–8 | |||
| Houston | 7–11 | 6–12 | — | 7–11 | 12–6 | 9–9 | 5–13 | 5–13 | 7–11 | 8–10 | |||
| Los Angeles | 8–10 | 4–14–1 | 11–7 | — | 8–10 | 15–3–1 | 8–10 | 10–8 | 6–12 | 10–8 | |||
| Milwaukee | 10–8 | 9–9 | 6–12 | 10–8 | — | 14–4 | 10–8 | 12–6 | 9–9 | 8–10 | |||
| New York | 7–11 | 7–11 | 9–9 | 3–15–1 | 4–14 | — | 3–15 | 6–12 | 7–11 | 7–11 | |||
| Philadelphia | 12-6 | 9–9 | 13–5 | 10–8 | 8–10 | 15–3 | — | 10–8 | 10–8 | 5–13 | |||
| Pittsburgh | 9–9 | 10–8 | 13–5 | 8–10 | 6–12 | 12–6 | 8–10 | — | 8–10 | 6–12 | |||
| San Francisco | 9–9 | 11–7 | 11–7 | 12–6 | 9–9 | 11–7 | 8–10 | 10–8 | — | 9–9 | |||
| St. Louis | 12–6 | 8–10 | 10–8 | 8–10 | 10–8 | 11–7 | 13–5 | 12–6 | 9–9 | — | |||
The Mets' new home park was originally to be called "Flushing Meadows Stadium" – the name ofthe public park on which it was built – but a movement was launched to name it in honor ofWilliam A. Shea, the man who broughtNational League baseball back to New York. After 29 months and $28.5 million, Shea Stadium opened on April 17, 1964, with the Mets losing to thePittsburgh Pirates, led byRoberto Clemente andBill Mazeroski, 4–3 before a crowd of 50,312.[8] Shea was a circular stadium, with the grandstand forming a perfect circle around the field and ending a short distance beyond the foul lines. The remainder of the perimeter was mostly empty space beyond the outfield fences. This space was occupied by thebullpens, thescoreboard, and the centerfield "batter's eye" backdrop. The stadium boasted 54 restrooms, 21 escalators and seats for 57,343. It was big, airy, sparkling, with a massive 86' x 175' scoreboard. Also, rather than the standard light towers, Shea had lamps along its upper reaches, like a convoy of semis with their brights on, which gave the field that unique high-wattage glow. Praised for its convenience, even its elegance, Shea was deemed a showplace.[9]
| 1964 New York Mets | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Roster | |||||||||
| Pitchers | Catchers Infielders | Outfielders | Manager Coaches
| ||||||
| = Indicates team leader |
Note: Pos = Position; G = Games played; AB = At bats; H = Hits; Avg. = Batting average; HR = Home runs; RBI = Runs batted in
| Pos | Player | G | AB | R | H | Avg. | HR | RBI | SB |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| C | Jesse Gonder | 131 | 341 | 28 | 92 | .270 | 7 | 35 | 0 |
| 1B | Ed Kranepool | 119 | 420 | 47 | 108 | .257 | 10 | 45 | 0 |
| 2B | Ron Hunt | 127 | 475 | 59 | 144 | .303 | 6 | 42 | 6 |
| 3B | Charley Smith | 127 | 443 | 44 | 106 | .239 | 20 | 58 | 2 |
| SS | Roy McMillan | 113 | 379 | 30 | 80 | .211 | 1 | 25 | 3 |
| LF | George Altman | 124 | 422 | 48 | 97 | .230 | 9 | 47 | 4 |
| CF | Jim Hickman | 139 | 409 | 48 | 105 | .257 | 11 | 57 | 0 |
| RF | Joe Christopher | 154 | 543 | 78 | 163 | .300 | 16 | 76 | 6 |
Note: G = Games played; AB = At bats; H = Hits; Avg. = Batting average; HR = Home runs; RBI = Runs batted in
| Player | G | AB | R | H | Avg. | HR | RBI | SB |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rod Kanehl | 98 | 254 | 25 | 59 | .232 | 1 | 11 | 3 |
| Hawk Taylor | 92 | 225 | 20 | 54 | .240 | 4 | 23 | 0 |
| Larry Elliot | 80 | 224 | 27 | 51 | .228 | 9 | 22 | 1 |
| Bobby Klaus | 56 | 209 | 25 | 51 | .244 | 2 | 11 | 3 |
| Frank Thomas | 60 | 197 | 19 | 50 | .254 | 3 | 19 | 1 |
| Chris Cannizzaro | 60 | 164 | 11 | 51 | .311 | 0 | 10 | 0 |
| Amado Samuel | 53 | 142 | 7 | 33 | .232 | 0 | 5 | 0 |
| Tim Harkness | 39 | 117 | 11 | 33 | .282 | 2 | 13 | 1 |
| Dick Smith | 46 | 94 | 14 | 21 | .223 | 0 | 3 | 6 |
| John Stephenson | 37 | 57 | 2 | 9 | .158 | 1 | 2 | 0 |
| Wayne Graham | 20 | 33 | 1 | 3 | .091 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Al Moran | 16 | 22 | 2 | 5 | .227 | 0 | 4 | 0 |
| Larry Burright | 3 | 7 | 0 | 0 | .000 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Note: G = Games pitched; IP = Innings pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts
| Player | G | IP | W | L | ERA | SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jack Fisher | 40 | 227.2 | 10 | 17 | 4.23 | 115 |
| Tracy Stallard | 36 | 225.2 | 10 | 20 | 3.79 | 118 |
| Al Jackson | 40 | 213.1 | 11 | 16 | 4.26 | 112 |
| Galen Cisco | 36 | 191.2 | 6 | 19 | 3.62 | 78 |
Note: G = Games pitched; IP = Innings pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts
| Player | G | IP | W | L | ERA | SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dennis Ribant | 14 | 57.2 | 1 | 5 | 5.15 | 35 |
| Frank Lary | 13 | 57.1 | 2 | 3 | 4.55 | 27 |
| Carl Willey | 14 | 30.0 | 0 | 2 | 3.60 | 14 |
| Darrell Sutherland | 10 | 26.2 | 0 | 3 | 7.76 | 9 |
| Gary Kroll | 8 | 21.2 | 0 | 1 | 4.15 | 24 |
| Tom Parsons | 4 | 19.1 | 1 | 2 | 4.19 | 10 |
| Jerry Hinsley | 9 | 15.1 | 0 | 2 | 8.22 | 11 |
| Craig Anderson | 4 | 13.0 | 0 | 1 | 5.54 | 5 |
| Jay Hook | 3 | 9.2 | 0 | 1 | 9.31 | 5 |
Note: G = Games pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; SV = Saves; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts
| Player | G | W | L | SV | ERA | SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Willard Hunter | 41 | 3 | 3 | 5 | 4.41 | 22 |
| Bill Wakefield | 62 | 3 | 5 | 2 | 3.61 | 61 |
| Larry Bearnarth | 44 | 5 | 5 | 3 | 4.15 | 31 |
| Ron Locke | 25 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 3.48 | 17 |
| Tom Sturdivant | 16 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 5.97 | 18 |
| Ed Bauta | 8 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 5.40 | 3 |
| Steve Dillon | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.00 | 0 |
LEAGUE CHAMPIONS: Auburn
The Phils won the contest...before 32,904 fans who were screaming for Bunning during the last two innings...Yesterday's perfect pitching turned the usually loyal Met fans into Bunning fans in the late innings. From the seventh inning on...Bunning had the crowd...behind him.
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| Franchise | |||||||||||||||||
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| World Series championships (2) | |||||||||||||||||
| National League pennants (5) | |||||||||||||||||
| Division titles (6) | |||||||||||||||||
| Wild Card (5) | |||||||||||||||||
| Minor league affiliates |
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