It’s 1962 All Over Again
April 11th, 2012 by slangon
And when I say it’s 1962 all over again, I mean that the Mets played the very first game in the history of the franchise 50 years ago today, a road game against the St. Louis Cardinals. Being in 1st place with a 4-1 record is about as far from 1962 that you can get. Aside from the threatening looking gray skies hovering over New York, I really wish I could blow off work and go to the game. Not only is it Johan Santana facing off against Stephen Strasburg, but the Mets are honoring the fact that they played their very first game on April 11, 1962 by selling tickets for the same price they were in 1962 – $2.50. Alas, the fates aspire against me and there will be no hooky playing today. Instead I will be monitoring the game via a radio and hoping that there aren’t too many work related distractions.
In the meantime, let’s take a look at the starting lineup of that game 50 years ago.
Batting leadoff and playing center field…
Ashburn went 1 for 5 on the day, with 1 run scored, no RBI’s, no strikeouts and no walks. He singled to left in the 3rd inning off of Cardinals starter Larry Jackson.
Batting second and playing shortstop…
Felix Mantilla collected 1 hit, a 7th inning double to left field. He was 1-4, walked once and came around to score once. He also had an error in the 8th that allowed Curt Flood on. He came around to score later in the inning.
Batting third and playing 2nd base…
Charley had the biggest day of any Met. He went 3 for 4 including 2 singles and a home run that drove in 2. It wasn’t all good for Neal, though. He also had an error in the 6th that ultimately led to 3 unearned runs.
Batting clean up and playing left field…
Frank Thomas did not collect a hit in his 4 plate appearances but he did pick up an RBI with a sac fly to center. He also countered that by grounding into an inning ending double play.
Batting fifth and playing right field…
Buddy Bell’s daddy had a fine day at the plate. He went 1 for 3 and drew a walk. None of that had any impact on the game though. He did pick up 3 outfield assists in the game, though. He gunned down Bill White at home in the 3rd and threw out Minnie Minoso later in the inning trying to stretch a single into a double. Unfortunately, Stan Musial had already crossed the plate so the run counted. Then in the 6th, he gunned down Musial trying to pull a Minnie Minoso and stretch a single into a double. Why do these old guys keep trying to test Gus?
Batting sixth and playing 1st…
Gil went 1 for 4, but he planted that 1 over the fence for a solo homer to lead off the 4th inning.
Batting seventh and manning the hot corner…
The Gerbil picked up a single in the 2nd that lead to nothing. Overall he was 1 for 4 on the day, no runs, no rib-eyes, no walks, no whiffs.
Batting eighth and donning the tools of ignorance…
Hobie had a pretty rough day over all. Not only did he go 0 for 4, but he also picked up a throwing error in the 6th while trying to throw out Julian Javier who was stealing 2nd. Of course, Javier eventually came around to score.
And finally, batting ninth and pitching…
Nobody would expect a pitcher to do much at the plate, and in that respect, Roger didn’t disappoint. He struck out in his only plate appearance. He also took the loss in the game after giving up 5 runs (all of which were earned) in only 3 innings. On the bright side, he didn’t walk anyone.
The Mets lost this one 11 to 4. Other notables who appeared in this one for the Mets include pinch hitters Ed Bouchee (0 for 0, drew a walk) and Jim Marshall (also 0 for 0 with a walk), and relief pitchers Bob Moorhead (3 IP, 6 H, 5 R, 2 ER, 1 BB, 1 SO), Herb Moford (1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 0 SO) and Clem Labine (1 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 0 SO).
Let’s hope the Mets are a little bit better after 50 years.
SweEt!!!!!!!