This year marks the 50th anniversary of the Mets existence.
That milestone has caused me to reflect back on the countless games I have watched, the heartbreaks and the highlights.
I became a Met fan in 1964, at the age of six years old, because my father was a fan (I was too young to remember the Polo Grounds days). I will never forget the first time we went to Shea Stadium in 1964. The moment when I first saw the green grass is embedded forever in my memory. The field was the most beautiful thing I had ever seen and the enormity of the scoreboard was awe-inspiring.
I remember rooting for an extra inning game because I never wanted to leave. That first trip to Shea hooked me and I have been a diehard fan ever since.
Prior to 1969, it was easy to be a Mets fan. The team rarely exceeded the low expectations we all had ... but it didn't matter. They were an expansion team in the days before free agency, so everyone knew it would be a while before they would be competitive.
The miracle year of 1969 changed everything. It was the first year where legitimate excitement surrounded the team. That season was loaded with highlights and memories that remain so clear, it feels like they happened yesterday.
Seaver's near perfect game on July 9th was thrilling, particularly because it came against the Cubs and provided a statement that this young team was not going to wilt under the pressure. Jimmy Qualls had 31 total hits in his major league career but his one out single in the ninth to break up Seaver's perfect game assured that his name will live forever in Mets history.
There were two other remarkable feats during that season that occurred a week apart. On September 12, Don Cardwell and Jerry Koosman were the starting pitchers in a doubleheader against the Pirates. Both pitchers pitched shutouts and the Mets won both ends of the doubleheader by the same score, 1-0. That is quite a feat in and of itself ... but what made that day most memorable is the pitchers drove in the only run in each game!
A week later, Steve Carlton set a major league record by striking out 19 Mets in a game. But the Mets won the game thanks to two 2-run homers off the bat of Ron Swoboda.
The miracle Mets seemed to perform a new miracle every day down the stretch that season.
After the Mets won the World Series in 1969, I remember my father saying it will never be the same to be a Mets fan. He said, losing will no longer be so easily tolerated. His words were prophetic.
Advancing to the World Series in 1973 was even more miraculous than what happened in 1969. The Mets were 38-50 in mid-July. Nothing was going right and Tug McGraw, their closer, struggled mightily that year. Manager Yogi Berra then made a move you would NEVER see in this day and age. He started Tug McGraw in a game against the Braves on July 17.
Yogi's reasoning was the Mets were going nowhere if McGraw didn't straighten himself out. Berra didn't care if the Mets lost that game, he wanted McGraw to work out his problems on the mound. In 6 innings of work, McGraw gave up 7 runs on 3 homers. The Mets trailed 7-1 in the ninth and rallied for seven runs, capped off by a Willie Mays two run single (his last significant contribution as a major league player), to win the game 8-7.
McGraw pitched extremely well in relief the remainder of the season and shortly after that game he made "Ya Gotta Believe" the slogan for the season.
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