Ultimate Mets Database - The Ultimate Mets Scrapbook

THE ULTIMATE METS DATABASE IS NOT AFFILIATED IN ANY WAY WITH THE NEW YORK METS OR MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL.

- All-Time Roster Every Met player... EVER!
- Mug Shots The pretty ones and the ugly ones -- we have them all!
- Player Awards Cy Young, Rookie of the Year, Hall of Fame, and more.
- Transactions Over a thousand player transactions -- in chronological order!
- Managers & Coaches The men who have led the Mets, and the men who helped them.
- Mets Staff Executives, General Managers, Broadcasters, and more. (And Jane Jarvis too!)
- Birth Places Perfect for planning your Mets pilgrimages!
- Oldest Living Mets See which Mets players have spent the most time walking the Earth.
- Necrology Mets players and personnel who are no longer with us.

- Game Results
  All the wins, all the losses. Includes box scores and score cards!
- Opening Day
  The first day of each season! See the starting lineups, who started at each position year-by-year, and leaders by position.
- Walkoff Wins & Losses
  Interactively search for the happiest and saddest endings to Mets games.
- Postseason Games How the Mets have fared in the games that count the most!
- No-Hitters & One-Hitters See a list of every no-hitter and one-hitter pitched by the Mets, or against them. One of these categories was frustratingly empty for over fifty years, but not anymore!
- All-Star Games Mets who have appeared in baseball's Mid-Summer Classic
- Opponents & Ballparks See the Mets won-lost record against every team, and in every ballpark in which they've played!
- Daily Standings What was the Mets' pennant outlook on any given day in past seasons?
- Yearly Finishes The heights and the depths: the Mets won-lost record at the end of each season.
- Mayor's Trophy Games A look back at the long-ago annual series between the Mets and their Bronx rivals.

- Leaderboards Career, season, and individual game leaders at your fingertips!
- Team Leaders Players who led the Mets in various categories, from season to season.
- Decade Leaders Mets history broken down into ten-year chunks!
- Post-Season Leaders Mets leaders, by category, in post-season games

- Ultimate Mets Scrapbook The history of the Mets, as it was reported when it happened!
- Forum Visit the Crane Pool Forum to discuss the Mets and just about anything else!
- Fan Memories Insightful. Poignant. Thrilling. Somber. Nutty. Our visitors have submitted thousands of thoughts and memories of the Mets and the games they've played.
- Mets Uniforms It's more than just laundry! Trace the evolution of the Mets official uniform over the years.
- Uniform Numbers In association with Mets By the Numbers, we present a full history of who wore what number, and when!/li>
- Baseball Cards Our collection of home-made baseball cards, in the style of the classic Topps cards of the 1970's.
- This Date in Mets History Births, Deaths, Transactions, Newspaper Covers

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The Ultimate Mets Scrapbook, a website within a website, presents the history of the Mets as it was originally reported. The games, the trades, the people, the places. The good news and the bad news. The hard news, and the soft news. We have examples of all of that here.

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New articles will be added periodically, so keep coming back again to see what's new!

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April 1962

Released November 7, 2022
Contemporary coverage of the Mets' first month in the National League. Their first game in St. Louis, a ticker-tape parade in Manhattan, the reopening of the Polo Grounds after four idle years, their first home game, and more, including profiles of Joan Payson and Jay Hook.

	Cards Defeat Mets in St. Louis Debut New York Daily News, April 12, 1962 The Mets have played, and lost, their first game.

	Voice of the Mets Didn't Hide Awful Truth Newsday, April 12, 1962 An early review of the Mets three-man broadcast booth, but Newsday Sports Television Critic Jack Mann. He dismissively refers to Bob Murphy as a "mop-up announcer".
Tags: Ralph Kiner, Bob Murphy, Lindsey Nelson.

	Mets Make Debut, But Take No Bows Newsday, April 12, 1962 The Mets' hopes of an undefeated inaugural season are dashed as their very first game results in an 11-4 loss in St. Louis.

	Mets' Owner Is a Diamond's Best Friend Newsday, April 12, 1962 A profile of Joan Payson from Newsday's "Paging Women" feature, a section of the paper for news deemed of interest to women. As we saw with an earlier Newsday profile (from 1959), Newsday refers to her as "Mrs. Charles Shipman Payson" and never mentions her actual name, Joan.
Tags: Joan Payson.

	St. Louis Weather Menaces Mets' Ticker-Tape Hoopla New York Daily News, April 12, 1962 The Mets have a ticker-tape parade scheduled for the day before their first home game in New York, but the potential for rain in St. Louis may force the Mets to remain in that city for a makeup game against the Cardinals.

	City Welcomes Mets; Debut at PG Today New York Daily News, April 13, 1962 The day before their first home game at the Polo Grounds, the Mets were honored with a ticker-tape parade in lower Manhattan's Canyon of Heroes.
Tags: Casey Stengel.

	'There Were Giants in the Earth in Those Days' Newsday, April 13, 1962 Baseball is returning to the Polo Grounds after a four-year gap, and a former New York Giants fan reflects on his memories.

	It's N.Y. Mets From Now On! Brooklyn Daily, April 13, 1962 Brooklyn Daily's coverage of the parade and ceremony that welcomed the Mets to New York.
Tags: M. Donald Grant, Casey Stengel.

	The Crowd Was Better Than the Ball Game Newsday, April 14, 1962 Former Brooklyn Dodger and New York Giant fans return to the Polo Grounds to see the brand New Mets in action.

	Mets Lose Opener, 4-3, Win Fans New York Daily News, April 14, 1962 The Mets have played their first home game, a 4-3 loss to the Pittsburgh Pirates at the Polo Grounds.
Tags: Casey Stengel, Frank Thomas.

	Fans, Vendors Believe Casey's Just A Darling New Jersey Record (Bergen, NJ), April 14, 1962 The perspective from the seats of the Polo Grounds as the Mets settle in as the new tenants.
Tags: Casey Stengel.

	Casey Relearning How Loser Feels New Jersey Record (Bergen, NJ), April 19, 1962 Casey Stengel managed losing teams before his storied run leading the Yankees, and the Mets are returning him to those days. Includes a cartoon by Charlie McGill.
Tags: Casey Stengel.

	For The Record New Jersey Record (Bergen, NJ), April 19, 1962 A column in The Record by Al Del Greco. The Mets have lost six games in a row, and Casey Stengel's reputation as a managerial genius is in jeopardy.
Tags: Casey Stengel.

	Mets Savor 1st Taste of Victory Newsday, April 24, 1962 After opening the 1962 season with nine consecutive losses, the Mets finally have their first win, a 9-1 defeat of the Pirates in Pittsburgh.
Tags: Jay Hook, Casey Stengel.

	Mets Win! Give Pirates Hook, 9-1 New York Daily News, April 24, 1962 The Mets, behind the pitching of Jay Hook, win their first-ever regular season game. Featuring a cartoon by Bruce Stark and a sidebar article with comments by Branch Rickey.
Tags: Jay Hook, Joan Payson.

	Hook 2 Inches From Being a Mean Pitcher Newsday, April 24, 1962 Is Jay Hook too sensitive to be a successful pitcher? He also has a maverick side: He waits in the on deck circle when he's due up to bat next.
Tags: Jay Hook.

	Voice Of The Fan: Met Fan Speaks New Jersey Record (Bergen, NJ), April 25, 1962 Two very early Mets fans, Vinny Galasso and Tom Rossetti, write to their local newspaper to say they'd rather cheer for a losing Mets team than a winning Yankees team.

	Mets Beat Phillies -- 3 N.Y. HRs in Row New York Daily News, April 29, 1962 The Mets get their second win of their first season, a victory over the Phillies at the Polo Grounds that featured back-to-back-to-back homers from Frank Thomas, Charley Neal, and Gil Hodges.
Tags: Charlie Neal.

	Phils Instruct Slapstick Art To Mets Pupils Newsday, April 30, 1962 The Mets follow up their win from the previous day with a victory in the first game of a doubleheader, giving them their first two-game winning streak. They can't extend it to three, however, as the Phillies get a win in the nightcap.

	Mets Out of Cellar For Few Hours but... Elmira Advertiser (Elmira, NY), April 30, 1962 In late April of 1962, the Mets briefly poke their noses out of last place for the first time ever.
Tags: Frank Thomas.

Other releases

January 29, 2024
Spotlight on Bud Harrelson
In memory of Mets Hall-of-Famer Bud Harrelson. This release includes articles dating back to when Bud first signed with the Mets organization in 1963, through his playing career including the World Championship in 1969, the fight with Pete Rose in 1973, his decline and trade to the Phillies, his return to the Mets organization as a minor league manager and then a major league coach, his turbulent tenure as Mets manager and his association with the Long Island Ducks. There's a lot here, so you'd better get started!

August 31, 2023
Forty-three Obituaries
Obituaries for 43 Mets players, coaches, etc., including John Stearns, Tim McCarver, Joe Pignatano, Pedro Feliciano, and more.

Here's the full list:

Larry Bearnarth, Jerry Buchek, Chuck Carr, Gene Clines, Tommy Davis, Pedro Feliciano, Tony Fernandez, Larry Foss, Jim Frey, Bob Friend, Jesse Gonder, Joe Grzenda, Tommy Holmes, Jeff Innis, Cookie Lavagetto, Phil Linz, Tim McCarver, Jeff McKnight, Herb Moford, Harold W. O'Shaughnessy, Brock Pemberton, Joe Pignatano, Grover Powell, Hal Reniff, Arthur Richman, Les Rohr, Red Ruffing, Ray Sadecki, Dick Selma, Norm Sherry, Dick Sisler, Denny Sommers, Tracy Stallard, Eddie Stanky, Leroy Stanton, John Stearns, Dick Stuart, Ralph Terry, Claudell Washington, George Weiss, Carl Willey, Gene Woodling, and Don Zimmer.

July 31, 2023
Ron Swoboda, Edgardo Alfonzo, Gary Carter's debut, and more

Spotlights on Ron Swoboda, Edgardo Alfonzo, and Gary Carter's Opening Day home run in 1985
Portraits of Jerry Koosman, Bud Harrelson, Ron Swoboda, and Wayne Garrett by Bruce Stark
A visit from Cool Papa Bell
A memorable 18-inning win over the Pirates in 1985 at Shea
Obituary of Mets coach Clyde McCullough
Cartoons from Bill Gallo and Bruce Stark
The morning of the first home opener at Citi Field, by Mike Lupica
Francisco Alvarez enjoys participating in the Subway Series against the Yankees

November 16, 2022
Kevin McReynolds, Bruce Stark (1963), Robert F. Kennedy

Spotlight on Kevin McReynolds
Four 1963 cartoons by Bruce Stark of the Daily News.
The Mets honor the memory of Senator Robert F. Kennedy.
Rick Aguilera struggles to gain a foothold in the 1988 Mets starting rotation.

October 26, 2022
Expansion Draft, Tim Foli, Shea Goodbye

Coverage of the 1961 expansion draft which provided the Mets with their first batch of players.
Spotlight on Tim Foli. The Mets made him the first draft pick in the nation in 1968.
Shea Goodbye! The final game ever played at Shea Stadium ended the Mets' postseason hopes, but was followed by a star-studded ceremony.
Polo Goodbye! The final game ever played at the Polo Grounds had no fanfare at all and very few fans in attendance.
Now Straw's the Man Who Stirs the Mets: A Joe Gergen column from Newsday in 1988. Darryl Strawberry is coming into his own as a superstar.
From 1969, Bruce Stark portraits of Tom Seaver and Cleon Jones.
Obituaries of Bill Robinson and Clem Labine.

October 18, 2022
First update
Jim Bunning's 1964 perfect game, and Mets postseason losses in 1973, 1986, 2000, and 2015. Willie Randolph gets fired, Warren Spahn dies, Ron Darling and Tim Teufel get arrested, trades for Bruce Berenyi and for Carlos Baerga, and more. Includes two cartoons from Bruce Stark.