Special Collections
The Mets have a history of elite pitchers, and Dwight “Doc” Gooden secured his place among them early on. As a 19-year-old rookie in 1984, Gooden led the league in strikeouts, earned an All-Star nod, finished runner-up in Cy Young voting and took home the coveted Rookie of the Year Award. And he was just […]
Being elected to the Mets Hall of Fame is a prestigious honor reserved only for the most consequential people in the more than six-decade history of the New York Mets. Joining that elite roster in 2023 are two decorated players: 1986 World Series champion Howard Johnson, and Al Leiter, one of the best big-game pitchers […]
The Mets first took the field in April 1962, about 1600 days after the Dodgers and the Giants moved west. New York fans could have ignored the new team, but the “loveable loser” Mets won many of their hearts by playing a hard-nosed and entertaining brand of baseball, led by legendary manager Casey Stengel. While […]
Old Timers Day is back in Queens! For the first time since 1994, dozens of Mets alumni participated in the special outing held at Citi Field on August 27, 2022. Every era of franchise history was covered, including members of the original 1962 team, players from the 1969 and 1986 World Series squads, and some […]
Did you see it coming? Did anyone? After rookie Pete Alonso put on a show against the Washington Nationals on March 30, 2019, teammate Noah Syndergaard nicknamed him “Pete the Polar Bear.” The Polar Bear didn’t let up: Alonso won the Home Run Derby and set the franchise’s single-season home run record (53), which also […]
From first base to the Citi Field press box, this guy knows how to put on a show. Keith Hernandez spent 7 of his 17 MLB seasons with the New York Mets, winning 6 (of 11) consecutive Gold Gloves and a World Series trophy while he was there. The Mets had struggled in the early […]
So popular was Gil Hodges in New York that Brooklyn Dodgers teammate Clem Labine said that Hodges was “the only player whom the fans [at Ebbets Field] never booed.” After a dozen seasons in Brooklyn, Hodges moved with the Dodgers to Los Angeles before he returned to the Big Apple in 1962 with the expansion […]
Jerry Koosman helped Mets fans sleep at night. The Minnesota farm boy was strong and reliable, and he was part of the best 1-2 punch in MLB at the time. During the 1969 “Miracle Mets” season, Koosman and Tom Seaver combined for a whopping 34 complete games, five of which Koosman hurled in September alone. […]
The 1963 Mets yearbook introduced fans to the team’s now-iconic mascot, Mr. Met, and asked them to adopt him “as one of your own children and treat him just as kindly.” Through good times and not-so-good times, Mr. Met remains cheerfully optimistic about the team’s prospects and can be seen bouncing around the crowds on gameday […]
Boy, did the Mets get the Wright guy. The kid from Norfolk, VA was a lifelong Met, spending his entire 14-year career with the team, from 2004 through 2018. During that time, the third baseman set team records for RBIs, doubles, walks, extra base hits and several other stats. Persistent injuries plagued him as he […]
The New York Mets got hot in 2015 and 2016, and their postseason runs reminded everyone that you can never count out the Mets. After dispatching the LA Dodgers in the NLDS and the Chicago Cubs in the NLCS, the Mets returned to the World Series in 2015 where they ultimately fell to the Kansas […]
Jacob deGrom wowed Mets fans for nine spectacular seasons from 2014 to 2022. His NL Rookie of the Year Award was just the first of many honors for the right-handed ace. In 2018, deGrom finished the season with the lowest ERA in MLB, earning MVP votes and his first Cy Young Award. He then did […]
Wave ’em proudly! Pennants were popular in the 1960s, and Mets fans happily displayed them even when the team turned in a losing record. But then the Miracle Mets of 1969 brought home an honest-to-goodness NL pennant and suddenly pennant-waving took on new importance!
Tom “The Franchise” Seaver was (and is) everything to the Mets. He was the NL Rookie of the Year in 1967 as a newly-minted Met and went on to win three Cy Young Awards during his tenure with the team. Praised for his stellar pitching, “Tom Terrific” brought something extra to the organization. Thanks to […]
When Shea Stadium opened in April 1964, fans were full of hope: hope that a permanent home would give the “lovable losers” a spark, hope that parking jams were a thing of the past and hope that someone other than the Yankees might bring some glory to New York City. For 45 seasons, the Mets […]
In 1988, Mike Piazza was a 62nd-round draft choice — the 1,390th player to be selected that year. Twenty-eight years later, the former Met was inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame. Along the road, he became a well-loved power-hitting catcher remembered as much for his leadership as for the records he set. Piazza […]
As you probably know, Mets fans are a special breed. Their allegiance is set in stone and win or lose, they show up. These loyal folks wear their hearts on their sleeves and sometimes they even broadcast their opinions via posters in the stands. And as opposing teams could tell you, they’re a force to […]
Mets legends will give you the shirts off their backs, and if you’re lucky they’ll sign them too. Take a close-up look at the dirt, sweat, rips and stains your heroes picked up while representing the team. The only thing left to your imagination is the smell!
In the aftermath of one of America’s darkest days came an inspiring display of patriotism at a baseball stadium in Queens. The 9/11 terrorist attacks undoubtedly shook the entire nation — but especially New York City. As MLB games halted and the city organized to aid survivors, first responders and victims’ families, the Mets quickly […]
Every master craftsman has a trusty set of tools, those tried-and-true instruments that enable him to get the job done right. See the tools of the trade used by legendary Mets players, including the baseballs, bats and gloves that helped build their legacies, as well as that of the franchise.
Who’s up? Before a game, managers decide on the batting order — meaning the order in which batters will face the opposing pitcher. The order doesn’t change and doesn’t reset, except in rare circumstances, so it’s important to get it just right. When deciding the lineup, the manager takes into account his players’ strengths and […]
After 50 years of waiting, Johan Santana tossed the first no-hitter in New York Mets history on June 1, 2012. The fact that it came against the defending World Series champion St. Louis Cardinals made it all the more special. “I never had it in my mind that I would throw a no-hitter, never,” Santana […]
When Mets magic happens on the field, the grounds crew makes sure they stash a little of that magic for posterity. Take a look at these artifacts from some of the most significant events to happen on a baseball diamond during the last few years. From the postseason triumphs to the No-han no-hitter to even […]
There’s no place like home! Since 2009, Citi Field has been the home of the Mets. The state-of-the-art ballpark features plenty of bells and whistles, but it also celebrates the team’s heritage with homages to Shea Stadium, Ebbets Field and the Polo Grounds — all of which are part of the Mets legacy. Some of […]
Who knew that mid-century modern was such a Mets thing? In the 1960s, fans decked out their homes in orange and blue and kept “Meet the Mets” ready on the record player for whenever the occasion called for the cherished Mets melody.
They lived it. And now they’ll tell you about it. The boys of ’69 have plenty of stories about a miraculous season, and we’re betting you haven’t heard them all. Pull up a seat and let Ed Kranepool, Art Shamsky, Cleon Jones, Duffy Dyer and Ron Swoboda tell you a bit about being “Miracle Mets.”
Determined, hard-working, ambitious, gutsy … and not quite five feet tall. These little leaguers were headed down a road that would eventually take them to the Bigs.
The 2020 season was anything but normal. The Mets had to navigate a global pandemic, national protests against racial injustice and the passing of The Franchise himself — all while playing 60 games of baseball. Here’s the story of 2020, one of the most memorable seasons in franchise history.
Clendenon, Seaver, Jones, Koosman, Kranepool, Hodges and so many more. Their names are a storied part of Mets mythology. Those “lovable losers” put together one of the most miraculous seasons in MLB history, and now you can learn a bit more about them and the amazin’ turnaround that brought them from worst to first.
The Mets have amassed quite the history over the last half-century or so and the team’s annual yearbook captures the breadth and depth of it. Yearbook covers in particular are reminders of our hopes and dreams from season to season, whether it’s Tom Seaver’s head floating above Shea Stadium (1969), Joe Torre cooking up some […]
On paper, it didn’t make much sense. The Mets had been one game out of last place in 1968, but here they were playing for the pennant in early October of 1969. As late as mid-August, they had been in third place and 10 games behind NL East rivals, the Chicago Cubs. But miracles can […]
The kid from Alabama, nicknamed “Mr. Mobile-ity” after his hometown, could knock the stuffing out of a baseball. Cleon Jones’s off-field leadership, hard work and prodigious offense were important ingredients of Mets success in the late 1960s and 1970s. But he might be best remembered for his fielding after catching the final out of the […]
After sweeping the Atlanta Braves in the NLCS, the 1969 Mets were ready for more miracles. Seaver, Ryan, Swoboda, Clendenon and so many others became legends as they defeated the favored Baltimore Orioles, 4-1, in the best-of-seven series. It happened: Gil Hodges’s team brought home the first championship in franchise history and would forever be […]
Who says baseball isn’t glamorous? Over the last sixty-odd years, the Mets have racked up some glitzy hardware. From championship rings to championship trophies and everything in between, the Mets can proudly display a little razzle-dazzle.
When the Mets burst on the scene in 1962, they quickly became New York City’s darlings, but for unconventional reasons. “The Mets set unbelievably high standards for futility,” opined Associated Press reporter Jack Hackleman in 1963. “They found new ways to lose. They lost with an inimitable flair … Nobody took it all very seriously, […]
Relive some of your favorite Mets moments, from Tom Seaver’s MLB debut to the epic “Mercury Mets” game. These golden oldies never get old.
Who do I gotta know to get in? More than a quarter-million tickets got punched for the five games of the 1969 World Series, with field-level box seats at Shea going for $15, general admission for $8 and limited standing-room-only tickets for $6. All Shea Stadium games were sold out by October 8, 1969, which […]
Dozens of Mets have been inducted into the organization’s Hall of Fame, from founder Joan Payson to legendary broadcaster Ralph Kiner to on-field heroes like Tom Seaver and Mike Piazza. In the pursuit of excellence, each of them made a significant and lasting contribution to the franchise, so it seems only fitting that their bronze […]
NEVER BEFORE SEEN! Relive the magic of the 1973 Mets postseason through photographs that have been carefully preserved and only recently digitized. Check out Jerry Koosman, Felix Millan, Willie Mays and, yes, Pete Rose and Reggie Jackson in these rare photos as they played on MLB’s biggest stage during the fall of 1973. Just like […]
Can’t remember every game of the ’69 season or every frame of the ’69 World Series? Fuhggedaboudit! Relive the highlights of that miraculous season by perusing these period scorecards, programs, promotional schedules and more.
In 1969, kids could plunk down a dime in exchange for a few Topps cards and a stick of gum. Topps, originally a chewing gum company, had cracked a code in the 1950s: kids (and, let’s face it, some grownups) would buy Topps chewing gum if the package also contained collectible cards featuring a baseball […]
Prior to the internet, a fan’s best friend was the annual media guide. These detailed documents covered subjects including the team’s schedule, ticket purchasing, franchise records, player rosters and stats — all in a highly portable pamphlet-sized publication. Sportscasters and fans alike could be spotted consulting the guides during games.
Their faces are etched in your memory, but did you know they’re also cast in bronze? Reacquaint yourself with the Mets players and personnel who worked to make the organization one of the most beloved franchises in Major League Baseball and now reside in the Mets Hall of Fame.
A manager’s duties may seem daunting at times, yet Mets skippers have proven time and again that they’re up to the challenge. Players suit up for 162 games a season, and for every one of those games the manager must painstakingly construct his greatest offensive weapon: the lineup. Check out these lineups from Casey Stengel, […]
Imagine a time when team officials and sportswriters used to have to keep their own statistics, without the assistance of a computer or even a typewriter. The reporters who filed into the press box at Shea in the late 1960s brought notebooks with them and filled them in by hand as the action unfolded. Similarly, the Mets […]
From the playroom to the boardroom, bobbleheads, figurines and other trinkets bring a little Mets joy into the lives of fans. Given that we keep these players so close to our hearts, why not give these little Mets ambassadors some shelf space, too?