# 1962 New York Mets season

The 1962 New York Mets season was the first regular season for the Mets, as the National League returned to New York City for the first time since 1957. They went 40–120 (.250) and finished tenth and last in the National League, 60+1⁄2 games behind the NL Champion San Francisco Giants, who had once called New York home. The Mets were the latest team to be 60+ games behind in a division before the 2018 Baltimore Orioles finished 61 games behind the World Series Champion Boston Red Sox. The Mets' 120 losses were the most losses in modern MLB history until the 2024 Chicago White Sox lost 121; though their winning percentage (.250) is still lower than the 2024 Sox (.253). The Mets' starting pitchers also recorded a new major league low of just 23 wins all season.
The team lost its first game 11–4 to the St. Louis Cardinals on April 11, and went on to lose its first nine games. Having repaired their record to 12–19 on May 20 after sweeping a doubleheader against the Milwaukee Braves, the Mets lost their next 17 games. They also lost 11 straight from July 15 to July 26, and 13 straight from August 9 to August 21. Their longest winning streak of the season was three.
The Mets were managed by former New York Yankee manager Casey Stengel and played their home games at the Polo Grounds, which was their temporary home while Shea Stadium was being built in Queens. They remain infamous for their ineptitude and were one of the worst teams in Major League Baseball history. The team's 120 losses were the third most by any team in MLB history, after the infamous 1899 Cleveland Spiders lost 134. Their team batting average, team earned run average (ERA), and team fielding percentage were all the worst in the major leagues that season.
Despite the team's terrible performance, fans came out in droves. Their 1962 season attendance of 922,530 was good enough for sixth in the National League.
The season was chronicled in Jimmy Breslin's humorous best-selling 1963 book Can't Anybody Here Play This Game? The title came from a remark made by manager Casey Stengel expressing frustration over his team's poor play.

## Offseason

* July 20, 1961: Paul Blair was signed as an amateur free agent by the Mets.
* October 16, 1961: Billy Loes was purchased by the Mets from the San Francisco Giants.
* November 28, 1961: The Mets traded a player to be named later and cash to the Milwaukee Braves for Frank Thomas and a player to be named later. The deal was completed on May 21, 1962, when the Mets sent Gus Bell to the Braves, and the Braves sent Rick Herrscher to the Mets.
* January 30, 1962: Joe Ginsberg was signed as a free agent by the Mets.
* March 2, 1962: Billy Loes was returned by the Mets to the San Francisco Giants.

### Expansion draft

    Main article: 1961 MLB expansion draft
* Craig Anderson, pitcher, St. Louis Cardinals
* Gus Bell, outfielder, Cincinnati Reds
* Ed Bouchee, infielder, Chicago Cubs
* Chris Cannizzaro, catcher, St. Louis Cardinals
* Elio Chacón, infielder, Cincinnati Reds
* Joe Christopher, outfielder, Pittsburgh Pirates
* Choo-Choo Coleman, catcher, Philadelphia Phillies
* Roger Craig, pitcher, Los Angeles Dodgers
* Ray Daviault, pitcher, San Francisco Giants
* John DeMerit, outfielder, Milwaukee Braves
* Sammy Drake, infielder, Chicago Cubs
* Jim Hickman, outfielder, St. Louis Cardinals
* Gil Hodges, infielder, Los Angeles Dodgers
* Jay Hook, pitcher, Cincinnati Reds
* Al Jackson, pitcher, Pittsburgh Pirates
* Sherman Jones, pitcher, Cincinnati Reds
* Hobie Landrith, catcher, San Francisco Giants
* Félix Mantilla, infielder, Milwaukee Braves
* Bob L. Miller, pitcher, St. Louis Cardinals
* Bobby Gene Smith, outfielder, Philadelphia Phillies
* Lee Walls, infielder/outfielder, Philadelphia Phillies
* Don Zimmer, infielder, Chicago Cubs

### 1961 minor league affiliates

The Mets and Houston Colt .45s were established on October 17, 1960, giving them time to acquire minor league professional players, sign amateur free agents (there was no first-year MLB draft until 1965) and enter into working agreements with minor league affiliates during the 1961 season. New York had formal working agreements with three minor league baseball teams in 1961:
| Level | Team | League | Manager |
| AA | Mobile Bears | Southern Association | Ernie White |
| B | Raleigh Capitals | Carolina League | Enos Slaughter |
| D | Lexington Indians | Western Carolinas League | Jack Hale |

## Regular season

As an expansion team, the Mets were not expected to do well. They finished last in the National League, and they also finished 24 games behind their expansion brethren, the Colt .45s.

### Season standings

vteNational League :
| Team | W | L | Pct. | GB | Home | Road |
| San Francisco Giants | 103 | 62 | .624 | — | 61‍–‍21 | 42‍–‍41 |
| Los Angeles Dodgers | 102 | 63 | .618 | 1 | 54‍–‍29 | 48‍–‍34 |
| Cincinnati Reds | 98 | 64 | .605 | 3½ | 58‍–‍23 | 40‍–‍41 |
| Pittsburgh Pirates | 93 | 68 | .578 | 8 | 51‍–‍30 | 42‍–‍38 |
| Milwaukee Braves | 86 | 76 | .531 | 15½ | 49‍–‍32 | 37‍–‍44 |
| St. Louis Cardinals | 84 | 78 | .519 | 17½ | 44‍–‍37 | 40‍–‍41 |
| Philadelphia Phillies | 81 | 80 | .503 | 20 | 46‍–‍34 | 35‍–‍46 |
| Houston Colt .45s | 64 | 96 | .400 | 36½ | 32‍–‍48 | 32‍–‍48 |
| Chicago Cubs | 59 | 103 | .364 | 42½ | 32‍–‍49 | 27‍–‍54 |
| New York Mets | 40 | 120 | .250 | 60½ | 22‍–‍58 | 18‍–‍62 |

### Opening Day lineup

The first game in franchise history was played on the road, at Busch Stadium, St. Louis, on Wednesday night, April 11, 1962. The Mets fell behind 2–0 and 5–2 early, then narrowed the deficit to one run, but ultimately lost to the St. Louis Cardinals, 11–4. Former Brooklyn Dodgers Gil Hodges and Charlie Neal homered for the Mets, whose home opener at New York's Polo Grounds would wait until their second-ever official game, on Friday, April 13, 1962.
Opening Day Lineup :
| # | Name | Position |
| 1 | Richie Ashburn | CF |
| 18 | Félix Mantilla | SS |
| 4 | Charlie Neal | 2B |
| 25 | Frank Thomas | LF |
| 3 | Gus Bell | RF |
| 14 | Gil Hodges | 1B |
| 17 | Don Zimmer | 3B |
| 5 | Hobie Landrith | C |
| 38 | Roger Craig | SP |

### Record vs. opponents

1962 National League recordvte Sources: :
| Team | CHC | CIN | HOU | LAD | MIL | NYM | PHI | PIT | SF | STL |
| Chicago | — | 4–14 | 7–11 | 4–14 | 8–10 | 9–9 | 10–8 | 4–14 | 6–12 | 7–11 |
| Cincinnati | 14–4 | — | 13–5 | 9–9 | 13–5 | 13–5 | 8–10 | 13–5 | 7–11 | 8–10 |
| Houston | 11–7 | 5–13 | — | 6–12 | 7–11 | 13–3–1 | 1–17 | 5–13 | 7–11 | 9–9–1 |
| Los Angeles | 14–4 | 9–9 | 12–6 | — | 10–8 | 16–2 | 14–4 | 10–8 | 10–11 | 7–11 |
| Milwaukee | 10–8 | 5–13 | 11–7 | 8–10 | — | 12–6 | 11–7 | 10–8 | 7–11 | 12–6 |
| New York | 9–9 | 5–13 | 3–13–1 | 2–16 | 6–12 | — | 4–14 | 2–16 | 4–14 | 5–13 |
| Philadelphia | 8–10 | 10–8 | 17–1 | 4–14 | 7–11 | 14–4 | — | 7–10 | 5–13 | 9–9 |
| Pittsburgh | 14–4 | 5–13 | 13–5 | 8–10 | 8–10 | 16–2 | 10–7 | — | 7–11 | 12–6 |
| San Francisco | 12–6 | 11–7 | 11–7 | 11–10 | 11–7 | 14–4 | 13–5 | 11–7 | — | 9–9 |
| St. Louis | 11–7 | 10–8 | 9–9–1 | 11–7 | 6–12 | 13–5 | 9–9 | 6–12 | 9–9 | — |

### Notable transactions

* April 26, 1962: Harry Chiti was purchased by the Mets from the Cleveland Indians.
* April 26, 1962: Bob Smith was traded by the Mets to the Chicago Cubs for Sammy Taylor.
* May 1, 1962: Joe Ginsberg was released by the Mets.
* May 7, 1962: Don Zimmer was traded by the Mets to the Cincinnati Reds for Bob G. Miller and Cliff Cook.
* May 7, 1962: Jim Marshall was traded by the Mets to the Pittsburgh Pirates for Vinegar Bend Mizell.
* May 9, 1962: Marv Throneberry was sold by the Baltimore Orioles to the New York Mets.
* June 7, 1962 The New York Mets sell Hobie Landrith to the Orioles.
* June 15, 1962: Harry Chiti was returned by the Mets to the Cleveland Indians.
* June 27, 1962: Ed Kranepool was signed as an amateur free agent by the Mets.
* August 4, 1962: Vinegar Bend Mizell was released by the Mets.
* September 7, 1962: Galen Cisco was selected off waivers by the Mets from the Boston Red Sox.

### Roster
## Player stats

* = Indicates team leader

### Batting
#### Starters by position

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 | H | Avg. | HR | RBI |
| C | Chris Cannizzaro | 59 | 133 | 32 | .241 | 0 | 9 |
| 1B | Marv Throneberry | 116 | 357 | 87 | .244 | 16 | 49 |
| 2B | Charlie Neal | 136 | 508 | 132 | .260 | 11 | 58 |
| 3B | Félix Mantilla | 141 | 466 | 128 | .275 | 11 | 59 |
| SS | Elio Chacón | 118 | 368 | 87 | .236 | 2 | 27 |
| LF | Frank Thomas | 156 | 571 | 152 | .266 | 34 | 94 |
| CF | Jim Hickman | 140 | 392 | 96 | .245 | 13 | 46 |
| RF | Joe Christopher | 119 | 271 | 66 | .244 | 6 | 32 |

#### Other batters

Note: G = Games played; AB = At bats; H = Hits; Avg. = Batting average; HR = Home runs; RBI = Runs batted in
| Player | G | AB | H | Avg. | HR | RBI |
| Richie Ashburn | 135 | 389 | 119 | .306 | 7 | 28 |
| Rod Kanehl | 133 | 351 | 87 | .248 | 4 | 27 |
| Gene Woodling | 81 | 190 | 52 | .274 | 5 | 24 |
| Sammy Taylor | 68 | 158 | 35 | .222 | 3 | 20 |
| Choo Choo Coleman | 55 | 152 | 38 | .250 | 6 | 17 |
| Gil Hodges | 54 | 127 | 32 | .252 | 9 | 17 |
| Cliff Cook | 40 | 112 | 26 | .232 | 2 | 9 |
| Gus Bell | 30 | 101 | 15 | .149 | 1 | 6 |
| Ed Bouchee | 50 | 87 | 14 | .161 | 3 | 10 |
| Joe Pignatano | 27 | 56 | 13 | .232 | 0 | 2 |
| Sammy Drake | 25 | 52 | 10 | .192 | 0 | 7 |
| Don Zimmer | 14 | 52 | 4 | .077 | 0 | 1 |
| Rick Herrscher | 35 | 50 | 11 | .220 | 1 | 6 |
| Hobie Landrith | 23 | 45 | 13 | .289 | 1 | 7 |
| Harry Chiti | 15 | 41 | 8 | .195 | 0 | 0 |
| Jim Marshall | 17 | 32 | 11 | .344 | 3 | 4 |
| Bob Smith | 8 | 22 | 3 | .136 | 0 | 2 |
| John DeMerit | 14 | 16 | 3 | .188 | 1 | 1 |
| Ed Kranepool | 3 | 6 | 1 | .167 | 0 | 0 |
| Joe Ginsberg | 2 | 5 | 0 | .000 | 0 | 0 |

### Pitching
#### Starting pitchers

Note: G = Games pitched; IP = Innings pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts
| Player | G | IP | W | L | ERA | SO |
| Roger Craig | 42 | 233.1 | 10 | 24 | 4.51 | 118 |
| Al Jackson | 36 | 231.1 | 8 | 20 | 4.40 | 118 |
| Jay Hook | 37 | 213.2 | 8 | 19 | 4.84 | 113 |

#### Other pitchers

Note: G = Games pitched; IP = Innings pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts
| Player | G | IP | W | L | SV | ERA | SO |
| Bob L. Miller | 33 | 143.2 | 1 | 12 | 0 | 4.89 | 91 |
| Craig Anderson | 50 | 131.1 | 3 | 17 | 4 | 5.35 | 62 |
| Bob Moorhead | 38 | 105.1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 4.53 | 63 |
| Willard Hunter | 27 | 63.0 | 1 | 6 | 0 | 5.57 | 40 |
| Sherman Jones | 8 | 23.1 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 7.71 | 11 |
| Galen Cisco | 4 | 19.1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 3.26 | 13 |
| Larry Foss | 5 | 11.2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 4.63 | 3 |

#### Relief pitchers

Note: G = Games pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; SV = Saves; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts
| Player | G | IP | W | L | SV | ERA | SO |
| Ray Daviault | 36 | 81.0 | 1 | 5 | 0 | 6.22 | 51 |
| Ken MacKenzie | 42 | 80.0 | 5 | 4 | 1 | 4.95 | 51 |
| Vinegar Bend Mizell | 17 | 38.0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 7.34 | 15 |
| Bob G. Miller | 17 | 20.1 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 7.08 | 8 |
| Dave Hillman | 13 | 16.2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 6.32 | 8 |
| Herb Moford | 7 | 15.0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 7.20 | 5 |
| Clem Labine | 3 | 4.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 11.25 | 2 |

## Awards and honors
### League top five finishers

Richie Ashburn
* #3 in NL in bases on balls (81)
Roger Craig
* MLB leader in losses (24)
* #2 in NL in home runs allowed (35)
* #3 in NL in earned runs allowed (117)
Jay Hook
* #4 in NL in earned runs allowed (115)
* #4 in NL in home runs allowed (31)
Al Jackson
* #2 in NL in losses (20)

## Farm system
### 1962 minor league affiliates

| Level | Team | League | Manager |
| AAA | Syracuse Chiefs | International League | Frank Verdi and Johnny Vander Meer |
| C | Santa Barbara Rancheros | California League | Gene Lillard |
| D | Quincy Jets | Midwest League | Ken Deal |
| D | Auburn Mets | New York–Penn League | Dick Cole |