The 1962

New York Mets The New York Mets are an American professional baseball team based in the Boroughs of New York City, New York City borough of Queens. The Mets compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National ...

season was the first regular season for the Mets, as the

National League National League often refers to: *National League (baseball), one of the two baseball leagues constituting Major League Baseball in the United States and Canada *National League (division), the fifth division of the English football (soccer) system ...

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, games behind the NL Champion

San Francisco Giants The San Francisco Giants are an American professional baseball team based in San Francisco. The Giants compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League West, West Div ...

, 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 The World Series is the annual championship series of Major League Baseball (MLB) and concludes the MLB postseason. First played in 1903, the World Series championship is a best-of-seven playoff and is a contest between the champions of base ...

Boston Red Sox The Boston Red Sox are an American professional baseball team based in Boston. The Red Sox compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League East, East Division. Founded in as one of the Ameri ...

. 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 pitcher In baseball (hardball or softball), a starting pitcher or starter is the first pitcher in the game for each team. A pitcher is credited with a game started if they throw the first pitch to the opponent's first batter of a game. Starting pit ...

s 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 The St. Louis Cardinals are an American professional baseball team based in St. Louis. The Cardinals compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League Central, Centra ...

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 Milwaukee Braves were a Major League Baseball club that played in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, from 1953 to 1965, having previously played in Boston, Massachusetts, as the Boston Braves. After relocating to Atlanta, Georgia, in 1966 they were rename ...

, 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 Charles Dillon "Casey" Stengel (; July 30, 1890 – September 29, 1975) was an American Major League Baseball right fielder and Manager (baseball), manager, best known as the manager of the championship New York Yankees of the 1950s and later, t ...

and played their home games at the

Polo Grounds The Polo Grounds was the name of three stadiums in Upper Manhattan, New York City, used mainly for professional baseball and American football from 1880 to 1963. The original Polo Grounds, opened in 1876 and demolished in 1889, was built for the ...

, which was their temporary home while

Shea Stadium William A. Shea Municipal Stadium ( ), typically shortened to Shea Stadium, was a multi-purpose stadium in Flushing Meadows–Corona Park in Queens, New York City.Queens Queens is the largest by area of the Boroughs of New York City, five boroughs of New York City, coextensive with Queens County, in the U.S. state of New York (state), New York. Located near the western end of Long Island, it is bordered by the ...

. They remain infamous for their ineptitude and were one of the worst teams in

Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball league composed of 30 teams, divided equally between the National League (baseball), National League (NL) and the American League (AL), with 29 in the United States and 1 in Canada. MLB i ...

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 James Earle Breslin (October 17, 1928 – March 19, 2017) was an American journalist and author. Until the time of his death, he wrote a column for the New York ''Daily News'' Sunday edition.''Current Biography 1942'', pp. 648–51: "Patterson, ...

'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

. * November 28, 1961: The Mets traded a player to be named later and cash to the

for

Frank Thomas Frank Edward Thomas Jr. (born May 27, 1968), nicknamed "the Big Hurt," is an American former professional baseball designated hitter and first baseman in Major League Baseball (MLB). He played for three American League (AL) teams from 1990 to ...

and a player to be named later. The deal was completed on May 21, 1962, when the Mets sent

Gus Bell David Russell "Gus" Bell Jr. (November 15, 1928 – May 7, 1995) was an American professional baseball player and scout. He played in Major League Baseball as a center fielder from 1950 to 1964, most prominently as a member of the Cincinnati Reds ...

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

* Craig Anderson, pitcher,

, outfielder,

Cincinnati Reds The Cincinnati Reds are an American professional baseball team based in Cincinnati. The Reds compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League Central, Central Divisi ...

* Ed Bouchee, infielder,

Chicago Cubs The Chicago Cubs are an American professional baseball team based in Chicago. The Cubs compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League Central, Central Division. Th ...

* Chris Cannizzaro, catcher,

Elio Chacón Elio Chacón Rodríguez (October 26, 1936 – April 24, 1992) was a Venezuelan Major League Baseball second baseman and shortstop who played in the National League from 1960 to 1962. He was the seventh baseball player from Venezuela to play ...

, infielder,

* Joe Christopher, outfielder,

Pittsburgh Pirates The Pittsburgh Pirates are an American professional baseball team based in Pittsburgh. The Pirates compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League Central, Central ...

* Choo-Choo Coleman, catcher,

Philadelphia Phillies The Philadelphia Phillies are an American professional baseball team based in Philadelphia. The Phillies compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) East Division. Since 2004, the team's home stadium has ...

* Roger Craig, pitcher,

Los Angeles Dodgers The Los Angeles Dodgers are an American professional baseball team based in Los Angeles. The Dodgers compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League West, West Div ...

* Ray Daviault, pitcher,

John DeMerit John Stephen DeMerit (born January 8, 1936) is an American former professional baseball player from Port Washington, Wisconsin. He was an outfielder over parts or all of five seasons (1957–1959; 1961–1962) with the Milwaukee Braves and New ...

, outfielder,

* Sammy Drake, infielder,

* Jim Hickman, outfielder,

Gil Hodges Gilbert Raymond Hodges (born Hodge; April 4, 1924 – April 2, 1972) was an American first baseman and manager (baseball), manager in Major League Baseball (MLB) who played most of his 18-year career for the History of the Brooklyn Dodgers, Broo ...

, infielder,

* Jay Hook, pitcher,

Al Jackson Alvin Neill Jackson (December 26, 1935 – August 19, 2019), affectionately referred to as "Little" Al Jackson, was an American left-handed pitcher in Major League Baseball who played from 1959 to 1969. His 43 wins with the New York Mets were t ...

, pitcher,

* Sherman Jones, pitcher,

Hobie Landrith Hobert Neal Landrith (March 16, 1930 – April 6, 2023) was an American professional baseball player. He played in Major League Baseball as a catcher from 1950 through 1963 for the Cincinnati Reds, Cincinnati Reds/Redlegs, Chicago Cubs, St. Loui ...

, catcher,

* Félix Mantilla, infielder,

* Bob L. Miller, pitcher,

* Bobby Gene Smith, outfielder,

* Lee Walls, infielder/outfielder,

Don Zimmer Donald William Zimmer (January 17, 1931 – June 4, 2014) was an American infielder, manager, and coach in Major League Baseball (MLB). Zimmer was involved in professional baseball from 1949 until his death, a span of 65 years, across 8 d ...

, infielder,

1961 minor league affiliates

The Mets and

Houston Colt .45s The Houston Astros are an American professional baseball team based in Houston. The Astros compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) West Division. They are one of two major league clubs based in Tex ...

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:

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

Opening Day lineup

The first game in franchise history was played on the road, at

Busch Stadium Busch Stadium (also referred to informally as "New Busch Stadium" or "Busch Stadium III") is a baseball stadium located in St. Louis, Missouri. It is the home of Major League Baseball's St. Louis Cardinals. It has a seating capacity of 44,383, ...

St. Louis St. Louis ( , sometimes referred to as St. Louis City, Saint Louis or STL) is an independent city in the U.S. state of Missouri. It lies near the confluence of the Mississippi and the Missouri rivers. In 2020, the city proper had a populatio ...

, 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

, 11–4. Former

Brooklyn Dodgers The Brooklyn Dodgers were a Major League Baseball team founded in 1883 as the Brooklyn Grays. In 1884, it became a member of the American Association as the Brooklyn Atlantics before joining the National League in 1890. They remained in Brook ...

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.

Record vs. opponents

Notable transactions

* April 26, 1962: Harry Chiti was purchased by the Mets from the

Cleveland Indians The Cleveland Guardians are an American professional baseball team based in Cleveland. The Guardians compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League Central, Central Division. Since , the team ...

. * April 26, 1962: Bob Smith was traded by the Mets to the

for Sammy Taylor. * May 1, 1962: Joe Ginsberg was released by the Mets. * May 7, 1962:

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

for Vinegar Bend Mizell. * May 9, 1962:

Marv Throneberry Marvin Eugene Throneberry (September 2, 1933 – June 23, 1994) was an American Major League Baseball player. Affectionately known as "Marvelous Marv", he was the starting first baseman for the 1962 New York Mets, a team which set the modern re ...

was sold by the

Baltimore Orioles The Baltimore Orioles (also known as the O's) are an American professional baseball team based in Baltimore. The Orioles compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East Division. As one of the America ...

to the New York Mets. * June 7, 1962 The New York Mets sell

to the Orioles. * June 15, 1962: Harry Chiti was returned by the Mets to the Cleveland Indians. * June 27, 1962:

Ed Kranepool Edward Emil Kranepool III (November 8, 1944 – September 8, 2024) was an American professional baseball player. He spent his entire Major League Baseball career with the New York Mets. He was predominantly a first baseman, but he also played in ...

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

Roster

Player stats

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''

Other batters

''Note: G = Games played; AB = At bats; H = Hits; Avg. = Batting average; HR = Home runs; RBI = Runs batted in''

Pitching

Starting pitchers

''Note: G = Games pitched; IP = Innings pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts''

Other pitchers

''Note: G = Games pitched; IP = Innings pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts''

Relief pitchers

''Note: G = Games pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; SV = Saves; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts''

Awards and honors

League top five finishers

Richie Ashburn Don Richard Ashburn (March 19, 1927September 9, 1997), also known by the nicknames "Putt-Putt", "the Tilden Flash", and "Whitey" (due to his light-blond hair), was an American professional baseball player and television sports commentator. He pl ...

* #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)

* #2 in NL in losses (20)

Farm system

1962 minor league affiliates

Notes

References

1962 New York Mets
at Baseball Reference
1962 New York Mets Roster
at Baseball Almanac * {{New York Mets New York Mets seasons New York Mets season Major League Baseball inaugural teams seasons

Washington Heights, Manhattan 1960s in Manhattan