Tom Brennan - The Mets' First Pennant Race

NOTHING LIKE A GOOD, OLD-FASHIONED PENNANT RACE!

The Mets won it all in 1969, including of course the NL pennant, but in 1962 through 1969, they were anywhere from a country mile to several time zones from being in the pennant races during 1962 to 1968.

In fact, in those first 7 seasons, the Mets were cumulatively 343 games below .500 - so, that level of utter incompetence  and winning a pennant are polar opposites. 

But they had a huge role in the 1964 race.

That was the race where the Phillies had one of the most stunning collapses in baseball history. 

With 12 games remaining in the regular season, you see, the Phillies led the NL by  6.5 games.

They collapsed, and were mind-blowingly overtaken by the St. Louis Cardinals, who were a whopping 11 games behind with 39 games to go.

On September 21, Chico Ruiz stole home in the middle of a 0-0 game, and the Reds beat the Phils 1-0.  A loss, the first of many for the Phils from then on. 

The Phils lost and lost, and lost on September 26, too, shockingly cutting that ample lead to a half a game.  You see, the Reds had gotten red hot and the Cards were scorching hot, too, and just behind the Reds.   The lead evaporated faster than an ice cube in the Sahara.

The Cards found themselves having 3 games at home to close the season against those 1964 Mets.  Talk about a driver's seat!  Print the tickets.

The Mets entered that season-ending series with a 51-108 record.  Great by 1962 standards, but pretty darned awful.

The great Bob Gibson opened the series for the Mets, Al Jackson hurling for the Mets.  Come on!!  How do you spell mismatch?

But David defeated Goliath, with little Al shutting out mighty Bob, 1-0.

Saturday, it was a Mets stunner - a 4 run first, a 5-4 lead after 4 innings, then the normally punchless Mets tacked on 10 more runs to win 15-5, as the Cards made SIX errors!  

Eddie Kranepool, that mere 19 year old, had a single, double, HR, and 4 RBIs in the Mets rout.

Going into the last day of the season, thanks to the Mets' heroics, the still-reeling Phillies trailed the Reds and Cards but by only one game.  On the morning of Oct. 4, 1964, the final day of the regular season, both the Cardinals and Reds were 92-69, and the Phillies were 91-70.

The Phillies and Reds were going head-to-head in the season's final series, and the Phillies finally snapped out of their collapse by slapping the Reds 10-0.

The Mets game was still being played, with the Red and Phillies hoping for one more Mets miracle and a 3 way tie to end the season, something that had never happened before..

Stunningly, the Mets went ahead 3-2 in the 5th inning!  Could they do the impossible, and sweep the far superior Cards on the road?

Alas, it was not meant to be.  Galen Cisco allowed the tying run, and two more, and fell to 6-19 as the Mets folded and lost 11-5.  Willard Hunter, not a household name and 4-9, 5.06 in his brief Mets career), allowed 3 late runs for the Mets in the loss.  

Amazingly, with just 1 days' rest after his 1-0 Friday loss to Jackson, Bob Gibson rang up the final 4 innings to move to 19-12.  Off to the World Series headed the Cardinals.

Not stopping there, Gibson threw THREE complete games in the World Series, won 2 of 3, and the Cards were drinking champagne after winning game 7.

Nearly the spoilers, but it wasn't meant to be for the Amazins in their first pennant race.