April 13, 1962: Mets' First Home Game
From The Met Wiki
| Date: April 13, 1962 |
| Mets starter: Sherman Jones |
| Mets: 3 |
| Pirates: 4 |
| Winning pitcher: Tom Sturdivant |
| Key player(s): Don Hoak, Bill Mazeroski |
| Key play: Hoak's double, Mazeroski's triple |
The Mets faced the Pirates on a Friday afternoon at the Polo Grounds. The teams played the first National League game in New York City in five years. In the first home opener in team history, the Mets were tagged with a 4-3 loss to Pittsburgh.
Mets' starter Sherman Jones retired the Bucs in order in the top of the first inning. For the Pirates, Tom Sturdivant pitched a perfect bottom half. With two outs in the top of the second, Smoky Burgess reached on an infield single. An ensuing double by Don Hoak scored Burgess with the first run of the game. Hoak advanced to third on right fielder Gus Bell's throw to the plate. Bill Mazeroski hit a triple to bring home Hoak for a 2-0 Pittsburgh lead. Sturdivant lined out to shortstop Felix Mantilla and then shut down the Mets in the bottom of the inning.
Jones and Sturdivant each pitched scoreless third and fourth innings. In the top of the fifth, Hoak drew a leadoff walk and Mazeroski followed with a single. Sturdivant bunted into a force play and Jones set down the next two batters to end the inning. In the bottom half, Jim Marshall led off with a double. Sturdivant recorded two outs and pinch-hitter Ed Bouchee singled to move Marshall to third. A single by Richie Ashburn plated Marshall as pinch-runner Elio Chacon went to second. Mantilla then hit into an inning-ending force play.
In the top of the sixth, Roberto Clemente got a two-out single off Mets' reliever Herb Moford. Clemente went to second on a wild pitch and scored on a single by Burgess. Hoak flied out to left fielder Frank Thomas to end the inning. Thomas homered with one out in the bottom half. Sturdivant retired Bell and Marshall on consecutive pop-ups to first baseman Dick Stuart. Moford set down the Bucs 1-2-3 in the top of the seventh. Sturdivant then limited the Mets to an infield single by Moford in a scoreless bottom of the inning.
Mets' reliever Ray Daviault walked Dick Groat to begin the top of the eighth. Groat went to second on a wild pitch and moved to third on Bob Skinner's ground out to first baseman Marshall. Daviault's second wild pitch scored Groat to exted the Pirates' lead to 4-2. Ray then struck out Stuart and got Clemente on an inning-ending ground ball to Mantilla.
In the bottom of the eighth, Mantilla led off with a single against Pittsburgh reliever Elroy Face. Felix advanced to second on Face's error and moved to third on Charlie Neal's ground out to second baseman Mazeroski. Thomas singled to left field to score Mantilla for the Mets' third run. Face retired Bell and Marshall to end the inning. The Bucs then failed to score despite loading the bases against Daviault in the top of the ninth.
Don Zimmer singled to open the bottom of the ninth inning. Joe Ginsberg popped out to Mazeroski and pinch-hitter Bobby Gene Smith hit into a force play. Face then retired Ashburn on a fly ball to center fielder Bill Virdon to end the game. The Mets had gone down to defeat in their first home game ever.
