Game 13: May 1, 1964 (Mets at Cincinnati)

Red-Hot Hunt Leads Mets to Rare Win

Cincinnati-- Ron Hunt has been a good hitter on a bad team so far in 1964.

Friday night, he got to be a good hitter on a winning team.

Hunt, batting .346, slammed a two-run, two-out triple in the fifth inning, giving the New York Mets a 3-0 lead, and they survived a scary ninth to beat the Cincinnati Reds, 3-2 at Crosley Field to snap an 11-game losing streak.

Hunt is 18-for-52 this season, and leads the team with eight RBI.

"Just trying to get good wood on the ball," Hunt explained when asked about his triple off Reds starter Joey Jay. "We had two runners on with two outs. I had to get them in, because we haven't been scoring runs."

Indeed; the Mets (2-11) have scored just 34 runs in 13 games.

"Hallelujah," said Mets manager Casey Stengel. "The beer will finally taste cold again."

The win wasn't without drama.

In the ninth, after two men were out, Mets third baseman Rod Kanehl booted a grounder, which led to a Reds run and Galen Cisco needing to be summoned from the bullpen with runners on second and third. Cisco then induced Leo Cardenas to ground weakly to second to secure just the Mets' second win of 1964.

Mets starter Tracy Stallard (1-3) was brilliant yet again. He pitched eight innings, giving up just four hits and one run. In 29 innings in four starts this season, Stallard sports a nifty 2.48 ERA.

Stallard turned in another strong performance Friday, and finally got a win for his efforts

Charley Smith hit his first homer of the season in the third to open the scoring. After the Mets went ahead 3-0, the Reds tallied once in the sixth on two doubles, and then scared the New Yorkers in the ninth.

The Mets' Frank Thomas went 0-for-4, leaving him in a 1-for-16 slump.

*********************************

Mets record: 2-11, .154 (Last 10: 1-9; streak: W-1); Actual: 2-11

Home: 0-4; Away: 2-7

Runs scored: 34

Runs against: 82

Game 12: April 29, 1964 (Mets at St. Louis)

Mets Waste Chances Early, Fall Late, 10-2

St. Louis-- Through three innings of Wednesday's game, the Mets had Cardinals starter Bob Gibson on the ropes every inning, tallying seven hits.

But only two runs had scored, and pitchers like Gibson tend to get stronger as the game goes on.

And that's exactly what happened.

Gibson tamed the Mets the rest of the way, allowing just two more hits, and his Cardinals teammates got to Mets starter Jack Fisher and reliever Dennis Ribant late.

The result was a lopsided 10-2 Cards victory, which was also the Mets' 11th straight defeat.

The Mets couldn't touch Gibson enough early, and it cost them

Fisher (0-2) did his best to keep the Mets ahead, but he was done in by a three-run sixth and a three-run seventh.

Left fielder Doug Clemens, not known for his power, laced a three-run homer into the right field seats at Busch Stadium in the sixth, turning the Mets' 2-0 lead into 3-2, Cardinals.

Curt Flood, also not a power hitter, capped the scoring with a three-run bomb in the eighth inning as the Cards scored 10 runs in the sixth, seventh, and eighth innings.

"That's how fast things can change in this game," lamented Mets manager Casey Stengel. "(The Cardinals) weren't getting anything going and then BOOM---10 runs."

The Mets' road trip will now take them to Cincinnati for four games.

***************************************

Mets record: 1-11, .083 (Last 10: 0-10; streak: L-11); Actual: 2-10

Home: 0-4; Away: 1-7

Runs scored: 31

Runs against: 80

Game 11: April 28, 1964 (Mets at St. Louis)

A Win in Sight, Mets Collapse in 8th, Lose 7-3

St. Louis--The Mets' 10th straight loss came suddenly and swiftly. One moment, they led the Cardinals 3-2, and in a matter of moments, everything went sideways.

The Cards scored five runs in the eighth inning and beat the Mets 7-3 at Busch Stadium Tuesday night.

Mets starter Al Jackson, coming off two rugged starts, was taming the Cards through seven innings, surrendering just six hits and two runs. His offense had scratched out three runs, positioning the Mets for their first win since opening night.

But after a one-out single, Mets manager Casey Stengel lifted Jackson for Bill Wakefield, who has been more gas than anything as a reliever this season.

True to form, the first six hitters Wakefield faced reached base. It went single, double, single, walk, fielder's choice (safe at home), single. When the dust settled, the Cards had scored five runs and Wakefield was left with a 12.00 ERA in six relief innings in 1964.

The Mets went down relatively weakly in the ninth, and their 10th straight loss was in the books.

Curt Flood had three RBI for the Cardinals.

Wakefield was roughed up yet again out of the Mets' bullpen

The Mets went ahead, 2-1, in the fourth on Ron Hunt's second homer, a two-run shot. But Flood tied it in the bottom of the frame, tripling home pitcher Ernie Broglio.

Mets catcher Jesse Gonder doubled home George Altman in the seventh to put the Mets ahead, 3-2.

Then the eighth inning came, and any hopes the Mets would break through for a rare victory were dashed under a fusillade of Cardinals hits.

"What we needed was for the skies to break and the rain to come down," Stengel said. "Maybe God can give us a break here."

The Almighty One may be the Mets' only hope nowadays.

***************************************

Mets record: 1-10, .091 (Last 10: 0-10; streak: L-10); Actual: 2-9

Home: 0-4; Away: 1-6

Runs scored: 29

Runs against: 70

Game 10: April 26, 1964 (Mets at Pittsburgh; DH #2)

Mets Whitewashed Again; Drop Twin Bill, 2-0

Pittsburgh-- The Mets proved that which needed no proving in dropping a doubleheader to the Pittsburgh Pirates at Forbes Field.

You can't win when you don't score any runs.

The Bucs shutout the Mets, 2-0, to sweep their Sunday doubleheader. In game one, the Pirates won 6-0.

Spot starter Don Schwall worked seven innings for Pittsburgh, giving up five hits.

Tracy Stallard, on two days' rest, kept the Mets in the game, throwing seven innings and giving up just the two runs.

But the offense was again non-existent.

The Pirates' Schwall was the latest opposing starter to confound the Mets

The Mets have been shutout four times in their first 10 games. The Pirates are already 7-0 against them in 1964.

"You boys might as well put me on a 45 and make the needle stick," Mets manager Casey Stengel said to reporters afterward. "Because I sound like a broken record, and we've only played 10 games."

The Mets got one runner as far as third base in the nightcap.

The Pirates scored both their runs in the seventh inning. Pinch-hitter Jerry Lynch doubled, and came home on a Dick Schofield single. After Schofield went to second on the throw home, Bill Virdon singled him home.

And that was still one run more than the Bucs would need in subduing the Mets, who have lost nine straight games.

*************************************

Mets record: 1-9, .100 (Last 10: 1-9; streak: L-9); Actual: 2-8

Home: 0-4; Away: 1-5

Runs scored: 26

Runs against: 63

Game 9: April 26, 1964 (Mets at Pittsburgh; DH #1)

Mets Bats Silent Again; Pirates Breeze to 6-0 Win

Pittsburgh--The Mets' hitting slumber continues.

The Pirates' Vern Law pitched a complete-game, four-hit shutout, and the Bucs won the first game of a Sunday doubleheader, 6-0 at Forbes Field.

The Pirates are now 6-0 vs. the Mets in this young season.

The Mets have lost eight in a row after an opening night win, and have scored just 26 runs in their nine games. They have already been shutout three times.

The Pirates scored four times in the fifth inning to extend their lead to 5-0. The damage was done off Mets starter Jay Hook, who lasted 4.2 innings, surrendering eight hits and five runs. Pirates second baseman Bill Mazeroski slugged a two-run homer to send Hook to the showers.

Law was the latest opposing pitcher to make the Mets' offense look moribund

The Mets' team batting average is .226 and their slugging percentage is .314.

"If anyone has the answers, then come talk to me," Mets manager Casey Stengel said. "If anyone knows how we can start scoring runs, I'm all ears."

The Mets will play the nightcap in Pittsburgh then head to St. Louis as their 12-game road trip drones on.

******************************

Mets record: 1-8, .111 (Last 10: 1-8; streak: L-8); Actual: 1-8

Home: 0-4; Away: 1-4

Runs scored: 26

Runs against: 61

Game 8: April 25, 1964 (Mets at Pittsburgh)

Too Much Veale: Mets Fall, 8-1

Pittsburgh-- You knew it would be another bad day for the Mets when they were trailing 6-0 before they registered their first hit.

And it was.

Pittsburgh's Bob Veale no-hit the Mets for 4.1 innings while his team built a six-run lead, and the Pirates beat the Mets for the fifth time in as many games, 8-1 at Forbes Field.

The Mets (1-7) have lost seven straight, and haven't been competitive in many of their losses.

Veale, a lefty, went 7.2 innings, surrendering just four hits (all singles) and one run. He struck out five and walked only one.

Veale no-hit the Mets until one out in the fifth; by that time, the Pirates were leading 6-0

"What can you say," lamented Mets manager Casey Stengel. "We're easy pickings right now. We're not even putting up a fight, and it makes me crazy. We need a fire."

Pirates catcher Jim Pagliaroni, who's killed the Mets this season, slugged a three-run homer in the fourth to put the Bucs up 6-0 while the Mets were still looking for their first hit.

Pagliaroni already has three homers against the Mets.

The Mets play a doubleheader against the Pirates on Sunday to wrap up seven games out of eight against the Bucs.

The way the Pirates have handled them so far, it's doubtful the Mets will be sad to say goodbye to the Bucs for awhile.

"We stink," Stengel said. "Right now we stink. We've played eight games and we stink to high heaven. That's all, gentlemen."

With that, Stengel walked away, leaving reporters to wonder how he'll handle the remaining 154 games.

************************************

Mets record: 1-7, .125 (Last 10: 1-7; streak: L-7); Actual: 1-7

Home: 0-4; Away: 1-3

Runs scored: 26

Runs against: 55

Game 7: April 24, 1964 (Mets at Pittsburgh)

Pirates Blast Jackson Early, Cruise to 11-7 Win

Pittsburgh-- The early-season struggles of Al Jackson continue, and so do those of the New York Mets.

Lefty starter Jackson was knocked out in the third inning for the second straight start, surrendering seven runs, and the Pirates built a big lead then cruised to an 11-7 win at Forbes Field Friday night.

Jackson (0-2) gave up two home runs in the third as part of a five-run frame before being lifted after just 2.1 innings of work.

Jackson, in three starts, has pitched just 11 innings, has given up an astounding 23 hits, and his ERA is 11.45.

"Nothing's working now," Jackson said after Friday's game. "Every mistake I make is being hit hard. That's how this game works sometimes."

The Bucs rapped out 16 hits as they built an 11-2 lead after five innings.


Pittsburgh's Bob Bailey slugged a three-run homer in the Bucs' five-run third inning Friday night


The Mets scored five times in the final two innings to make the score respectable.

The Mets have now lost six straight since winning on opening night, and the team ERA is an unsightly 6.82.

"We can't pitch worth a nickel now," Mets manager Casey Stengel said. "Usually the pitchers are ahead of the hitters early on. Leave it to us to be the opposite."

******************************************

Mets record: 1-6, .143 (Last 10: 1-6; streak: L-6); Actual: 1-6

Home: 0-4; Away: 1-2

Runs scored: 25

Runs against: 47