1967
From The Met Wiki
The 1967 season was one of much turnover for the Mets. Constant changes in personnel resulted in a total of 54 players seeing action with the team during the year. Also among the replacements was manager Wes Westrum, who left the team before the end of its 61-win season. The Mets’ lone bright spot of '67 was pitcher Tom Seaver, who became the ace of the starting rotation.
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April
After losing on Opening Day, the Mets unveiled the man who would become known as “The Franchise” in the second game of the season. Seaver made his debut with eight strikeouts in a 3-2 Mets win over the Pirates on April 13 at Shea Stadium. Tom recorded his first two major league wins with 6-1 and 2-1 (in 10 innings) victories over the Cubs on April 20 and April 25, respectively. Pitcher Don Cardwell also chalked up a pair of wins during the month. Still, the Mets ended April with a 6-11 won-lost record.
May
The Mets settled into their usual slump in May. They had eight wins and 15 losses during the month, which ended with the team in tenth place in the National League standings. The month started with a six-game home stand that featured a 3-2 win in 12 innings over the Giants on May 2 and a 3-2 victory over the Reds in 11 innings on May 9. The Mets lost six of seven games from May 16 to May 24 before winning thee straight games against the Braves at Shea. The team then lost four in a row to close out the month.
June
June was nothing special for the Mets. They went 11-18 for the month and dropped further into the NL cellar. The team had lost six of its last seven before sweeping a doubleheader with a pair of 10-inning wins, 1-0 and 3-2, at Pittsburgh on June 6. At Shea on June 13, a complete game win by Seaver over the Reds in a doubleheader nightcap snapped a five-game skid. The Mets won both games of a twinbill, 9-1 and 5-3, at Atlanta on June 24. The team ended the month with three straight defeats and a .362 winning percentage.
July
The Mets topped the .400 mark in July. They won 14 of 31 games played for a .452 winning percentage for the month. The Mets recorded wins in six of their nine July games before the All-Star Break, including their first victory over the Giants’ Juan Marichal, 8-7, at Shea on July 4. After losing three in a row, the team swept a doubleheader at St. Louis on July 16 with 2-1 and 8-5 triumphs over the first-place Cardinals. The Mets recorded a doubleheader sweep with 8-4 and 7-2 wins over the Astros on July 19 at Shea. The month ended with the Mets losing their last six games.
August
In August, the Mets won 12 of 30 games for a .400 winning percentage. The team was in last place and 30 games behind the league-leading Cardinals at the end of the month. On August 8, the Mets stopped a four-game losing streak with a 3-2 win over the Braves in 11 innings at Shea. They swept a doubleheader against the Pirates at Shea that featured Seaver’s first career shutout on August 13. At Philadelphia on August 14, the Mets defeated the Phillies, 8-3, for their first win ever over pitcher Larry Jackson. They also ended an eight-game losing streak with a 4-2 victory in a doubleheader opener at St. St. Louis on August 28.
September/October
The ’67 season ended in typical fashion for the Mets. The team lost 22 of its final 32 games to break the 100-loss mark for the fifth time in six years. On each of the first three days of September, the Mets played a doubleheader at Chicago. They lost four of the six games against the Cubs. After dropping a 2-1 decision at Cincinnati on Labor Day, the Mets won once on their ensuing six-game home stand. In a doubleheader opener on September 22, pitcher Jerry Koosman made his first appearance at Shea in the Mets’ 8-0 loss to the Astros. The Mets won the second game of the twinbill with an 8-5 triumph in 10 innings. To close September, the Mets recorded 5-1 and 5-0 victories at Los Angeles. They ended the season with their 101st loss, 2-1, to the Dodgers on October 1.
Award Winners
- Seaver was named Rookie of the Year in the National League
