As with any sports franchise, certain numbers are representative of the New York Mets. Baseball stats are more than just a means of player evaluation; they are also a way to connect the past with the present. To truly understand the Mets and their unique history, one must be familiar with the numbers that have defined the team’s existence.
These are the numbers that all Mets fans should know by heart:
120
The Mets’ existence began in ignominious fashion, with the expansion team losing 120 games in its inaugural 1962 season. Led by former Yankee skipper Casey Stengel, the Mets finished last in the majors in batting average, ERA, and fielding percentage. Despite the club’s stunning incompetence, the Mets boasted the sixth-highest attendance figure in the National League that year.
108
The 1986 Mets won a team record 108 games en route to the second World Series title in franchise history. The number is also significant because there are 108 double stitches on a baseball, a fact ‘86 champ Ron Darling alluded to in the title of his memoir 108 Stitches: Loose Threads, Ripping Yarns, and the Darndest Characters from My Time in the Game.
10
The Mets were ten games back of the Cubs in the NL East standings following play on August 13, 1969. But the club went 38-11 from August 16th onward, surging past the Cubs to claim the division title in miraculous fashion.
14
The #14 was retired in June of 1973, just over a year after former manager Gil Hodges died of a heart attack. Tip: One way to remember that Hodges wore #14 is that it’s the reverse of Tom Seaver’s #41.
3
Tom Seaver was a three-time Cy Young winner with the Mets, taking home the award in 1969, 1973, and 1975. “The Franchise” remained the only Met to win the award multiple times until Jacob deGrom won his second Cy Young in 2019.
8,019
The Mets had played 8,019 regular season games before Johan Santana threw the team’s first no-hitter on June 1, 2012. The drought was particularly astounding because the franchise has historically been built around elite hurlers like Tom Seaver and Dwight Gooden. Seaver threw five one-hitters for the Mets (including his famous “Imperfect Game”), but didn’t complete a no-no until 1978 as a member of the Cincinnati Reds.
134
Johan Santana needed 134 pitches to finish off the franchise’s first no-hitter on June 1, 2012. Terry Collins’ decision to leave his ace in the game proved controversial, as Santana had missed the previous season recovering from shoulder surgery. Santana would undergo another shoulder surgery in 2013, a development that effectively ended his career.
45
The Mets played at Shea Stadium from 1964 to 2008, a total of 45 seasons. However, Shea was not the first ballpark that the Mets called home. The club played its home games at Manhattan’s famed Polo Grounds in 1962 and 1963.
