Lifetime firsts

[Benjamin Grimm]

Someone who was born on May 1, 2006 posted this to the UMDB:

I was born at 2:13 PM. About 5 hours later Marlon Byrd was the first batter of the game. The first Mets batter ever when I was alive was Jose Reyes and the first Home Run was hit by Carlos Delgado. The Mets ended up walking off the Nationals 2-1.

And this made me curious:



The Mets were idle on the day that I was born, so I had to go to the next day when the Mets hosted a doubleheader against the Cubs at the Polo Grounds. The first Mets batter of my lifetime was Jimmy Piersall, who grounded out to the pitcher, Larry Jackson. Since it was a home game, the first Mets action during my lifetime was Al Jackson throwing a pitch to Lou Brock. Brock, in that at bat, grounded out to Charley Neal at third base.



No Mets homered in that first game, but in the nightcap, Duke Snider hit a home run off someone named Glen Hobbie.



In the first game the Cubs beat the Mets 12-0, but in the second game Jay Hook had a complete-game 2-1 win. Snider drive in both runs, the first with a solo homer in the 4th inning and he then added an RBI single in the 6th.



https://www.tcdb.com/Images/Cards/Baseball/60/60-212Fr.jpg>



https://www.tcdb.com/Images/Cards/Baseball/60/60-212Bk.jpg>



http://leaptoad.com/mets/scorecard_graph.php?game=208&font=3>



http://leaptoad.com/mets/scorecard_graph.php?game=209&font=3>

[MFS62]

Larry (ptui) Jackson was among the most virulent of Mets killers.

One of my memories of him was a game I listened to with a fellow soldier (a Phillies fan) while in Virginia. It must have been 1966 or 1967. He had built up a reputation for beating them by then.

The Mets had Jackson beaten, but his team scored late runs to take him off the hook for the loss. The guy really rubbed it in. (Pfucker)



Later

[Johnny Lunchbucket]

I would guess I had the most notable Met birth game, with a couple of [CROSSOUT]very [/CROSSOUT]rare things:



--Dick Rusteck[CROSSOUT] pitched a 1-hitter.[/CROSSOUT] (it was a 4-hitter). It was his only MLB victory.

--Ed Broussaud hit 2 home runs



Mets beat the Reds, 5-0

[A Boy Named Seo]

Mets were away at San Diego some hours after I was born, so Wayne Garrett celebrated my birth by grounding out to second to start the game. Thanks a lot, Wayne.



He made up for it, though, with 2 hits and the Mets would collect 17 altogether on the way to a 7-2 win behind a 7-inning, 2-hit, 1-run gem by George Stone. Stone also collected 2 hits and an RBI and was surely the CPF Schaeffer POTG.



Happy birthday, me.

[cal sharpie]

Mets didn't exist when I was born so my first Mets game was the first Mets game where they lost 11-4. First Met hit of my lifetime was a second inning single by Gus Bell. First homer was hit by now Hall of Famer Gil Hodges in the 4th. Schaeffer winner, though, was clearly Charlie Neal who went 3-for-4 with a homer and 3 RBI..

[roger_that]

Johnny Lunchbucket wrote: I would guess I had the most notable Met birth game, with a couple of [CROSSOUT]very [/CROSSOUT]rare things: --Dick Rusteck[CROSSOUT] pitched a 1-hitter.[/CROSSOUT] (it was a 4-hitter). It was his only MLB victory. --Ed Broussaud hit 2 home runs Mets beat the Reds, 5-0

Dick Rusteck, Grover Powell, and Dennis Musgraves were the Pulsipher/Wilson/Isringhausen of my youth. (It's "Bressoud" btw.)

[Johnny Lunchbucket]

Yeah I can't spell French words.



I believe Rusteck came down with elbow trouble shortly after this appearance. Those problems were less solvable then.



He pitched for another 11 years in the minors and Mexican leagues tho.



DOMINATED in the Dixie League in 1971, winning 17 games for the pennant-winning Charlotte Hornets but the Twins wouldn't bother to call.

[Edgy MD]

I was born during spring training, so the Mets results on that day would be elusive.

[kcmets]

The Mets were off the day I was born. They beat the Phillies the following

day at Connie Mack Stadium. Al Jackson went nine and gave up only three

hits -- he also whiffed three times, once looking.



http://leaptoad.com/mets/scorecard_graph.php?game=132&font=1>



I briefly met Al Jackson once, I wish I could have pulled that info out but...

[Willets Point]

The Mets never have and never will play on my birthday. The first Mets game after my birth would be Opening Day 1974.

[Johnny Lunchbucket]

I think if you are born off-season you're allowed to use the 1st game following in this game.

[Fman99]

That'd be me, season opener, 1973 apparently.

[seawolf17]

Season opener 76 for me, then, which would be a Tom Seaver pitch to Pepe Mangual.

[Frayed Knot]

I'm one of the opening day '62 crew.

[RealityChuck]

The Mets didn't play on the day I was born.



It was ten years later that they played their first game.

[cal sharpie]

While as mentioned earlier, the first Mets game of my life was the first Mets game, the first game played on my birthday (October 22) was in 1986 when the Mets beat the Red Sox in Game 4 of the World Series. Ray Knight had the first hit, a single in the second, Gary Carter hit the first of his two home runs for first Met homer on my birthday. Schaeffer goes to either Carter (3-for-4 with 2 HR) or Ron Darling (7 shutout innings and the win). The only other October 22 game was in 2000 when the MFYs won 6-5, the Mets' 5 runs in the 9th coming up just short in Game 3 of that World Series. I hope to improve to 2-1 in birthday games in '22.

[Edgy MD]

I like retro-Schaefer voting.