The New York Mets entered Major League Baseball in 1962 as an expansion franchise created to bring National League baseball back to New York after the Dodgers and Giants left for California. The Mets struggled badly during their first seven seasons, but everything changed in 1969 when the “Miracle Mets” shocked baseball by winning the World Series.
Since then, the Mets have produced Hall of Famers, Rookie of the Year winners, Cy Young Award winners, legendary pitchers, powerful hitters and two World Series championships.
The Mets have played their entire history in Queens and Manhattan, first at the Polo Grounds, then Shea Stadium and, since 2009, Citi Field.
The Beginning of the Mets
The Mets were officially established in 1960 and began play in 1962. The franchise was awarded to New York after the departure of the Brooklyn Dodgers and New York Giants left the National League without a team in New York.
The team’s colors—blue and orange—were chosen to represent the two former New York National League clubs.
The Mets played their first regular-season game on April 11, 1962, losing to the St. Louis Cardinals 11–4.
Their first home game was played at the Polo Grounds on April 13, 1962, against the Pittsburgh Pirates.
The Mets lost that game 4–3.
The franchise’s first victory came April 23, 1962, when New York defeated Pittsburgh 9–1.
The early Mets became famous for losing. They finished last in the National League in each of their first seven seasons.
Then came 1969.
New York Mets Owners
The Mets have had several different ownership eras.
Joan Whitney Payson — 1962–1975
Joan Whitney Payson was the Mets’ original owner and the first woman to own a Major League Baseball team.
She was an important figure in bringing National League baseball back to New York and remained one of the most devoted owners in baseball.
Payson died in 1975.
Charles Shipman Payson — 1975–1980
After Joan Payson’s death, ownership passed to her husband, Charles Shipman Payson.
The Payson family continued to control the Mets until the franchise was sold in 1980.
Doubleday & Company — 1980–1986
In 1980, the Mets were sold to a group headed by Nelson Doubleday Jr. and publishing company Doubleday & Company.
The purchase price was approximately $21.1 million.
Nelson Doubleday Jr. and Fred Wilpon — 1986–2002
Fred Wilpon became increasingly important in Mets ownership after the 1980 purchase.
In 1986, Wilpon and Nelson Doubleday Jr. became the principal owners.
This ownership era coincided with the Mets’ greatest team of the 1980s and the 1986 World Series championship.
Sterling Equities / Wilpon and Katz Families — 2002–2020
Fred Wilpon and his family eventually became the controlling owners through Sterling Equities.
The Wilpon era included the 2000 National League pennant and the 2015 National League pennant.
Steve Cohen — 2020–Present
In 2020, billionaire businessman Steve Cohen purchased the Mets for approximately $2.4 billion.
Cohen became the controlling owner and ushered in a new era of aggressive spending and high expectations.
Every Mets Home Ballpark
1. Polo Grounds
1962–1963
The Mets played their first two seasons at the historic Polo Grounds in Manhattan.
The Polo Grounds had previously been home to the New York Giants and was one of baseball’s most unusual stadiums.
The Mets won 56 games at the Polo Grounds during their two seasons there.
The final Mets game at the Polo Grounds was played September 18, 1963.
2. Shea Stadium
1964–2008
Shea Stadium opened in 1964 and became the Mets’ home for 45 seasons.
It was named for William A. Shea, the attorney who helped bring National League baseball back to New York.
Shea became the setting for the Mets’ greatest moments, including:
- 1969 World Series
- 1973 National League pennant
- 1986 World Series
- 1988 NL East championship
- 2000 National League pennant
The Mets played their final game at Shea Stadium on September 28, 2008.
3. Citi Field
2009–Present
The Mets opened Citi Field in 2009.
The ballpark was constructed next to the site of Shea Stadium and incorporates architectural features inspired by Brooklyn’s Ebbets Field.
The Mets played their first regular-season game at Citi Field on April 13, 2009.
The 1969 Miracle Mets
The 1969 Mets are one of the greatest underdog stories in baseball history.
Led by manager Gil Hodges, pitchers Tom Seaver and Jerry Koosman, and stars such as Tommie Agee, Cleon Jones, Donn Clendenon and Ron Swoboda, the Mets finished the regular season with a remarkable:
100 wins – 62 losses
They won the newly created National League East and defeated the Atlanta Braves three games to none in the first-ever National League Championship Series.
Then came the Baltimore Orioles.
The Orioles had won 109 games and were heavily favored.
The Mets lost Game 1 but then won four straight games.
1969 World Series
Mets defeated Baltimore Orioles, 4 games to 1
The Mets won:
- Game 2 — Mets 2, Orioles 1
- Game 3 — Mets 5, Orioles 0
- Game 4 — Mets 2, Orioles 1
- Game 5 — Mets 5, Orioles 3
The championship was the first World Series title in Mets history.
World Series MVP: Donn Clendenon
Clendenon hit three home runs during the Series.
The 1986 World Champion Mets
The second great Mets championship team arrived in 1986.
Manager Davey Johnson led a powerhouse featuring:
- Dwight Gooden
- Ron Darling
- Sid Fernandez
- Jesse Orosco
- Keith Hernandez
- Gary Carter
- Darryl Strawberry
- Ray Knight
- Lenny Dykstra
- Mookie Wilson
- Wally Backman
- Kevin Mitchell
The Mets finished the regular season:
108 wins – 54 losses
The 108 victories remain a franchise record.
The Mets defeated Houston four games to two in the NLCS.
They then faced the Boston Red Sox in one of the most famous World Series in baseball history.
1986 World Series
Mets defeated Boston Red Sox, 4 games to 3
The Mets lost Games 1 and 2 but won four of the next five games.
The dramatic Game 6 victory at Shea Stadium became one of the most famous games in baseball history.
Ray Knight was the World Series MVP.
Mets World Series Championships
| Year | Regular-Season Record | Opponent | Result | World Series MVP |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1969 | 100–62 | Baltimore Orioles | Mets won 4–1 | Donn Clendenon |
| 1986 | 108–54 | Boston Red Sox | Mets won 4–3 | Ray Knight |
The Mets have won two World Series championships and have appeared in five World Series.
Their other World Series appearances came in:
- 1973 — Lost to Oakland Athletics, 4–3
- 2000 — Lost to New York Yankees, 4–1
- 2015 — Lost to Kansas City Royals, 4–1
The franchise has five National League pennants.
Mets Rookie of the Year Winners
The Mets have produced six National League Rookie of the Year winners.
| Year | Player | Position |
|---|---|---|
| 1967 | Tom Seaver | Pitcher |
| 1972 | Jon Matlack | Pitcher |
| 1983 | Darryl Strawberry | Outfielder |
| 1984 | Dwight Gooden | Pitcher |
| 2014 | Jacob deGrom | Pitcher |
| 2019 | Pete Alonso | First Base |
Tom Seaver became the Mets’ first Rookie of the Year in 1967.
Jon Matlack followed in 1972.
The Mets then produced back-to-back Rookie of the Year winners in 1983 and 1984 with Darryl Strawberry and Dwight Gooden.
Jacob deGrom won in 2014, followed five years later by Pete Alonso in 2019.
As of September 2026, Mets rookie Carson Benge is competing for the 2026 National League Rookie of the Year Award, but the award has not yet been decided.
Mets and the Regular-Season MVP Award
One surprising fact about the Mets is that no player has won the National League Most Valuable Player Award while playing for the Mets.
Several Mets stars came close or had outstanding MVP-caliber seasons, but none has officially won the NL MVP as a Met. MLB’s team award summary lists the Mets with zero MVP winners.
This is especially surprising considering the Mets have had players such as:
- Tom Seaver
- Keith Hernandez
- Darryl Strawberry
- Mike Piazza
- Carlos Beltrán
- David Wright
- Jacob deGrom
- Pete Alonso
Mets World Series MVPs
The Mets have had two World Series MVP winners:
Donn Clendenon — 1969
Clendenon hit three home runs in the World Series and was the offensive hero of the championship.
Ray Knight — 1986
Knight hit .391 during the 1986 World Series and was named Series MVP.
Mets Hall of Famers
The Mets have been connected to a remarkable number of Baseball Hall of Famers.
Below are Hall of Fame players who played for the Mets, along with their birthplaces.
| Hall of Famer | Mets Connection | Hometown/Birthplace |
|---|---|---|
| Yogi Berra | Player/Manager | St. Louis, Missouri |
| Casey Stengel | Manager | Kansas City, Missouri |
| Richie Ashburn | Player | Tilden, Nebraska |
| Warren Spahn | Player | Buffalo, New York |
| Duke Snider | Player | Los Angeles, California |
| Willie Mays | Player | Westfield, Alabama |
| Tom Seaver | Player | Fresno, California |
| Nolan Ryan | Player | Refugio, Texas |
| Gil Hodges | Player/Manager | Princeton, Indiana |
| Joe Torre | Player/Manager | Brooklyn, New York |
| Gary Carter | Player | Culver City, California |
| Eddie Murray | Player | Los Angeles, California |
| Rickey Henderson | Player | Chicago, Illinois |
| Roberto Alomar | Player | Ponce, Puerto Rico |
| Pedro Martínez | Player | Manoguayabo, Dominican Republic |
| Tom Glavine | Player | Concord, Massachusetts |
| Mike Piazza | Player | Norristown, Pennsylvania |
| Billy Wagner | Player | Marion, Virginia |
| Carlos Beltrán | Player | Manatí, Puerto Rico |
| Jeff Kent | Player | Bellflower, California |
The Mets’ own Hall of Fame is considerably larger because it also honors outstanding players, managers, executives and broadcasters who may not be members of the National Baseball Hall of Fame.
Mets Hall of Fame Legends Who Are Not in Cooperstown
The Mets Hall of Fame includes many franchise legends who have not been elected to the National Baseball Hall of Fame.
Among them are:
- Ed Kranepool
- Cleon Jones
- Jerry Grote
- Jerry Koosman
- Tug McGraw
- Mookie Wilson
- Keith Hernandez
- Tommie Agee
- Dwight Gooden
- Darryl Strawberry
- John Franco
- Jon Matlack
- Ron Darling
- Howard Johnson
- Edgardo Alfonzo
- David Wright
- Al Leiter
The Mets’ official Hall of Fame also recognizes important executives and broadcasters.
Tom Seaver — The Franchise
No player is more closely identified with the Mets than Tom Seaver.
Seaver joined the Mets in 1967 and immediately won Rookie of the Year.
He went on to win three Cy Young Awards with New York and became the central figure of the 1969 championship team.
His Mets career statistics included:
- 198 wins
- 3,045 strikeouts
- Three Cy Young Awards
- Rookie of the Year
- 1969 World Series champion
- 12 All-Star selections as a Met
Seaver was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1992 with 98.8 percent of the vote.
The Mets retired his No. 41.
Nolan Ryan — The Trade That Became a Mets Nightmare
Perhaps the most famous player the Mets traded before he became a superstar was Nolan Ryan.
Ryan was with the Mets from 1966 through 1971 but was never a consistent starter during his New York years.
On December 10, 1971, the Mets traded Ryan and three other players to the California Angels for veteran infielder Jim Fregosi.
The trade became one of the most lopsided transactions in baseball history.
Ryan went on to become:
- A seven-time no-hitter pitcher
- Baseball’s all-time strikeout leader
- A 324-game winner
- A 300-game winner
- A Hall of Famer
The Baseball Hall of Fame notes that Ryan’s career took off after his trade from New York to California.
Other Notable Players the Mets Traded Before They Became Stars
Nolan Ryan is the most famous example, but he wasn’t alone.
Amos Otis
The Mets traded Amos Otis to the Kansas City Royals in 1969.
Otis became a five-time All-Star and one of the best players in Royals history.
He helped Kansas City reach the postseason and became a major star after leaving New York.
Jeff Kent
The Mets traded Jeff Kent to Cleveland in 1996 as part of the deal that brought Carlos Baerga to New York.
Kent later became one of the best offensive second basemen in baseball.
He eventually became a National Baseball Hall of Famer.
His greatest years came with the San Francisco Giants, where he became a five-time All-Star and won the 2000 National League MVP Award.
Ironically, Kent’s Mets career came before his greatest success.
Scott Kazmir
The Mets traded pitching prospect Scott Kazmir to the Tampa Bay Devil Rays in 2004.
Kazmir became a two-time All-Star and one of the best young left-handed pitchers in baseball.
The trade became particularly painful for Mets fans because Kazmir developed into a frontline starter after leaving the organization.
Heath Bell
The Mets traded Heath Bell to the San Diego Padres in 2006.
Bell developed into one of baseball’s premier relief pitchers and became a three-time All-Star.
He eventually became one of the National League’s most successful closers.
These trades illustrate one of the hardest parts of building a baseball organization: identifying which prospects will become stars and which will never reach their potential.
The 1980s Mets Dynasty
The Mets of the mid-to-late 1980s were one of baseball’s dominant teams.
Their core included:
Pitchers
- Dwight Gooden
- Ron Darling
- Sid Fernandez
- Jesse Orosco
Infielders
- Keith Hernandez
- Wally Backman
- Howard Johnson
- Ray Knight
Outfielders
- Darryl Strawberry
- Lenny Dykstra
- Mookie Wilson
Catcher
- Gary Carter
The front office was led by general manager Frank Cashen, who constructed the championship roster through drafting, trades and free-agent acquisitions.
The Mets won 108 games in 1986 and captured their second World Series championship.
The 2000 Mets
The 2000 Mets returned to the World Series.
The team was led by:
- Mike Piazza
- Edgardo Alfonzo
- Mike Hampton
- Al Leiter
- Bobby Jones
- John Franco
- Armando Benítez
- Robin Ventura
- Darryl Hamilton
The Mets finished 97–65 and won the National League pennant.
They faced the New York Yankees in the first Subway Series World Series since 1956.
The Yankees won the Series 4–1.
The 2015 Mets
The Mets returned to the World Series in 2015.
Their young pitching staff became the foundation of the team:
- Jacob deGrom
- Matt Harvey
- Noah Syndergaard
- Steven Matz
- Bartolo Colón
The offense was led by:
- Yoenis Céspedes
- Daniel Murphy
- David Wright
- Lucas Duda
- Curtis Granderson
The Mets defeated the Dodgers in the NLDS and the Cubs in the NLCS.
They then faced the Kansas City Royals in the World Series.
Kansas City won the championship in five games.
The Mets’ Greatest Players
A short list of the most important Mets players in franchise history would include:
- Tom Seaver
- David Wright
- Darryl Strawberry
- Mike Piazza
- Keith Hernandez
- Dwight Gooden
- Jacob deGrom
- Jerry Koosman
- Ed Kranepool
- Mookie Wilson
- Howard Johnson
- Cleon Jones
- Gary Carter
- Carlos Beltrán
- José Reyes
The Mets’ Legacy
The Mets have never had the sheer number of championships of the Yankees, but they have created some of the most memorable teams and moments in baseball history.
From the lovable losers of the early 1960s to the Miracle Mets of 1969, the powerhouse 1986 club, the Subway Series of 2000 and the 2015 National League champions, the Mets have repeatedly produced teams that captured the imagination of New York.
Their two championships came 17 years apart:
1969 — Miracle Mets
1986 — World Champion Mets
The Mets have also developed or employed an extraordinary list of Hall of Famers, including Tom Seaver, Nolan Ryan, Mike Piazza, Gary Carter, Willie Mays, Duke Snider, Rickey Henderson, Pedro Martínez, Tom Glavine, Carlos Beltrán and others.
Perhaps the most appropriate way to describe the Mets is the same word that has followed the franchise since its earliest days:
Amazin’.
From the impossible championship of 1969 to the dramatic triumph of 1986, the Mets have given generations of baseball fans unforgettable memories—and occasionally some unforgettable trades as well.
Artie Fischal
