Shea Remembered is a series featuring 10 memorable Mets moments by decade. This feature is intended to stir great Mets memories at Shea Stadium throughout franchise history. This list is not exhaustive, nor is it recorded in any order of importance. Finally, the moments are exclusive to baseball and does not include non-Met events (i.e., concerts, other sports, etc.). We hope this content triggers great memories for you.
April 17, 1964: 48,736 fans turn out to watch the New York Mets play their first regular season home game at Shea Stadium. The Mets drop a 4-3 decision to the Pittsburgh Pirates. Willie Stargell, who would go on to set the record for most home runs by an opponent (60) at Shea Stadium, hits the first longball off Mets starter Jack Fisher in the second inning.
April 19, 1964: The New York Mets beat the Pittsburgh Pirates, 6-0, recording their first win at Shea Stadium. Al Jackson pitches a complete game, allowing six hits and the Mets offense collects 13 hits.
May 31, 1964: In the second game of a doubleheader vs. San Francisco Giants at Shea Stadium, the Mets and Giants play 23 innings, marking the longest doubleheader in baseball history. As the Society of American Baseball Research reported, “the game became the longest ever – 7 hours and 23 minutes … and the doubleheader, also the longest in history, went 9 hours and 52 minutes; the record still stands.”
July 7, 1964 : Shea Stadium hosts the annual All-Star Game. In the immortal words of former Mets coach/manager Wes Westrum, the game turned out to be a “real cliff dweller” when the National League comes back from a three-run ninth inning deficit to beat the American League when Philadelphia Phillies star Johnny Callison delivers a dramatic walk-off home run.
April 10, 1969: Tommie Agee belts the longest home run in Shea Stadium history — the only fair ball to reach the upper deck of the ballpark. Agee hits a pair of home runs in the game to power the Mets to a 4-2 win over the Montreal Expos.
July 9, 1969: Tom Seaver retires 25 straight Chicago Cubs before Jimmy Qualls breaks up the perfect game in the ninth inning. Seaver would go on to pitch a complete game one-hitter, striking out 11 Cubs in a 4-0 win.
September 24, 1969: The New York Mets clinch the National League East title, beating the St. Louis Cardinals, 6-0. Gary Gentry pitches a complete game four-hit shutout and Tommie Agee hits a pair of home runs to lead the Mets.
October 6, 1969: The New York Mets defeat the Atlanta Braves, 7-4 in Game 3 of the 1969 National League Championship Series — the first postseason game at Shea — to advance to the World Series. The Mets offense is powered by home runs from Tommie Agee, Ken Boswell and Wayne Garrett.
October 14, 1969: The first World Series game is played at Shea Stadium. 56,635 watch Tommie Agee make two amazing catches in center field as Gary Gentry and Nolan Ryan combine to shutout the Baltimore Orioles, 5-0.
October 16, 1969: The New York Mets win their first World Series championship when they defeat the Baltimore Orioles, 5-3, in front of 57,397 fans in attendance at Shea Stadium. Jerry Koosman pitches a complete game for the win.
