Remembering Mets History (1963) Mets Play Last MLB Game at the Polo Grounds

Wednesday September 18th, 1963: For 74 years the Polo Grounds stood at 155th St & 8th Ave below an area of elevation known as Coogan's Bluff. 

The original site was at 110th St & 5th Ave but as the City of New York extended its street grid, the Polo Grounds had to find a new home.

In 1889 the New York Giants began playing there. The Stadium went through some changes, most notably after a fire destroyed the wooden horseshoe shape grandstand in 1911.

 The Polo Grounds strange dimensions were legendary, 483 feet to dead center field, 450 feet in the left & right center field gaps, 279 feet down the left field line & 258 feet down the right field line.

The ballpark was home to the New York Baseball Giants team from 1883 to 1957. Legendary manager John McGraw managed the Giants from 1903- 1933.  

Thru those years the Giants were one of the most storied & popular teams of the era.

In 1908 one of the most famous games in baseball history happened when Al Bridwell hit an apparent game winning single to score Moose McCormick. But as the fans poured onto the field to exit as they did in those days, the runner on first Fred Merkle, failed to touch second walking off the field. 

The Cubs protested & it was later ruled a tie game. The Giants lost the tie breaker & the Cubs won the 1908 pennant. The game is known as 'Merkle's Boner".

The Polo Grounds hosted 16 Giants World Series' & two MLB All Star Games (1934 &1942). 

NY Giants World Champions: The Giants won the 1905 World Series here, in a classic Series where Christy Mathewson put on one of the best pitching displays ever, throwing three shut outs over the Philadelphia A's. 

The Giants defeated the AL New York team in the first two so called- Subway World Series ever-1921 & 1922. Although at that time both teams were using the Polo Grounds as home.

In 1933 player/ manager Bill Terry had taken over for John McGraw after thirty seasons at the helm. He along with Carl Hubble, who won two World Series games & Mel Ott's who hit two HRs in the Series, led the Giants to a five-game win over the Washington Senators.

Leo Durocher led the 1951 Giants to one of the biggest NL comebacks ever, as they went 50-12 to end the season & overtake the rival Brooklyn Dodgers. 

Through time, it has been said the Giants used a telescope system from the clubhouse in centerfield to steal the catchers' signs, relay them through a buzzer to the bullpen, where a player would toss a ball up for a signal to the batter. In any event a three-game tie breaker playoff was played between the Giants & Dodgers.

The final game played in the Polo Grounds & the most famous HR in MLB history was hit. Bobby Thompson hit "the shot heard round the world" walk off HR, over the left field wall as the Giants won the 1951 pennant. 

Three years later, Leo Durocher led his team to their last New York Championship, sweeping the mighty Cleveland Indians in four games. 

In this series the most famous catch in baseball history, was made, as Willie Mays made "the catch' way back in dead center field off a drive from Cleveland's Vic Wertz. Mays hat fell off, as he made the backward catch, turned around & threw in for the double play.

NY Giants Football: The New York Football Giants played there for fifty years as well, from 1925-1955. They won three Championships in that time. 

In 1934 they defeated the Chicago Bears in the famous "sneakers game" where coach Steve Cohen had his friend go across to Manhattan college & get sneakers for his players to wear on the slippery, wet frozen grass. The 1938 Championship game was played in the Polo Grounds with the Giants defeating the Green Bay Packers 23-17.

The New York Football Titans who later became the Jets would also play their first three seasons at the Polo Grounds (1960-1963).

New York Mets: The New York Mets played at the Polo Grounds in the clubs first two seasons as they awaited the grand Shea Stadium to be built in Queens, New York. On September 18th, 1963, the last major league game was played there.

Casey Stengel's last place Mets (49-104) hosted Gene Mauch's fourth place Philadelphia Phillies (81-72) in front of a tiny crowd of 1,752. 

There was not much fanfare & not many people took notice that the Polo Grounds was hosting its last game.

The starting pitchers were Craig Anderson for New York & Chris Short for Philadelphia. Anderson had led the 1962 Mets in appearances but was at AAA Buffalo most of 1963 & this was his first start of the season.

Quotes: Craig Anderson "nobody said anything to me. It’s funny, but I don’t remember any fanfare of it being the last game at the Polo Grounds."

The Mets took a 5-1 loss that day, with Jim Hickman providing the only Mets run. It was a solo HR & the last HR to be hit in the Polo Grounds. 

In the bottom of the 9th inning, the Mets Tim Harkness flied out to center field for the first out. 
Next, Rod Kanehl & Chico Fernandez both singled, being the last hits in the old Polo Grounds.

 Next, Chris Short pitched the ball to the park's final batter Brooklyn born, Ted Schreiber. He grounded into a double play making the final out in the old ballpark at 4:21 PM.

Quotes: Ted Schreiber (in 2011): "Sure I remember the game, because I made the last two outs, I thought I had a hit because I hit it up the middle, but Cookie Rojas made a great play on it. That’s why I’m in the Hall of Fame; they put the ball there because the stadium was closed after that. I knew that was the last game; I didn’t realize I made the last out until later.”

Another Mets player that day, Frank Thomas had been the first baseman for the Pittsburgh Pirates back in 1957 when the New York Giants played their final game at the Polo Grounds. Thomas caught a throw from second baseman Dick Groat & made the last put out at first base on that historic day.

On that day, after the Mets final home game of 1963, Casey Stengel waved his cap in the air to the few fans left & they cheered, as the public address system played "Auld Lang Syne".

Trivia: The Jets would play the last football game at the Polo Grounds in December losing to the Buffalo Bills 19-10. In October the actual final baseball game was an exhibition game, of a Latin American All-Star game that did include some major leaguers.