by Mark Langill
The history of the Dodgers and Mets isn’t a storied rivalry, but rather an extended baseball family affair tracing the path of a 1962 expansion team filled with former Brooklyn heroes that blossomed into a “miracle” champion by the end of the decade.
The Mets’ first season in 1962 coincides with the opening of Dodger Stadium, the site of today’s Game 1 of the National League Championship Series. The only other time the Dodgers and Mets played in the NLCS was in 1988 when the Dodgers posted the only victory in a postseason Game 7 on its home field in franchise history — spanning four combined Game 7’s in Brooklyn and Los Angeles — as Orel Hershiser blanked New York, 6–0.
Here is a look at the Dodgers and Mets; two franchises with extraordinary links and unforgettable characters during the past six decades.
Humble beginnings: The Mets were created to fill the void left by the Brooklyn Dodgers and New York Giants, who moved to the West Coast before the 1958 season, settling in Los Angeles and San Francisco, respectively. The National League replaced the loss of its two New York-based teams by awarding expansion teams — the Mets and Houston Colt .45s.
When designing their uniforms, the Mets chose the familiar colors of New York baseball — orange (Giants) and blue (Dodgers). They played at the Polo Grounds, the former Giants’ home and site of the famous Bobby Thomson pennant-winning home run against Dodger reliever Ralph Branca in 1951.
Familiar faces: The expansion Mets went 40–120 in their first season to finish last among the 10 National League teams (Houston placed eighth at 64–96.) New York’s 120 losses were the most in the Modern Era until the 2024 Chicago White Sox went 41–121.
The Mets’ first manager was Casey Stengel, the former Dodger outfielder and Brooklyn manager. During his prime, Stengel won 10 pennants and seven World Series titles with the Yankees between 1949 and 1960.
Stengel was 71 years old in 1962 and the Mets wisely picked him for marketing a new franchise with a dreadful on-field product. General manager George Weiss stocked the 1962 Mets with six former Dodgers: first baseman Gil Hodges, infielders Charlie Neal and Don Zimmer, pitchers Clem Labine and Roger Craig, catcher Joe Pignatano and Dodger minor league catcher Clarence “Choo Choo” Coleman. Stengel’s coaching staff included Cookie Lavagetto, a former Brooklyn infielder who broke up a no-hit bid by the Yankees’ Bill Bevens with a walk-off double in the 1947 World Series.
Number 14: Between 1962 and 1968, the Mets didn’t finish above ninth place. In his second year as Mets manager, Hodges led New York to its first winning season (100–62), capturing the NL East title in the first year of Major League Baseball’s four-division format.
The Mets swept the Atlanta Braves, 3–0, in the NL Championship Series. In the World Series, the Mets shocked the Baltimore Orioles, winning the championship in five games.
Hodges, who passed away at age 47 after suffering a heart attack during Spring Training in 1972, is the only Hall of Famer to be part of the first World Series championship in the history of the Dodgers (1955) and Mets. Hodges caught the final out in the 1955 World Series Game 7 at Yankee Stadium, a throw from shortstop Pee Wee Reese to complete a 2–0 victory.
Retired numbers: There are 10 retired numbers in Mets history: Hodges (14), Dwight Gooden (16), Keith Hernandez (17), Darryl Strawberry (18), Willie Mays (24), Mike Piazza (31), Jerry Koosman (36), Stengel (37), Tom Seaver (41), Jackie Robinson (42).
Pitchers Gooden and Koosman and first baseman Hernandez are the only ones on the list without direct Dodger connections.
Hodges, Strawberry, Piazza and Stengel played for the Dodgers (More on Seaver later). Robinson spent his entire Dodger career with Brooklyn from 1947 to 1957. The Dodgers played at Citi Field on the 50th anniversary of Robinson’s Brooklyn debut on April 15, 1947. President Bill Clinton attended the Mets-Dodgers game on Jackie Robinson Day in 1997 when all Major League teams retired Robinson’s uniform number 42.
Of the Dodgers’ 12 retired uniform numbers, two played for the Mets: Hodges and Snider. Snider and Hodges were briefly teammates for 11 games in 1963 until Hodges was traded to the American League Senators. Hodges retired as an active player and became Washington’s manager.
The managers: The only former Mets managers to later manage the Dodgers are Davey Johnson (1999–2001) and Joe Torre (2008–10). Johnson, who guided New York to a World Series title in 1986 against the Boston Red Sox, managed against the Dodgers in the 1988 NLCS.
Torre, a Brooklyn native, began his managerial career just as Hodges did — retiring as an active player and then becoming a skipper. Torre was a reserve infielder with the Mets in 1977 when he replaced Joe Frazier on May 31.
Of the all-time Mets managers, nine were previously members of the Dodger organization: Stengel, Lavagetto, Gil Hodges, Frank Howard, Johnson, Jeff Torborg, Bobby Valentine, Willie Randolph and Terry Collins.
The Franchise: Right-hander Seaver won 198 of his 311 games during his Hall of Fame career with the Mets. There is a statue of “Tom Terrific” in front of Citi Field, officially located at 41 Seaver Way, Flushing, NY 11368.
But how history would have changed if the Dodgers had signed Seaver after selecting him in the 10th round of the inaugural First-Year Player Draft in 1965. In his final year as a scout before beginning his managerial career, Tommy Lasorda recommended the University of Southern California pitcher. Seaver asked reportedly asked for a $70,000 bonus.
The Dodgers declined and Seaver went back to USC. Los Angeles had one more chance in 1966 when the Atlanta Braves signed Seaver and the contract was voided by Commissioner William Eckert because USC’s baseball season had started. Seaver’s name was placed in a lottery. Any team could enter the lottery if it matched Atlanta’s offer of $51,500. Three teams entered — the Philadelphia, Cleveland and the Mets, who won the lottery.
October memories: The Mets and Dodgers have met three times in the postseason. New York won the last encounter in 2015 when the Mets edged Los Angeles, 3–2, in the decisive Game 5 at Dodger Stadium as Jacob deGrom outdueled Zack Greinke. The Mets also swept the Dodgers in the 2006 Division Series.
But the lasting images between the Dodgers and Mets occurred in the 1988 NLCS when the Dodgers fought back from a suspended closer and a near 3–1 series deficit to win its first pennant since 1978.
The Mets were heavy favorites after Los Angeles in 10 of 11 games during the regular season, outscoring the Dodgers, 49–18.
Hershiser, who ended the regular season with a Major League-record streak of 59 scoreless innings, carried a 2–0 lead into the ninth inning of Game 1 in Los Angeles. The Mets rallied for three runs off Hershiser and reliever Jay Howell. The crushing blow was Gary Carter’s two-run sloop single to center that barely eluded the glove of a diving John Shelby.
The Dodgers tied the series with a 6–3 win in Game 2, but they found more challenges after the series shifted to Shea Stadium.
During an 8–4 loss in Game 3, Los Angeles reliever Jay Howell was ejected after the Mets asked the umpires to check his glove. The pine tar found on his glove led to a two-game suspension.
In Game 4, Gooden took a 3–1 into the ninth inning. Since the first inning, he had allowed only one hit and four base runners. After falling behind 0–2 in the count, Shelby drew a walk to open the ninth. Mike Scioscia then drilled a game-tying home run into the Mets bullpen to tie the game.
Kirk Gibson’s home run off reliever Roger McDowell in the 12th inning gave Los Angeles a 5–4 lead. When the Mets rallied in the 12th against lefty Jesse Oroscro, a former Met who recorded the final out of the 1986 World Series, the Dodgers turned to Hershiser, who had pitched seven innings the previous day.
With Howell suspended and the Dodgers running out of pitchers, Hershiser went to the bullpen on his own. A desperate Lasorda, whose only remaining pitcher, next-day starter Tim Belcher, was resting in his hotel room, called on his ace. Hershiser retired Kevin McReynolds on a shallow fly to center to save the game.
The Dodgers took a 3–2 series lead with a 7–4 victory in Game 5, but the Mets held serve with a 5–1 win in Game at Dodger Stadium as McReynolds homered and David Cone scattered one run on five hits.
Hershiser, who won Cy Young Award honors with his 23–8 regular season, capped the Dodgers’ comeback with a 6–0 victory in Game 7. Hershiser won NLCS MVP honors with a 1–0 record and 1.09 ERA and one save in 24 2/3 innings.
NLCS: The Dodgers and Mets, a history was originally published in Dodger Insider on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.