After the rival Dodgers and Giants moved to California in 1957, New York needed a new major league baseball team. To avoid the realization of the plan to establish the new Continental League, the National League and the American League announced that they are going to add new teams, two for the NL and another two for the AL.

The National League chose New York as the franchise for a new team. They proposed the idea to the New York Group of the planned Continental League. However, this proposal has one condition. They have to promise to build a new ball park for the team.

After everything was in order, the team needed a name. Several names came up. However, the group unanimously chose the Mets, giving birth to the New York Mets. The name attracted the group because it is close to the old New York metropolitan team that played for the American Association in the 1880s.

The team had a huge impact on baseball fans who were deeply saddened when the Dodgers and Giants moved to California. Somehow, the team managed to unite the fans of the rival teams.

During the 1961 expansion draft, the team drafted veteran players who had impressive records in the past. They did not bet on new players with great potential because the owners feel that mature players are more attractive to fans.

Like most new franchises, the team struggled and lost its first nine games. Their first season was so bad that they made the worst list in baseball history. This didn’t stop fans from loving the Mets. Even on his losing streak, the fans were there. The team was then popular for being incompetent in the early 1960s. Some of their players became popular because of this.

The team eventually got its own stadium, Shea Stadium. Several strange moments occurred there after the team began to play in the stadium. This includes the 1964 incident in which New Yorkers cheered on the visiting team, the Philadelphia Phillies. This took place when Phillies pitcher Jim Bunning made history by leading off their win over the Mets after throwing a perfect game. This was a momentous event in the National League.

No matter how lovable the team was, losing is not a good legacy to impart to fans. The team attempted to improve and acquired Yogi Berra to serve as the team’s playing coach. After playing his fourth and final match, Berra focused on becoming a coach. This has brought a promising light to the team.

New players came into play, including Tom Seaver, who won the Rookie of the Year title in 1967. Other new players joined him in establishing a new reputation for the New York Mets. The administration also changed.

They had their Cinderella story in 1969 when they finished first after everyone thought the Chicago Cubs would have a nice, quiet season. They didn’t stop there. They defeated the much loved Atlanta Braves to win the first National League Championship. They faced the favorites of the Baltimore Orioles, where they took the World Series in one of the most talked about upsets in baseball history.