Apr. 11, 1962 - History was made tonight by the New York Mets. They broke into the expanded National League at long last, but wound up on the short end of an 11-4 score, beaten conclusively by the St. Louis Cardinals at Busch Stadium. In their first official effort, the Mets did much to beat themselves. Four ineffective New York pitchers backed by a loose defense hurt the Mets immeasurably. The season opener before 16,147 half-frozen fans saw the Mets commit three errors and permit three stolen bases. Adding to manager Casey Stengel’s miseries, Roger Craig, the starter and loser, committed a balk that led to one of two St. Louis runs in the first inning. Also, the Mets bounced into two double plays. Homers by Gil Hodges and Charlie Neal were wasted. The 42-year-old Stan (The Man) Musial, starting his 22nd season with the Redbirds, made two singles and a double, drove in two runs, and scored one. Hodges’ homer was his 362nd, moving him ahead of Joe DiMaggio and putting him 11th among major league home run hitters.
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