Feb. 16, 1962 - Pitcher Clem Labine (pictured left with Jackie Robinson during the 1956 World Series) became the fifth former Brooklyn Dodger to sign with the New York Mets for the 1962 National League season. Labine, a free agent after his release by the Pittsburgh Pirates at the end of last season, notified George M. Weiss, the Mets president, that he had accepted the contract. Labine, who will join his former Dodger teammates, Gil Hodges, Charlie Neal, Don Zimmer and Roger Craig, told Weiss he was “absolutely sound physically.” Labine, 36, was a star reliever when the Dodgers were winning National League pennants in 1952 and ’53 and their first world series — from the Yankees — in 1955. After the Dodgers moved to Los Angeles for the 1957 season, Labine was plagued by a sore arm and used sparingly. Since then, he has pitched for Detroit and Pittsburgh.
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