May 30, 1963 - Patience was richly rewarded for those Met fans among the 37,170 Polo Grounds customers who had the faith to stick around through the discouraging developments of the first half of today’s doubleheader with the Chicago Cubs. After suffering through a 10-run inning and a 12-0 shutout at the hands of Larry Jackson, the Mets bounced back with a satisfying 2-1 victory. Jay Hook, who had been so disappointing that he was removed from the starting rotation two weeks ago, pitched the best game of his life in the finale. He allowed only two hits. Duke Snider knocked in both Met runs, each with two out. He hit his eighth homer (the 397th of his career) in the fourth. A single to center scored Jimmy Piersall (pictured) in the sixth. Piersall, the latest darling of the sign-happy Mets fans, not only scored the winning run but made an invaluable, though invisible, contribution in the eighth. Hook had worked hard in the first half of the inning and then grounded out as the first batter in the last half. Piersall, the next batter, wasted time getting to the plate, wasted time having a discussion with the umpire, and then worked a walk. Then he wasted more time prancing off first base, drawing throws. All this gave Hook an extra five minutes of rest, and he was strong again in the ninth, getting three of Chicago’s best hitters in order. Regarding his successful outing, Hook said: “I just relaxed and threw the ball. Norm Sherry had a lot to do with it. For the two weeks I was working in the pen, he kept telling me not to try to throw so hard. He compared me with the way Koufax used to be. He said I ‘overthrow,’ and I’d have more stuff if I just relaxed. He kept reminding me of it, over and over throughout the game, and it worked.” After the victory, Met manager Casey Stengel trotted to the clubhouse and was engulfed by hundreds of young fans who patted him on his rounded shoulders and tried to steal his cap. “They are the multitude,” Casey said majestically. “They don’t like to see the Mets lose — and neither do I.”
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