Apr. 23, 1962 - In thrashing the Pittsburgh Pirates, 9-1, today, the Mets not only ended their record-tying nine-game losing streak but also kept the home team from establishing a mark for consecutive victories at the start of a campaign. The Pirates had won 10 in a row, matching the getaway record of the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1955. When the Mets finally won one, they won it big. From the start, they gave the Ladies Night crowd of 24,560 at Forbes Field nothing good to shriek about. Jay Hook, the tall righty who had suffered several shellackings during exhibition season, pitched splendidly and became the first Met pitcher ever to go the route (and perhaps more important, to win). Elio Chacon, the dynamic little shortstop, got three of the New Yorkers’ fourteen hits, knocked in two runs, and figured in every Met rally. Felix Mantilla, who replaced Don Zimmer at third base tonight, also weighed in with three hits. By the sixth, some wise Pittsburgh fans were yelling, “Break up the Mets.” An inning later, they were yelling, “Kill the Mets.” Manager Casey Stengel congratulated Hook after the game and said, “I might have to pitch him for the next 99 games.” Hook grinned and drank an orange drink.
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