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This Date In Mets History: April 23 — Ike Davis Goes Yard And The Mets Win Their First Game Ever

By Eric Simon
April 15, 2011; Atlanta, GA, USA; New York Mets first baseman Ike Davis (29) hits a three-run home run in the sixth inning against the Atlanta Braves at Turner Field. Mandatory Credit: Daniel Shirey-US PRESSWIRE
April 15, 2011; Atlanta, GA, USA; New York Mets first baseman Ike Davis (29) hits a three-run home run in the sixth inning against the Atlanta Braves at Turner Field. Mandatory Credit: Daniel Shirey-US PRESSWIRE

Two years ago today, on April 23, 2010, Ike Davis hit his first big league home run against the Braves. A year earlier, and completely unrelated (I think), Darren O'Day was plucked off waivers from the Mets by the Texas Rangers.

Birthdays

  • Duke Carmel (1963) turns 75. Carmel hit .235/.307/.369 in 167 plate appearances with the '63 Mets, splitting time between first base and center field. He spent 1964 with the Triple-A Buffalo Bisons on a team that included Cleon Jones, Choo-Choo Coleman, Pumpsie Green, and Ed Kranepool.
  • Warren Spahn (1965) would have been 91 today. He pitched for the '65 Mets as a 44-year-old well passed the point of usefulness. His 4.36 ERA that year was 19% worse than the league average. Just another late-career sinecure those early-sixties Mets handed out to future Hall of Famers.
  • Jason Tyner (2000) turns 35. Tyner was the Mets' first round pick — 21st overall — in the 1998 draft, taken just after CC Sabathia and just ahead of Matt Thornton. Tyner hit just .226/.261/.258 for the Mets in 2000 before he was packaged with Paul Wilson and shipped to the Devil Rays for Bubba Trammell and Rick White.
  • Henry Owens (2006) turns 33. An amateur catcher, Owens signed with the Pirates as an undrafted free agent — and as a pitcher — in 2001 and was a minor league Rule 5 selection of the Mets' in 2004. In November 2006, Omar Minaya bundled Owens with fellow reliever Matt Lindstrom and got Jason Vargas (and Adam Bostick) from Florida.

Game Of Note

On April 23, 1962, the New York Mets improved their franchise record to 1-9, winning a 9-1 laugher at Forbes Field over the Pittsburgh Pirates, who had won their first ten games of the season. Jay Hook tossed a five-hitter to send the Mets to their first of 40 wins that season.

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