Mets Face Yanks in Exhibition

May 3, 1965 - The New York Mets — after six straight defeats that plunged them to the bottom of the National League — finally found a team they could beat tonight in their own backyard: the Yankees.

The Mets won the Mayor’s Trophy and the wild cheers of 22,881 persons at Yankee Stadium as they upended their crosstown cousins, 2-1.

The issue was resolved only when the Yankees outdid the Mets at their own game, with two errors in the 10th that tossed the game away.

With one out and Pete Mikkelsen pitching for the Yanks, Chris Cannizzaro walked and, on the first pitch to Roy McMillan, took off for second. The Yankee catcher, Bob Schmidt, coolly threw the ball into the dirt past Phil Linz, and Cannizzaro galloped to third.

After McMillan struck out, Cleon Jones — one of Casey Stengel’s amazing rookies — bunted the second pitch expertly toward first. Mikkelsen fielded it as Cannizzaro raced home and pitched it down the right-field line ahead of a desperate lunge by Bobby Richardson, who was just arriving to cover the bag.

The Yankees one ray of joy came from six solid innings of pitching by Bill Stafford, who allowed the Mets only two singles.

Elston Howard, first-string catcher of the Yankees, will undergo an operation for the removal of a bone chip from his elbow tomorrow and will be lost to the club for about two months.

Johnny Blanchard, the second catcher, and Roland Sheldon, a righthanded pitcher, have been traded to the Kansas City Athletics for Howard (Doc) Edwards, a 27-year-old, righthanded hitting catcher. 

“I wish him well,” said a tearful Blanchard today. “He’s coming to the best. I know.”

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