Apr. 24, 1963 - Carlton Willey (pictured), the latest in a growing line of Amazin’ Mets, today discovered a way to beat the balk menace. He kept the Cubs off the bases virtually all afternoon to blank them, 2-0, as Ron Hunt chipped in with his first big league homer, and the Mets copped their fifth in the last six. You can’t balk unless there’s a man on base — and the Cubs got only four aboard all day — three via singles, one on a walk. The Met infield quickly wiped three of the runners off via the double play, so that Willey faced just 28 men, one above the bare minimum. This is the same Carl Willey who, just a week ago, made his first Met start and was bombed out by Cincinnati within two innings. “I was as wild that day as I ever have been in my life,” Carl said after today’s game. “This time, I had control — and a good slider.” He heaped praise upon two teammates for his quick improvement. “When I came over here,” said Willey, referring to the springtime purchase from Milwaukee, “I didn’t have much of a slider. Roger Craig really helped me with it, got it breaking well. He has been a great help to me.” The other Met to receive credit from Willey was battery-mate Choo Choo Coleman. “He called a whale of a game,” said Carl. “When I was getting the ball up, he got me to get it down. I’d never have done it without him.” Precisely what had Willey done? He had pitched the first Met shutout of the year, joining Al Jackson as the only Met pitchers ever to fire a blank. Last season, Jackson threw all four shutouts by the staff. And what about Ron Hunt? Whom did he credit with his home run? “The wind,” said Ron. “There was a good stiff breeze out to left field today at Wrigley.”
