A Long, Strange Trip That's Twice the Fun

   by Gus Ramsey

  While researching the Mets California road trip post I stumbled across these two gems from the Mets 1967 schedule, which I never knew or I forgot.

   From 5/29-6/11 the Mets played a road trip in this order: @ L.A., @ Houston, @S.F., @ Pittsburgh and @ Chicago. I know they didn't have Google maps in the '67 but they did have maps, right? While in San Francisco on 6/3 and 6/4 the Mets played back-to-back doubleheaders. They took a day off to fly to Pittsburgh and play another doubleheader on 6/6.

   Even better (?) than that was the 8/28-9/4 jaunt to St.Louis and Chicago where they played 11 games in 7 days, including an 7 game series in Chicago. 7! They opened the trip in St.Louis with a doubleheader on 8/28. They closed their series with the Cubs with back-to-back-to-back doubleheaders. For good measure they stopped in Cincinnati on the way home for a makeup game.
   The Mets split the doubleheader with the Cards, split two with the Cubs and lost one. They went 4-7 in those 11 games. It was a tough stretch for Cleon Jones, who went 3-33.

   The Mets played 26 doubleheaders that season, going 6-8-12.
   Oh, by the way, when the Cubs got done playing those three straight doubleheaders against the Mets, the Dodgers came to town on 9/4 for, you got it, a doubleheader.