June 23, 1963: Willey's Two-Hitter, Piersall's 100th Homer

From The Met Wiki

Date: June 23, 1963

Mets starter: Carl Willey

Mets: 5

Phillies: 0

Winning pitcher: Carl Willey

Key player(s): Carl Willey, Jim Piersall

Key play: Snider's single, Piersall's home run

The Mets faced the Phillies in a Sunday doubleheader at the Polo Grounds. In the first game, Carl Willey held the Phils to two hits in pitching a complete game. Also, Jim Piersall hit his 100th career home run as the Mets won, 5-0.

Willey started the game with three perfect innings. In the bottom of the third, Phillies' starter Dallas Green walked Tim Harkness and Ron Hunt with one out. Duke Snider followed with a single to score Harkness for a 1-0 Mets lead.

The Phils made a bid to tie the game in the fourth. Johnny Callison hit a one-out triple off Willey before Tony Gonzalez came to bat. On Gonzalez's ground ball to shortstop, Callison was out at the plate when Al Moran threw to catcher Choo Choo Coleman. Willey then retired Roy Sievers on a fly ball and shut down the Phils again in the fifth.

Piersall led off the bottom of the fifth with a home run off Green. In celebrating his 100th, Jimmy ran backwards as he circled the bases. A not-as-happy Green retired the next three Met batters, striking out Snider to end the inning.

Tony Taylor tripled off Willey in the sixth, but was left stranded at third base. Carl then retired the Phils on three infield pop ups in the top of the seventh. In the bottom of the inning, the Mets scored three unearned runs against the Phillies' bullpen.

Over the last two innings, Willey set down six straight Phillie batters to end the game. The Mets had a Game 1 victory on Carl's impressive two-hitter. However, the lasting image from the game was that of Piersall's reverse trot on his 100th homer.

Notes

• Piersall's home run was his only one as a Met and as a National League player.