Ultimate Mets Database - Memories of Willard Hunter

THE ULTIMATE METS DATABASE IS NOT AFFILIATED IN ANY WAY WITH THE NEW YORK METS OR MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL.

- All-Time Roster Every Met player... EVER!
- Mug Shots The pretty ones and the ugly ones -- we have them all!
- Player Awards Cy Young, Rookie of the Year, Hall of Fame, and more.
- Transactions Over a thousand player transactions -- in chronological order!
- Managers & Coaches The men who have led the Mets, and the men who helped them.
- Mets Staff Executives, General Managers, Broadcasters, and more. (And Jane Jarvis too!)
- Birth Places Perfect for planning your Mets pilgrimages!
- Oldest Living Mets See which Mets players have spent the most time walking the Earth.
- Necrology Mets players and personnel who are no longer with us.

- Game Results
  All the wins, all the losses. Includes box scores and score cards!
- Opening Day
  The first day of each season! See the starting lineups, who started at each position year-by-year, and leaders by position.
- Walkoff Wins & Losses
  Interactively search for the happiest and saddest endings to Mets games.
- Postseason Games How the Mets have fared in the games that count the most!
- No-Hitters & One-Hitters See a list of every no-hitter and one-hitter pitched by the Mets, or against them. One of these categories was frustratingly empty for over fifty years, but not anymore!
- All-Star Games Mets who have appeared in baseball's Mid-Summer Classic
- Opponents & Ballparks See the Mets won-lost record against every team, and in every ballpark in which they've played!
- Daily Standings What was the Mets' pennant outlook on any given day in past seasons?
- Yearly Finishes The heights and the depths: the Mets won-lost record at the end of each season.
- Mayor's Trophy Games A look back at the long-ago annual series between the Mets and their Bronx rivals.

- Leaderboards Career, season, and individual game leaders at your fingertips!
- Team Leaders Players who led the Mets in various categories, from season to season.
- Decade Leaders Mets history broken down into ten-year chunks!
- Post-Season Leaders Mets leaders, by category, in post-season games

- Ultimate Mets Scrapbook The history of the Mets, as it was reported when it happened!
- Forum Visit the Crane Pool Forum to discuss the Mets and just about anything else!
- Fan Memories Insightful. Poignant. Thrilling. Somber. Nutty. Our visitors have submitted thousands of thoughts and memories of the Mets and the games they've played.
- Mets Uniforms It's more than just laundry! Trace the evolution of the Mets official uniform over the years.
- Uniform Numbers In association with Mets By the Numbers, we present a full history of who wore what number, and when!/li>
- Baseball Cards Our collection of home-made baseball cards, in the style of the classic Topps cards of the 1970's.
- This Date in Mets History Births, Deaths, Transactions, Newspaper Covers

- Contact Us
- FAQ Frequently Asked Questions

Mets
Statistics

Situational
Statistics

Willard Hunter
vs. Other Teams

Memories of
Willard Hunter

Willard Hunter
Ultimate Mets Database popularity ranking: 398 of 1252 players

Willard Mitchell Hunter
Born: March 8, 1934 at Newark, N.J.
Died: February 3, 2021 at Omaha, Neb.
Throws: Left Bats: Right
Height: 6.02 Weight: 180

Willard Hunter was the most popular Ultimate Mets Database daily lookup on March 8, 2013, and January 16, 2019.

First Mets game: June 1, 1962
Last Mets game: October 4, 1964

Share your memories of Willard Hunter

HERE IS WHAT OTHER METS FANS HAVE TO SAY:

Scott
October 16, 2002
Lots of heart but little talent. Mets tried converting him from a starter to a reliever but to no avail. Never pitched again after 1964.

Ken Morrison
October 21, 2003
I recall watching the end of a game on TV from Wrigley Field-The Mets had just WON (on a Cliff Cook homer, I believe) and newcomer lefty Willard Hunter was the winning pitcher. I remember how fans and press alike jumped on the Hunter bandwagon, because, back then, ANY pitcher who got a win their first time out was perceived as the light who would lead us out of the losing darkness. Well, Willard dropped his next 6 decisions and became just another candle of hope extinguished with hurricane force that season. It was only 1 and 6, but was probably the 2nd greatest rise and fall that year, next to Craig Anderson, who was like 3-1 or 3-2 and dropped to 3-17

Bob P
July 4, 2005
Willard gave up a grand slam to Jim Davenport in his first appearance as a Met, which also happened to be the first game back in New York for the San Francisco Giants.

Kirk Cornwell
September 25, 2013
On a hot summer day in the early 50's, Willard was pitching semi-pro in Glens Falls, NY when a catcher's throw to second hit him square on the noggin. I remember the hush and the ambulance even though I was probably six or seven at the time. Willard had some serious small town heat.

William Budds
April 24, 2019
I remember August 1964 when Willard Hunter won both ends of a double header. A Met pitcher first. Also remember Murphy or Ralph mentioned his parents were at the game.