Happy 83rd birthday, Frank Thomas! Fifty years ago today, he was the starting left fielder in the Mets 3-1 victory over their expansion peers the Houston Colt .45’s. With Elio Chacon and Richie Ashburn also in the lineup, once more we pore over the game stats searching in vain for the yo la tengo moment. But with the late-inning substitution of Joe Christopher for Ashburn, we find the Mets fielding five players with last names that could be first names: Thomas, Christopher, Al Jackson, Sammy Taylor and Charlie Neal. An all-time record? We will let the historians among you sort that one out.
