Remembering Mets History (1965) Casey Stengel Retires from Managing
The previous night, Stengel was getting out of a friend’s car after a party; he fell & broke his hip. Two days later he needed surgery & had a metal ball inserted in the hip to reduce the fracture.
Due to his health issues & his age the long baseball career of Casey Stengel on the field, came to an end on July 30th, 1965. In a press conference at Shea Stadium, Stengel announced his retirement, stepping down as Mets manager.
He was to be named vice president of Mets West Coast operations. More a title than anything else, so he could be near his home in Glendale, California.
The Mets new manager was to be Wes Westrum. Westrum who had been a Mets coach, had taken over when Stengel broke his hip. He would now assume the role of full-time manager, the second skipper in team history. On September 2nd, 1965, the Mets retired Stengel’s uniform #37, the first Mets number to be retired.
The Mets new manager was to be Wes Westrum. Westrum who had been a Mets coach, had taken over when Stengel broke his hip. He would now assume the role of full-time manager, the second skipper in team history. On September 2nd, 1965, the Mets retired Stengel’s uniform #37, the first Mets number to be retired.