The photo above of the Bobbsey Twins (Bob “Righty” Miller and Bob “Lefty” Miller) comes from our friend Paul, who noted it was a wire photo dated May 8, 1962. The Mets were at Wrigley Field that day, as the scoreboard in the background should give away, and we won — a momentus occasion indeed.
One interesting fact that photo unfortunately doesn’t show is that on that day, the uniform Lefty Miller is wearing was No. 23 — and not the No.36 he’d be dressed in once he appeared in a Mets game. That’s because although Lefty Miller was obviously with the club — he’d only just been traded for two days before, from the Reds for Don Zimmer — by the time the Mets returned from this roadtrip Miller was assigned to the minors and Joe Christopher called up: He’d be wearing No. 23 when Miller returned.
The other gentleman in the photo — like the newest Met, Gary Matthews Jr. — is notable for having been one of 35 men who’ve played for the Mets, then someone else, then the Mets again. Few have made their second go-round significantly better than their first, but Bob Miller did, and we may as well hope Matthews can. Behold the list:
Frank Lary 1964 1965 17
Al Jackson 1962-65 1968-69 15/38
Jim Gosger 1969 1973-74 18/19, 5
Bob L. Miller 1962 1973-74 24/30
Ray Sadecki 1970-74 1977 33
Tim Foli 1970-71 1978-79 19
Mike Jorgensen 1970-71 1980-83 16/22
Dave Kingman 1975-77 1981-83 26
Rusty Staub 1972-75 1981-85 4, 10/10
Tom Seaver 1967-77 1983 41
Bill Almon 1980 1985 25/2
Lee Mazzilli 1976-81 1986-89 12, 16/13
Clint Hurdle 1983, 1985 1987 33/13/7
Alex Trevino 1978-81 1990 29/6
Hubie Brooks 1980-84 1991 62, 39, 7/7
Jeff McKnight 1989 1992-94 15/5, 7, 17, 18
Kevin McReynolds 1987-91 1994 22
Greg McMichael 1997-98 1998-99 36
Bobby Bonilla 1992-95 1999 25
Josias Manzanillo 1993-95 1999 39
Jeff Tam 1998 1999 38, 36/36
Bill Pulsipher 1995, 1998 2000 21/25
Lenny Harris 1998 2000-01 19
Pete Walker 1995 2001-02 49/43
Roger Cedeno 1999 2002-03 19
Jeromy Burnitz 1993-94 2002-03 5/20
Tsuyoshi Shinjo 2001 2003 5
David Cone 1987-92 2003 44, 17/16
Todd Zeile 2000-01 2004 9/27
Roberto Hernandez 2005 2006 39/49, 39
Kelly Stinnett 1994-95 2006 33/36
Marlon Anderson 2005 2007 18/23
Brady Clark 2002 2008 15/44
Anderson Hernandez 2005-07 2009 1, 4/11
