vintage table at the card show

After failing to locate any cool old cards in the dime box - or in any of the other boxes I rummaged through - I found a table with binders full of old cards.  I began my search... for Mets!  I figured, "Hey, pick up a few old Mets," and that will be my "vintage" achievement from the card show...  problem was, I couldn't find any!

After thinking about it, I believe the table was stationed by a guy who comes to the monthly show with his old cards (which were in pretty good - but not great - shape), and sells what he can.  So my thinking is that living in the tri-state area, somebody had cleaned out most/all of his Mets.  After spending a solid 20 minutes, going through about 10 different binders, Johnny Lewis is the only card I found.

Lewis played his only "full" major league baseball season in 1965 and smacked 15 homers that year (he finished his career with just 22).  He played mostly right field, but did start a number of games in center, as well.  Since he was gone after '67, he never got to share in the glory the Mets would finally achieve, and that's probably why I had not remembered his name when I saw the card.  (Also, the card dealer gave it to me for free, when he noticed the writing on it.)

My frustration growing from not finding any Mets, I leaped at the chance to grab one of the early Mets, two-time all star Ron Hunt.  Hunt finished 2nd in the NL rookie of the year voting that season - do you know who finished first?  (I didn't - had to look it up - it is a BIG name!)  He played just four seasons with the Mets, with only '63 and '64 being solid, he tailed off in '65 and '66, and wound up playing just one season - 1967 - for the Dodgers.

Starting in 1968, though, Hunt's career really took off.  Sort of.  He moved to the Giants, and proceeded to lead the league in the same category for the next SEVEN CONSECUTIVE SEASONS!  That is truly remarkable!  Can you name the stat?

So, my card show search for vintage Mets yielded a guy I had never heard of, and a ex-Met (not named Ryan) who would go on to rewrite the record books!