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The New York Mets was formed on July 27, 1959 as part of the new Continental League that was proposed by Branch Rickey. The formation of the new Continental League was to rival the National League and American League for attendance. The Continental League had planned to start play in 1961 but the league was disbanded after Major League Baseball agreed to accept four of the franchises into the Major Leagues. The New York Mets was one of those four teams and was formally accepted into the Major Leagues on March 6, 1961. The Mets played their first game on April 11, 1962 against the St. Louis Cardinals and lost by a score of 11-4. The Mets did not win their first game until April 23 when they defeated the Pittsburgh Pirates by a score of 9-1.
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