After a storied 16-season career with the Brooklyn and Los Angeles Dodgers, Edwin Donald "Duke" Snider embarked on the final chapters of his Major League Baseball journey with the New York Mets and the San Francisco Giants. Though his most celebrated years were behind him, Snider's time with these teams still saw him achieve significant personal milestones and offer glimpses of the talent that made him a Hall of Famer. These later years provided a different
perspective on his career, marked by new team colors and the inevitable march of time and injuries.
A Brief Stint with the New York Mets
In 1963, Duke Snider joined the New York Mets, a move that brought him back to the city where he had achieved so much fame with the Brooklyn Dodgers. Upon arriving, he found his familiar number 4 already assigned to Charlie Neal. Snider wore number 11 for the first half of the season but was able to switch back to number 4 after Neal was traded. His presence on the Mets roster was a sentimental favorite for many former Dodger fans who now rooted for the expansion team, offering a connection to a golden era of New York baseball.
During his single season with the Mets, Snider reached two notable career milestones. On April 16, 1963, he recorded his 2,000th career hit with a single off Jim Maloney of the Cincinnati Reds. Later that season, on June 14, he hit his 400th career home run, a first-inning blast off the Reds' Bob Purkey. These achievements underscored his enduring power and consistency at the plate. He was also selected for his eighth and final All-Star Game, entering as a pinch hitter in the ninth inning, though he struck out looking against Dick Radatz. For the season, Snider appeared in 129 games, batting .243 with 14 home runs and 45 RBIs, along with a .345 on-base percentage and a .401 slugging percentage.
The Final Season with the San Francisco Giants
Following his year with the Mets, Snider expressed a desire to be traded to a contending team. This led to his sale to the San Francisco Giants on Opening Day in 1964. Knowing that his iconic number 4 was retired by the Giants in honor of Hall of Famer Mel Ott, Snider chose to wear number 28. His time with the Giants was brief, marking his final season in professional baseball.
In 91 games with San Francisco, Snider posted a batting line of .210/.302/.323, hitting four home runs and driving in 17 RBIs. Notably, this was the only season in his career where he did not record any triples. He also accumulated 40 strikeouts and 22 walks. Defensively, he played in center field, right field, and left field, totaling 288.2 innings across 26 games in right, 18 in left, and other appearances in center. He finished with a .979 fielding percentage, making 44 putouts, two assists, and one error. At the conclusion of the 1964 season, Duke Snider retired from Major League Baseball, bringing an end to a remarkable career that saw him amass a lifetime .295 batting average, 2,116 hits, 1,259 runs, 407 home runs, and 1,333 RBIs. His journey through these final teams highlighted his resilience and continued pursuit of the game, even as his playing days wound down.
