I was watching the end of Game 2 of the 1969 World Series on MLB Network a day or so ago, and was intrigued by something that happened right at the end of the game.
When Jerry Koosman departed after 8 2/3 innings, pitching the Mets to within an out of victory, the Orioles fans IN BALTIMORE gave him a very loud and sincere ovation.
Perhaps they were happy because he was pulled from the game (Koosman allowed only one run and two hits), but it seemed to be more than that. Greg of Faith and Fear tells me that it was a custom of that time that the road pitcher would get cheered if he did well, and I have a vague recollection of that being so from my early days as a fan.
Anyway, I just thought it made for a cool moment, and it also got me to look up the most ovation-worthy Mets pitching performances. But let's go one further on the criteria and limit it strictly to ROAD GAMES.
In 1988, Bill James invented a stat called Game Score that evaluates starting pitching performance. An average score is a 50. A good game would be in the 70s. A really good one would be in the 80s. An extraordinary start would be in the 90s. An all-time unbelievable pitching performance is a 100, but those are very few and far between, as they should be.
The Mets have had 35 road postseason games. Thanks to Baseball-Reference, I can tell you that their best starting pitcher game scores in those are as follows:
89- Jon Matlack, 1973 NLCS Game 2 at Reds
Matlack pitched a two-hit shutout with nine strikeouts against the Big Red Machine to even that series at 1-1. Pete Rose, Joe Morgan, Johnny Bench and Tony Perez were a combined 0-for-16.
For those curious, Matlack's 89 is the highest-scoring Mets postseason start, edging the 2000 clinchers (Bobby Jones, LDS and Mike Hampton LCS) each by one point.
77- Jerry Koosman, 1969 WS Game 2 at Orioles
At first glance, a 12-point difference between Matlack's start and Koosman's seems rather stark, but...
- Matlack completed his two-hitter. Koosman did not.
- Matlack pitched a shutout. Koosman allowed a run.
- Matlack struck out nine. Koosman struck out four.
Game Score doesn't factor in that one was in the World Series and one was in the LCS, so there's no chance for Koosman to make up any ground there. If you wanted to call this the best Mets road postseason start, I'd be okay with it, though I'd actually like to see the Matlack one (hello, SNY?) to better gauge.
76- David Cone, 1988 NLCS Game 6 at Dodgers
This one was a season-saver, and though it doesn't make up for the debacle that was Cone's Game 2 showing, it was still pretty virtuous- a one-run, five-hit, 120-pitch complete game that pushed the series to a seventh game. Unfortunately, it set the stage for the road start that rates 2nd-worst in Mets history (more on that in a moment).
76- Tom Seaver, 1973 NLCS Game 1 at Reds
The best-pitched Mets road postseason loss was the opener of the LCS in which Tom Seaver was terrific for seven innings, but had disastrous blemishes in the eighth and ninth in the form of home runs by Pete Rose and Johnny Bench, the latter being a walk-off and the resultant 2-1 loss. His strikeout total for the game- a very unlucky 13.
70- Dwight Gooden, 1988 NLCS Game 1 at Dodgers
Overshadowed by the way the Mets rallied for three runs in the ninth against Orel Hershiser and Jay Howell was that Gooden pitched a darn good game- 7 innings, 2 runs, 4 hits, 10 strikeouts. I'm actually thinking that Gooden was better in Game 1 of the 1986 NLCS against the Astros in the 1-0 loss to Mike Scott, but the numbers rate this game as better.
As for the 3 worst, I'll address those with a list and a one-liner:
19- Steve Trachsel, 2006 NLCS Game 3 at Cardinals
23- Ron Darling, 1988 NLCS Game 7 at Dodgers
25- Al Leiter, 1999 NLCS Game 6 at Braves
I think it says a lot about just how horrendous those first two were that the Leiter start (and might we remind you that Leiter got NO OUTS and allowed FIVE RUNS) rated higher.
Tuesday, November 24, 2009
Friday, November 20, 2009
The Best Doubles I Know (Postseason)
When you think of the most memorable postseason moments in Mets history, doubles don't immediately come to mind. There have been no "grand-slam doubles" or walk-off doubles that would rank among the best-of-the best, and there have been a few postseasons bereft of any really important doubles.
But we're here to recognize the underappreciated, and with that, as a companion to what we previously wrote, we present our notes on those that were most Metmorable.
1969
Go figure that the first really, really significant double in Mets postseason history was hit by a pitcher, and one who finished his career with an .095 batting average. But in another of the many signs that 1969 was just meant to be, Gary Gentry, who was 6-for-74 with 52 strikeouts in the regular season, helped his own cause with a two-run double in the second inning of the eventual 5-0 win over the Orioles in Game 3. It's an oft-forgotten hit, lost in the heroics from Mets centerfielder Tommie Agee that day.
The hit that made the Mets World Series champs was also a double, this one by Ron Swoboda. It was a shot into the left field corner, which snapped a 3-3 eighth-inning tie against the Orioles in Game 5. This hit was overshadowed by Swoboda's other heroics in this series- the diving catch in the ninth inning of Game 4- though you could argue that this moment was just as significant. It's just not shown as often.
1986
A pair of doubles played an important role in the Mets Game 6 win over the Astros in the best NLCS there ever was. First up was Keith Hernandez's double, just beyond the reach of centerfielder Billy Hatcher in the ninth inning. That cut Houston's lead to 3-2 and ensured the departure of nemesis starter Bob Knepper.
Long after, in the 16th, it was a much shallower double, a roof-nearing blooper to center by Darryl Strawberry that preceded Ray Knight's go-ahead hit, that put the Mets ahead to stay.
1988
With the Dodgers outfield deeply defending, in Tim McCarver's words, against the Gary Carter of five years ago, it was inevitable that his liner to center on an 0-2 curve from Jay Howell would be just missed by Dodgers outfielder John Shelby, allowing both the tying and winning runs to score in the ninth inning of the Mets 3-2 Game 1 victory in the NLCS. That double would be recalled a lot more fondly had the Mets won the series.
In Game 3, it would be an eighth-inning double from Wally Backman that would tie things up in a wacky frame, which featured five Mets runs and an eventual 8-4 lead, and also witnessed the ejection of Dodgers reliever Jay Howell for having pine tar on his glove.
2000
Doubles were the scoring option of choice for the Mets in the final two games of the NLCS against the Cardinals. They'd hit four in a row to start the bottom of the first inning of Game 4, countering Jim Edmonds two-run home run in the top of the frame. After Benny Agbayani's double, the Mets, fifth of the inning, the hosts had a 4-2 edge and never looked back on the way to a 10-6 win.
The double I'll probably most remember was the stadium-shaker by Todd Zeile in the bottom of the fourth inning of Game 5. That ball to right center, which just missed being a grand slam, made a 3-0 lead a 6-0 laugher and set off what turned into a Shea Stadium victory party for the remainder of the evening. The floors beneath us in our seats along the left field line literally bounced from the vibrations of all the people enjoying the moment.
The Mets lone victory in the 2000 World Series came courtesy of a tiebreaking double by Benny Agbayani in the eighth inning of Game 3. It was another big hit in a season of clutchness for the man with a nice touch of Hawaiian punch.
But we're here to recognize the underappreciated, and with that, as a companion to what we previously wrote, we present our notes on those that were most Metmorable.
1969
Go figure that the first really, really significant double in Mets postseason history was hit by a pitcher, and one who finished his career with an .095 batting average. But in another of the many signs that 1969 was just meant to be, Gary Gentry, who was 6-for-74 with 52 strikeouts in the regular season, helped his own cause with a two-run double in the second inning of the eventual 5-0 win over the Orioles in Game 3. It's an oft-forgotten hit, lost in the heroics from Mets centerfielder Tommie Agee that day.
The hit that made the Mets World Series champs was also a double, this one by Ron Swoboda. It was a shot into the left field corner, which snapped a 3-3 eighth-inning tie against the Orioles in Game 5. This hit was overshadowed by Swoboda's other heroics in this series- the diving catch in the ninth inning of Game 4- though you could argue that this moment was just as significant. It's just not shown as often.
1986
A pair of doubles played an important role in the Mets Game 6 win over the Astros in the best NLCS there ever was. First up was Keith Hernandez's double, just beyond the reach of centerfielder Billy Hatcher in the ninth inning. That cut Houston's lead to 3-2 and ensured the departure of nemesis starter Bob Knepper.
Long after, in the 16th, it was a much shallower double, a roof-nearing blooper to center by Darryl Strawberry that preceded Ray Knight's go-ahead hit, that put the Mets ahead to stay.
1988
With the Dodgers outfield deeply defending, in Tim McCarver's words, against the Gary Carter of five years ago, it was inevitable that his liner to center on an 0-2 curve from Jay Howell would be just missed by Dodgers outfielder John Shelby, allowing both the tying and winning runs to score in the ninth inning of the Mets 3-2 Game 1 victory in the NLCS. That double would be recalled a lot more fondly had the Mets won the series.
In Game 3, it would be an eighth-inning double from Wally Backman that would tie things up in a wacky frame, which featured five Mets runs and an eventual 8-4 lead, and also witnessed the ejection of Dodgers reliever Jay Howell for having pine tar on his glove.
2000
Doubles were the scoring option of choice for the Mets in the final two games of the NLCS against the Cardinals. They'd hit four in a row to start the bottom of the first inning of Game 4, countering Jim Edmonds two-run home run in the top of the frame. After Benny Agbayani's double, the Mets, fifth of the inning, the hosts had a 4-2 edge and never looked back on the way to a 10-6 win.
The double I'll probably most remember was the stadium-shaker by Todd Zeile in the bottom of the fourth inning of Game 5. That ball to right center, which just missed being a grand slam, made a 3-0 lead a 6-0 laugher and set off what turned into a Shea Stadium victory party for the remainder of the evening. The floors beneath us in our seats along the left field line literally bounced from the vibrations of all the people enjoying the moment.
The Mets lone victory in the 2000 World Series came courtesy of a tiebreaking double by Benny Agbayani in the eighth inning of Game 3. It was another big hit in a season of clutchness for the man with a nice touch of Hawaiian punch.
Wednesday, November 18, 2009
Walk Off Origins
The magazine Mental Floss does a feature in which they find the inauguaral references to phrases within the New York Times. That seemed like a cool thing to do, so I did it for "walk-off."
The problem is that entering that phrase didn't guarantee the results I wanted, but it provided some interesting findings, which I'll share here...
Indians Calmly Walk Off
February 19, 1887 edition
The Jicarilla Apaches left their reservation in southern New Mexico for one in southwest Colorado. "Trouble between the Indians and the settlers is anticipated," the newspaper reported.
Headline: Gen Walkoff Resigns As Sofia War Minister
January 3, 1929 edition
Apparently the Bulgarian Minister of War, General Walkoff (first name not given, unless it's 'General') and the premier of Bulgaria had a disagreement regarding Walkoffs feelings about a group of Macedonian revolutionaries (Walkoff liked them, the premier didn't). In return, Walkoff was named Minister to Rome. A google search found no further mentions of this man, whom I'd like to know more about.
Robins 5 in Ninth Beat the Cubs, 6-5
Four Passes in Last Frame Enable Robbie's Men Literally to Walk-Off With Game
May 24, 1925 edition
The Robins, later to be known as the Dodgers did stage an epic comeback to beat the Cubs. However, this was only referred to as a "walk-off" because of the number of bases on balls. As it turned out, the Robins were the visiting team.
One funny excerpt from the end of the piece: "The news system of three umpires at all games is a great idea," remarked one fan. "Two burglars and a lookout."
Skidding Yankees Lose Fourth in Row, 5-2
Senators Simply Walk Off With Game As Beall Mixes 9 Passes With 6 Hits
August 13, 1926 edition
And you thought today's media was harsh. Here's the lead to this piece from James Harrison.
"Behind the grotesque efforts of Walter Beall..."
The story goes on to tell how Beall once balked by throwing to first base, with runners on first and second, not realizing that Lou Gehrig was not holding the runner on. Grotesque indeed.
There's also the tale of Hall of Fame pitcher Waite Hoyt being upset about being pulled from a poor pitching effort recently. Hoyt was fined for issuing "harsh and insubordinate words" towards manager Miller Huggins. "The rate was $200 a gesture."
Wrote Harrison: "Huggins, as a matter of fact, should have been fined $200 for leaving Waite in as long as he did."
----
The May 8, 2005 edition of William Safire's "On Language" column in the Magazine section notes the first intended usage. We've referenced it previously, but will note it here too.
Dennis Eckersley coined the term in an article from the Gannett News Service on July 30, 1988: "In Dennis Eckersley's colorful vocabulary, a walk-off piece is a home run that wins the game and the pitcher walks off the mound."
The problem is that entering that phrase didn't guarantee the results I wanted, but it provided some interesting findings, which I'll share here...
Indians Calmly Walk Off
February 19, 1887 edition
The Jicarilla Apaches left their reservation in southern New Mexico for one in southwest Colorado. "Trouble between the Indians and the settlers is anticipated," the newspaper reported.
Headline: Gen Walkoff Resigns As Sofia War Minister
January 3, 1929 edition
Apparently the Bulgarian Minister of War, General Walkoff (first name not given, unless it's 'General') and the premier of Bulgaria had a disagreement regarding Walkoffs feelings about a group of Macedonian revolutionaries (Walkoff liked them, the premier didn't). In return, Walkoff was named Minister to Rome. A google search found no further mentions of this man, whom I'd like to know more about.
Robins 5 in Ninth Beat the Cubs, 6-5
Four Passes in Last Frame Enable Robbie's Men Literally to Walk-Off With Game
May 24, 1925 edition
The Robins, later to be known as the Dodgers did stage an epic comeback to beat the Cubs. However, this was only referred to as a "walk-off" because of the number of bases on balls. As it turned out, the Robins were the visiting team.
One funny excerpt from the end of the piece: "The news system of three umpires at all games is a great idea," remarked one fan. "Two burglars and a lookout."
Skidding Yankees Lose Fourth in Row, 5-2
Senators Simply Walk Off With Game As Beall Mixes 9 Passes With 6 Hits
August 13, 1926 edition
And you thought today's media was harsh. Here's the lead to this piece from James Harrison.
"Behind the grotesque efforts of Walter Beall..."
The story goes on to tell how Beall once balked by throwing to first base, with runners on first and second, not realizing that Lou Gehrig was not holding the runner on. Grotesque indeed.
There's also the tale of Hall of Fame pitcher Waite Hoyt being upset about being pulled from a poor pitching effort recently. Hoyt was fined for issuing "harsh and insubordinate words" towards manager Miller Huggins. "The rate was $200 a gesture."
Wrote Harrison: "Huggins, as a matter of fact, should have been fined $200 for leaving Waite in as long as he did."
----
The May 8, 2005 edition of William Safire's "On Language" column in the Magazine section notes the first intended usage. We've referenced it previously, but will note it here too.
Dennis Eckersley coined the term in an article from the Gannett News Service on July 30, 1988: "In Dennis Eckersley's colorful vocabulary, a walk-off piece is a home run that wins the game and the pitcher walks off the mound."
Monday, November 16, 2009
The Best Doubles I Know
The Mets have hit nearly twice as many doubles as they've hit home runs. They've launched, blooped, popped and lined 11,179 in regular season play over their 48-year history. We didn't want to get rankled by another set of rankings, so we're going to go rating-free on this list- the most Metmorable regular season doubles in team history. We'll follow up with a look at the best ones from postseason play in the near-future. Enjoy.
The First (April 11, 1962)
The first Mets double was hit by the first Mets shortstop, Felix Mantilla, in the Mets first game on April 11, 1962. It came against Cardinals pitcher Larry Jackson with one out in the seventh inning and the Mets trailing, 10-4. Mantilla was also the first Met to draw a walk, which he did in the third inning of that same game, and the first Met to be the last out of a game, a grounder to third base two innings later.
True Metophiles know...The 1,000th double in Mets history was hit by Jerry Grote in Game 2 of a doubleheader against the Cardinals on July 16, 1967. Also worth noting, via the book This Date in Mets History- both Grote and Cleon Jones got their 1,000th career hits, both doubles, against Pirates pitcher Jim Rooker.
The Standard-Setter (May 14, 1964)
Dick Smith had 144 plate appearances in his two seasons as a Met, and hit a rather pathetic .228. But he made the most of every one of his 31 hits. There were eight that were particularly meaningful. The five he had on May 26, 1964 in a 19-1 rout of the Cubs, making him the first Met with five hits in a game, are most known, because of the famous story about the Mets fan making a call to find out the Mets scored 19 runs. But did they win, the fan asked?
They won that day, and they also won on May 14 of that season. Undaunted by facing Braves starter Warren Spahn, Smith became the first Met with three doubles in a game. Two came against Spahn and the other was against Spahn's future Hall of Fame mate, Phil Niekro.
Two dozen Mets since then have managed three doubles in a game, but Smith still shares a place in the record books, because none has reached quadruple-double status.
True Metophiles know...Jose Reyes and Carlos Beltran are the only Mets to have twice had three doubles in a game. Nick Evans had three doubles in his first major league game on May 24, 2008.
The Perfect Ending (September 30, 1966)
One of the final games of the 1966 baseball season is a forgotten gem in Mets history. People remember the fine game thrown against the Mets by Reds starter Jim Maloney, who struck out 18 and had a no-hit bid spoiled in extra innings by a Johnny Lewis home run.
But they forget how the Mets were nearly perfectoed by young Astros starter Larry Dierker in this contest.
Dierker had a perfect game for eight innings, but the Astros couldn't score against Jack Fisher, so the teams were deadlocked, 0-0 in the home ninth. Light-hitting shortstop Eddie Bressoud led off the inning with a double, much to the consternation of those in the Astros dugout, who felt that an error on left fielder Lee Maye, who gloved, but couldn't hang on to Bressoud's ball, was warranted in order to keep the no-no alive. No dice.
The ball was ruled a double, the Mets first hit of the game. Rattled, Dierker followed that up with a wild pitch, than gave up a walk-off single to Mets second baseman Ron Hunt.
True Metophiles know...Joe Christopher holds the club record for consecutive games with a double, with 6. The streak spanned from August 14-18, 1964. Daryl Boston, Jeff Kent and Roger Cedeno, all had streaks of five straight games as Mets.
The Destiny (July 8, 1969)
Though it was a walk-off single by Ed Kranepool that capped a three-run game-winning rally in the ninth inning against the Cubs, it was the three doubles that preceded it which were most vital to the cause.
The Mets trailed 3-1 in the ninth when Ken Boswell led off with a bloop to center. The trio of centerfielder Don Young, shortstop Don Kessinger, and second baseman Glenn Beckert all chased it down, but could not make a play on it. Young got another chance to make a play, on Donn Clendenon's deep drive to left center, but could not hang onto the ball as he hit the fence.
Cleon Jones would make the Cubs pay for their miscues with a clean double into the left field corner, scoring two to tie the game, and set the stage for Kranepool's winner.
True Metophiles know...The Mets have hit 27 walk-off doubles in their history. David Wright is the only Met with two, though you could make a case for Ed Kranepool, who has one, plus another double on which a winning run scored thanks to an error by Cubs centerfielder (of no-hitter break-up fame) Joe Wallis.
Among the cooler walk-off doubles: a 3-run pinch-double by John Stephenson to beat the Dodgers in 1965, and a walk-off double by Rusty Staub to beat the Expos on the final day of the 1983 season.
The Latest (May 24, 1973 AND July 4, 1985)
When we use the word latest, we're talking time of day, and we're guessing there were no doubles hit later, by East Coast time, than the two the Mets hit in the 19th inning of their May, 1973 win on the West Coast against the Dodgers. The game ended at 4:45 AM New York Time, so we'd estimate that the go-ahead double by Rusty Staub (his fifth hit of the game), and the subsequent two-run double by Ed Kranepool came a few minutes prior.
In a season filled with both Amazin' wins and losses, this was one of the statistically odder ones, as the Dodgers managed 19 hits against the Mets, including six by Willie Davis, but none were for extra bases. Tug McGraw's five innings of shutout relief were followed by scoreless frames from victor, George Stone. The Dodgers stranded 22 and somehow went 1-for-18 with runners in scoring position.
Of course, if we're going to talk about late great baseball shows, we must reference the 16-13 Fireworks Night '85 festival in Atlanta, prolonged by rain, and Rick Camp, among others. After Camp's improbably ridiculous home run tied the game in the 18th, Ray Knight's double drove in the first of five in a 19th-inning outburst that the Braves tried to match, but could not. That game came up a little short on the lateness scale, ending at 3:55 AM, but deserves acknowledgement nonetheless.
True Metophiles know...The latest Mets double, by inning, was by Dave Schneck, in the 24th inning of a 25-inning 4-3 loss to the Cardinals on September 11, 1974.
The Ball On The Wall (September 20, 1973)
There were two very critical doubles in the Mets-Pirates first place battle on this date, a game known best by the nickname stated above. The first was the game-tier by Mets pinch-hitter Duffy Dyer with two outs in the ninth inning, which was just about as important in season-saving as the next one, but is overlooked because of what happened.
The other double is perhaps the most famous double hit against the Mets- Dave Augustine's fly ball off the very top of the left field fence in the 13th inning. Had it cleared the wall, the Pirates would have been ahead, but instead, a fortunate carom to Cleon Jones resulted in Richie Zisk being thrown out at the plate. The Mets would gain a vital victory in the home half, without a double, on a Ron Hodges RBI hit.
True Metophiles know...Pete Rose has the most regular season doubles against the Mets with 64.
The Strawberry (September 6, 1985)
If you were going to rate Mets doubles by which were most critical to the team's standing, the previously-mentioned Duffy Dyer would probably rate first, just ahead of this one.
This wasn't quite Warren Spahn and Juan Marichal dueling for 16 innings of scoreless baseball, but the Dwight Gooden-Fernando Valenzuela matchup made for a nice poor man's version of that contest. Gooden kept the Dodgers off the board for nine, striking out 10, while escaping a bases-loaded no-outs jam in the eighth. Valenzuela had half as many whiffs, but lasted for 11 scoreless frames before finally being pulled.
The Mets would finally win in the 13th inning on Darryl Strawberry's two-run ground-rule double against Tom Niedenfuer. It would not be the last big hit that Niedenfuer gave up that season.
True Metophiles know...David Wright has led the Mets in doubles in 5 straight seasons. The last Met to lead the team in doubles prior to Wright was Kaz Matsui, 2004
The Wild One (June 16, 1989)
In this game, the Mets led the Phillies, 8-5, at the end of the first quarter. Actually, it was the end of the first inning, but when both teams finish with double-digit scoring, I tend to get a little confused.
Go figure that David Cone couldn't pitch well with an 8-0 lead. By the time he'd leave in the third, it was 9-7, and not long thereafter, it was 10-9 bad guys, and the damn thing that looked to be a sure thing now looked bitterly unpleasant. The weather didn't help, as the game featured a pair of rain delays, totaling 2 hours and 49 minutes.
As was their style in this era, the Mets rallied, both from deficits of 10-9 and 11-10, to win. Mackey Sasser's two-run double in the eighth against Steve Bedrosian was the difference maker in a 15-11 triumph.
True Metophiles know...The only Met to lead the National League in doubles was Gregg Jefferies, who had 40 in 1990. Bobby Bonilla, Keith Hernandez, and Rusty Staub all led the NL in doubles at some point in their careers, but not while they were Mets.
The Streak-Ender (July 28, 1993)
A moment that probably wouldn't crack the top 500 baseball days of Eddie Murray's Hall of Fame career would rank No. 1 on any list compiled by Anthony Young.
Young was on the hook for loss number 28 in a row, with the Mets trailing the Marlins, 4-3 in the ninth inning. Young had allowed the go-ahead run in the top of the frame though it should have been charged to the team instead of him. The Marlins had loaded the bases with nobody out on a single and a pair of botched bunts. Young coaxed a 5-2-3 double play from Rich Renteria, but Chuck Carr's bunt hit put Florida ahead.
The Mets would rally to tie on Ryan Thompson's RBI single in the bottom of the frame, and Thompson was fast enough to score the winner on Murray's double to right field.
True Metophiles know...Choo Choo Coleman once went 100 straight games played (from 1962 to 1966) WITHOUT hitting a double for the Mets. In 1963, Coleman had 277 plate appearances with no doubles. Only Herman Pitz (1890, 346 PA) and Rafael Belliard (1988, 321 PA) had more plate appearances in a season without a double.
The Pedro (June 3, 1997)
One of the neat things about a project such as this, is finding the stories of games you'd completely forgotten about. This one is a great example, a fantastic pitchers duel between Mets starter Bobby Jones and an up-and-comer on the Expos named Pedro Martinez.
The game was scoreless in the top of the eighth when the Expos broke through against the then 9-2 Jones, on a walk, a sacrifice, and a double by Rondell White. That would seem to have been enough for Martinez who would finish with 12 strikeouts, half coming when he struck out the side in the sixth and seventh innings.
But Matt Franco fixed things quickly with a game-tying home run leading off the home eighth. Martinez would get two more strikeouts, but he'd also put two on base, putting manager Felipe Alou in a Grady Little-like position with Carlos Baerga coming up. Alou stuck with Pedro and Baerga made him pay, with a go-ahead double to right field.
John Franco finished the Expos off in the ninth and the Mets had themselves a great comeback win.
True Metophiles know...Half of Pedro Martinez's six career doubles came for the Mets.
The mustached one (June 9, 1999)
Mets fans tend to remember June 9, 1999 contest against the Blue Jays as the game that Bobby Valentine, after being ejected, returned to the dugout with a mustache disguise. Perhaps it should be remembered for the manner in which the Mets tied the game that night.
The hosts were down 3-0 with two outs in the ninth inning before rallying against Blue Jays starter David Wells. A two-run single by Robin Ventura brought the Mets to within a run, and then Brian McRae lined a game-tying double down the left field line against Blue Jays closer Billy Koch. It was the only Mets extra-base hit that day. They'd win much later, in the 14th, on a walk-off single by Rey Ordonez.
True Metophiles know...Former Blue Jays outfielder Shannon Stewart holds the record for most doubles in a game AGAINST the Mets. He had four in an 11-7 Mets win on July 18, 2000.
The Most (September 27, 2001)
Sandwiched in-between the two series against the Braves that ended the run of the never-say-die 2001 Mets was a three-game sweep of the Expos in Montreal. The finale was a game in which the Mets drove their fans batty early, than drove the Expos batty late.
Bruce Chen's encore to his fine performance on September 21 (the Mike Piazza home run to beat the Braves game) was not as fortunate. It was a debacle. In three innings, Chen allowed six runs, and put the Mets in a four-run hole.
The visitors rallied piecemeal, with two runs in the sixth, a run in the seventh, two more in the eighth, and than five in the ninth. The key hit was a Desi Relaford two-run leads-changing home run in the eighth inning against future Met Scott Strickland.
Not quite as important comparatively than, but noteworthy now, was the club record the Mets set that day. They finished with 10 doubles. Relaford had two, in a relief effort of offensively-challenged shortstop Rey Ordonez, and Matt Lawton and Jay Payton had a pair as well. Edgardo Alfonzo, Mark Johnson, Robin Ventura and Mike Piazza had one apiece.
Piazza's pinch-two bagger gave the Mets a tie for the previous club mark of eight, set against the Cubs in 1990, and drove in three very big insurance runs. Relaford got the record-breaker two batters later, and Lawton got the Mets to double digits immediately thereafter.
True Metophiles know that the Mets team record for consecutive games with a double is 30, set in 2001.
The 10,000th (April 7, 2006)
This was a day for round numbers- the 7,000th game in Mets history featured the 10,000th double, a fourth-inning shot by starter and winner Steve Trachsel, who pitched six very stellar (and reasonably speedy) innings of one run, three-hit ball in a 9-3 win over the Marlins. Among the more notable hits in support of the victory- a 470-foot home run by David Wright.
True Metophiles know...Ron Darling is the Mets all-time leader in doubles by a pitcher with 20, three more than Tom Seaver, and 15 more than Steve Trachsel.
The One And Only (Assorted dates)
Five players had a double for their only hit as a Met. My favorite of those is Ross Jones, because it was a walk-off against Al Holland and the Phillies on April 28, 1984, but I don't want to shortchange the rest of the quintet.
Jack Aker had a double, scored a run, and earned the save in a 5-2 Mets win over the Dodgers on July 12, 1974, noteworthy because the Mets beat Tommy John, who entered with a 13-2 record.
Mike Bishop's lone major league hit in eight trips as a Mets shortstop was a double as part of a four-run second inning in a 7-5 win over the Pirates in Game 2 of a doubleheader on April 20, 1983. The Mets would snag a victory on Mookie Wilson's eighth-inning RBI hit. Game 1 was of greater note: Tom Seaver's first win in his return to the Mets, a 6-0 three-hit shutout.
Brook Fordyce played four games as a Met and started none, so we'll forgive you for not remembering his tenure, the only positive memory of which was a sixth-inning double off Jeff Fassero on May 12, 1995, for his first big league hit.
Dae-Sung Koo's two at-bats as a Met were extraordinarily contradictory. In his first, he could barely stand in the batter's box when he was whiffed by Reds reliever Todd Coffey. In his second, facing Randy Johnson and the Yankees on May 21, 2005, Koo clouted a memorable double to dead center, and his safe slide home on Jose Reyes bunt groundout was rather memorable as well.
True Metophiles know..The most doubles by a Met, who never hit a triple is 51, by Willie Montanez. The most doubles by a Met who never hit a home run is 25, by Alex Trevino. The most doubles by a Met who never hit a single for them is 2, by Brian Daubach.
The First (April 11, 1962)
The first Mets double was hit by the first Mets shortstop, Felix Mantilla, in the Mets first game on April 11, 1962. It came against Cardinals pitcher Larry Jackson with one out in the seventh inning and the Mets trailing, 10-4. Mantilla was also the first Met to draw a walk, which he did in the third inning of that same game, and the first Met to be the last out of a game, a grounder to third base two innings later.
True Metophiles know...The 1,000th double in Mets history was hit by Jerry Grote in Game 2 of a doubleheader against the Cardinals on July 16, 1967. Also worth noting, via the book This Date in Mets History- both Grote and Cleon Jones got their 1,000th career hits, both doubles, against Pirates pitcher Jim Rooker.
The Standard-Setter (May 14, 1964)
Dick Smith had 144 plate appearances in his two seasons as a Met, and hit a rather pathetic .228. But he made the most of every one of his 31 hits. There were eight that were particularly meaningful. The five he had on May 26, 1964 in a 19-1 rout of the Cubs, making him the first Met with five hits in a game, are most known, because of the famous story about the Mets fan making a call to find out the Mets scored 19 runs. But did they win, the fan asked?
They won that day, and they also won on May 14 of that season. Undaunted by facing Braves starter Warren Spahn, Smith became the first Met with three doubles in a game. Two came against Spahn and the other was against Spahn's future Hall of Fame mate, Phil Niekro.
Two dozen Mets since then have managed three doubles in a game, but Smith still shares a place in the record books, because none has reached quadruple-double status.
True Metophiles know...Jose Reyes and Carlos Beltran are the only Mets to have twice had three doubles in a game. Nick Evans had three doubles in his first major league game on May 24, 2008.
The Perfect Ending (September 30, 1966)
One of the final games of the 1966 baseball season is a forgotten gem in Mets history. People remember the fine game thrown against the Mets by Reds starter Jim Maloney, who struck out 18 and had a no-hit bid spoiled in extra innings by a Johnny Lewis home run.
But they forget how the Mets were nearly perfectoed by young Astros starter Larry Dierker in this contest.
Dierker had a perfect game for eight innings, but the Astros couldn't score against Jack Fisher, so the teams were deadlocked, 0-0 in the home ninth. Light-hitting shortstop Eddie Bressoud led off the inning with a double, much to the consternation of those in the Astros dugout, who felt that an error on left fielder Lee Maye, who gloved, but couldn't hang on to Bressoud's ball, was warranted in order to keep the no-no alive. No dice.
The ball was ruled a double, the Mets first hit of the game. Rattled, Dierker followed that up with a wild pitch, than gave up a walk-off single to Mets second baseman Ron Hunt.
True Metophiles know...Joe Christopher holds the club record for consecutive games with a double, with 6. The streak spanned from August 14-18, 1964. Daryl Boston, Jeff Kent and Roger Cedeno, all had streaks of five straight games as Mets.
The Destiny (July 8, 1969)
Though it was a walk-off single by Ed Kranepool that capped a three-run game-winning rally in the ninth inning against the Cubs, it was the three doubles that preceded it which were most vital to the cause.
The Mets trailed 3-1 in the ninth when Ken Boswell led off with a bloop to center. The trio of centerfielder Don Young, shortstop Don Kessinger, and second baseman Glenn Beckert all chased it down, but could not make a play on it. Young got another chance to make a play, on Donn Clendenon's deep drive to left center, but could not hang onto the ball as he hit the fence.
Cleon Jones would make the Cubs pay for their miscues with a clean double into the left field corner, scoring two to tie the game, and set the stage for Kranepool's winner.
True Metophiles know...The Mets have hit 27 walk-off doubles in their history. David Wright is the only Met with two, though you could make a case for Ed Kranepool, who has one, plus another double on which a winning run scored thanks to an error by Cubs centerfielder (of no-hitter break-up fame) Joe Wallis.
Among the cooler walk-off doubles: a 3-run pinch-double by John Stephenson to beat the Dodgers in 1965, and a walk-off double by Rusty Staub to beat the Expos on the final day of the 1983 season.
The Latest (May 24, 1973 AND July 4, 1985)
When we use the word latest, we're talking time of day, and we're guessing there were no doubles hit later, by East Coast time, than the two the Mets hit in the 19th inning of their May, 1973 win on the West Coast against the Dodgers. The game ended at 4:45 AM New York Time, so we'd estimate that the go-ahead double by Rusty Staub (his fifth hit of the game), and the subsequent two-run double by Ed Kranepool came a few minutes prior.
In a season filled with both Amazin' wins and losses, this was one of the statistically odder ones, as the Dodgers managed 19 hits against the Mets, including six by Willie Davis, but none were for extra bases. Tug McGraw's five innings of shutout relief were followed by scoreless frames from victor, George Stone. The Dodgers stranded 22 and somehow went 1-for-18 with runners in scoring position.
Of course, if we're going to talk about late great baseball shows, we must reference the 16-13 Fireworks Night '85 festival in Atlanta, prolonged by rain, and Rick Camp, among others. After Camp's improbably ridiculous home run tied the game in the 18th, Ray Knight's double drove in the first of five in a 19th-inning outburst that the Braves tried to match, but could not. That game came up a little short on the lateness scale, ending at 3:55 AM, but deserves acknowledgement nonetheless.
True Metophiles know...The latest Mets double, by inning, was by Dave Schneck, in the 24th inning of a 25-inning 4-3 loss to the Cardinals on September 11, 1974.
The Ball On The Wall (September 20, 1973)
There were two very critical doubles in the Mets-Pirates first place battle on this date, a game known best by the nickname stated above. The first was the game-tier by Mets pinch-hitter Duffy Dyer with two outs in the ninth inning, which was just about as important in season-saving as the next one, but is overlooked because of what happened.
The other double is perhaps the most famous double hit against the Mets- Dave Augustine's fly ball off the very top of the left field fence in the 13th inning. Had it cleared the wall, the Pirates would have been ahead, but instead, a fortunate carom to Cleon Jones resulted in Richie Zisk being thrown out at the plate. The Mets would gain a vital victory in the home half, without a double, on a Ron Hodges RBI hit.
True Metophiles know...Pete Rose has the most regular season doubles against the Mets with 64.
The Strawberry (September 6, 1985)
If you were going to rate Mets doubles by which were most critical to the team's standing, the previously-mentioned Duffy Dyer would probably rate first, just ahead of this one.
This wasn't quite Warren Spahn and Juan Marichal dueling for 16 innings of scoreless baseball, but the Dwight Gooden-Fernando Valenzuela matchup made for a nice poor man's version of that contest. Gooden kept the Dodgers off the board for nine, striking out 10, while escaping a bases-loaded no-outs jam in the eighth. Valenzuela had half as many whiffs, but lasted for 11 scoreless frames before finally being pulled.
The Mets would finally win in the 13th inning on Darryl Strawberry's two-run ground-rule double against Tom Niedenfuer. It would not be the last big hit that Niedenfuer gave up that season.
True Metophiles know...David Wright has led the Mets in doubles in 5 straight seasons. The last Met to lead the team in doubles prior to Wright was Kaz Matsui, 2004
The Wild One (June 16, 1989)
In this game, the Mets led the Phillies, 8-5, at the end of the first quarter. Actually, it was the end of the first inning, but when both teams finish with double-digit scoring, I tend to get a little confused.
Go figure that David Cone couldn't pitch well with an 8-0 lead. By the time he'd leave in the third, it was 9-7, and not long thereafter, it was 10-9 bad guys, and the damn thing that looked to be a sure thing now looked bitterly unpleasant. The weather didn't help, as the game featured a pair of rain delays, totaling 2 hours and 49 minutes.
As was their style in this era, the Mets rallied, both from deficits of 10-9 and 11-10, to win. Mackey Sasser's two-run double in the eighth against Steve Bedrosian was the difference maker in a 15-11 triumph.
True Metophiles know...The only Met to lead the National League in doubles was Gregg Jefferies, who had 40 in 1990. Bobby Bonilla, Keith Hernandez, and Rusty Staub all led the NL in doubles at some point in their careers, but not while they were Mets.
The Streak-Ender (July 28, 1993)
A moment that probably wouldn't crack the top 500 baseball days of Eddie Murray's Hall of Fame career would rank No. 1 on any list compiled by Anthony Young.
Young was on the hook for loss number 28 in a row, with the Mets trailing the Marlins, 4-3 in the ninth inning. Young had allowed the go-ahead run in the top of the frame though it should have been charged to the team instead of him. The Marlins had loaded the bases with nobody out on a single and a pair of botched bunts. Young coaxed a 5-2-3 double play from Rich Renteria, but Chuck Carr's bunt hit put Florida ahead.
The Mets would rally to tie on Ryan Thompson's RBI single in the bottom of the frame, and Thompson was fast enough to score the winner on Murray's double to right field.
True Metophiles know...Choo Choo Coleman once went 100 straight games played (from 1962 to 1966) WITHOUT hitting a double for the Mets. In 1963, Coleman had 277 plate appearances with no doubles. Only Herman Pitz (1890, 346 PA) and Rafael Belliard (1988, 321 PA) had more plate appearances in a season without a double.
The Pedro (June 3, 1997)
One of the neat things about a project such as this, is finding the stories of games you'd completely forgotten about. This one is a great example, a fantastic pitchers duel between Mets starter Bobby Jones and an up-and-comer on the Expos named Pedro Martinez.
The game was scoreless in the top of the eighth when the Expos broke through against the then 9-2 Jones, on a walk, a sacrifice, and a double by Rondell White. That would seem to have been enough for Martinez who would finish with 12 strikeouts, half coming when he struck out the side in the sixth and seventh innings.
But Matt Franco fixed things quickly with a game-tying home run leading off the home eighth. Martinez would get two more strikeouts, but he'd also put two on base, putting manager Felipe Alou in a Grady Little-like position with Carlos Baerga coming up. Alou stuck with Pedro and Baerga made him pay, with a go-ahead double to right field.
John Franco finished the Expos off in the ninth and the Mets had themselves a great comeback win.
True Metophiles know...Half of Pedro Martinez's six career doubles came for the Mets.
The mustached one (June 9, 1999)
Mets fans tend to remember June 9, 1999 contest against the Blue Jays as the game that Bobby Valentine, after being ejected, returned to the dugout with a mustache disguise. Perhaps it should be remembered for the manner in which the Mets tied the game that night.
The hosts were down 3-0 with two outs in the ninth inning before rallying against Blue Jays starter David Wells. A two-run single by Robin Ventura brought the Mets to within a run, and then Brian McRae lined a game-tying double down the left field line against Blue Jays closer Billy Koch. It was the only Mets extra-base hit that day. They'd win much later, in the 14th, on a walk-off single by Rey Ordonez.
True Metophiles know...Former Blue Jays outfielder Shannon Stewart holds the record for most doubles in a game AGAINST the Mets. He had four in an 11-7 Mets win on July 18, 2000.
The Most (September 27, 2001)
Sandwiched in-between the two series against the Braves that ended the run of the never-say-die 2001 Mets was a three-game sweep of the Expos in Montreal. The finale was a game in which the Mets drove their fans batty early, than drove the Expos batty late.
Bruce Chen's encore to his fine performance on September 21 (the Mike Piazza home run to beat the Braves game) was not as fortunate. It was a debacle. In three innings, Chen allowed six runs, and put the Mets in a four-run hole.
The visitors rallied piecemeal, with two runs in the sixth, a run in the seventh, two more in the eighth, and than five in the ninth. The key hit was a Desi Relaford two-run leads-changing home run in the eighth inning against future Met Scott Strickland.
Not quite as important comparatively than, but noteworthy now, was the club record the Mets set that day. They finished with 10 doubles. Relaford had two, in a relief effort of offensively-challenged shortstop Rey Ordonez, and Matt Lawton and Jay Payton had a pair as well. Edgardo Alfonzo, Mark Johnson, Robin Ventura and Mike Piazza had one apiece.
Piazza's pinch-two bagger gave the Mets a tie for the previous club mark of eight, set against the Cubs in 1990, and drove in three very big insurance runs. Relaford got the record-breaker two batters later, and Lawton got the Mets to double digits immediately thereafter.
True Metophiles know that the Mets team record for consecutive games with a double is 30, set in 2001.
The 10,000th (April 7, 2006)
This was a day for round numbers- the 7,000th game in Mets history featured the 10,000th double, a fourth-inning shot by starter and winner Steve Trachsel, who pitched six very stellar (and reasonably speedy) innings of one run, three-hit ball in a 9-3 win over the Marlins. Among the more notable hits in support of the victory- a 470-foot home run by David Wright.
True Metophiles know...Ron Darling is the Mets all-time leader in doubles by a pitcher with 20, three more than Tom Seaver, and 15 more than Steve Trachsel.
The One And Only (Assorted dates)
Five players had a double for their only hit as a Met. My favorite of those is Ross Jones, because it was a walk-off against Al Holland and the Phillies on April 28, 1984, but I don't want to shortchange the rest of the quintet.
Jack Aker had a double, scored a run, and earned the save in a 5-2 Mets win over the Dodgers on July 12, 1974, noteworthy because the Mets beat Tommy John, who entered with a 13-2 record.
Mike Bishop's lone major league hit in eight trips as a Mets shortstop was a double as part of a four-run second inning in a 7-5 win over the Pirates in Game 2 of a doubleheader on April 20, 1983. The Mets would snag a victory on Mookie Wilson's eighth-inning RBI hit. Game 1 was of greater note: Tom Seaver's first win in his return to the Mets, a 6-0 three-hit shutout.
Brook Fordyce played four games as a Met and started none, so we'll forgive you for not remembering his tenure, the only positive memory of which was a sixth-inning double off Jeff Fassero on May 12, 1995, for his first big league hit.
Dae-Sung Koo's two at-bats as a Met were extraordinarily contradictory. In his first, he could barely stand in the batter's box when he was whiffed by Reds reliever Todd Coffey. In his second, facing Randy Johnson and the Yankees on May 21, 2005, Koo clouted a memorable double to dead center, and his safe slide home on Jose Reyes bunt groundout was rather memorable as well.
True Metophiles know..The most doubles by a Met, who never hit a triple is 51, by Willie Montanez. The most doubles by a Met who never hit a home run is 25, by Alex Trevino. The most doubles by a Met who never hit a single for them is 2, by Brian Daubach.
Saturday, November 14, 2009
Frequently Asked Mets-tions
I've been getting a lot of searches from Bing and Google recently.
I'm going to try to answer the questions posed by those people so that if they ever search again, they'll end up finding what they're looking for. Hopefully this will help others out as well. I'll put the newest questions on top.
11/28/2009
What happened in the Mets game on July 27, 1985?
Ooh, I like this one a lot. The Mets beat the Astros in a doubleheader, 16-4, and 7-3. The highlight of the doubleheader is that in Game 1, all 16 of the Mets runs were unearned. (I was there).
What Mets have hit a home run in their first at-bat?
Benny Ayala (1974), Mike Fitzgerald (1983), Kaz Matsui (2004), and Mike Jacobs (2005)
Does a sacrifice count in batting average?
No.
Did Willie Mays hit a home run off Tom Seaver?
In 26 plate appearances against Seaver, he did not.
Did Willie Mays hit a home run against Steve Carlton?
Yes, two of them, in 75 plate appearances. He hit one for the Giants on August 23 1967 and one for the Mets on May 21, 1972.
What's the most doubles in a season by a Met?
44 by Bernard Gilkey in 1996.
What happened in the Knicks-Bulls game on December 25, 1986?
Patrick Ewing hit a walk-off shot at the buzzer to win the game.
Who is Tommy Euler?
Tommy Euler is a pitcher from the video game Hardball. He was lefthanded and threw a screwball that came inside to a right-handed hitter, and then hooked back away from him as it got closer to the plate.
11/16/2009
Did Ed Kranepool ever hit a home run to win a game against the Expos?
Yes, he did. On April 8, 1978. It was a two-run pinch-hit walk-off home run off Stan Bahnsen with two outs in the ninth inning to give the Mets a 6-5 win.
Did Derek Bell have a walk-off hit for the Mets?
Yes, against the Diamondbacks, on May 21, 2000. You can find out more here: http://metswalkoffs.blogspot.com/2006/11/best-games-i-know-mets-vs-diamondbacks.html
Did the Mets once beat the Cubs, 23-10?
Yes. Details here: http://metswalkoffs.blogspot.com/2007/05/best-games-i-know-cubs.html
Who is Marty Wannemacher?
Marty is the fan who caught a record-breaking home run hit by Todd Hundley.
http://metswalkoffs.blogspot.com/2009/09/sixty-count-em-sixty-part-ii.html
Who hit the Mets last home run in 1999?
Depends. In the regular season, it was Ricky Henderson in the 5th inning of the one-game playoff against the Reds. In the playoffs, it was Mike Piazza, in the seventh inning of Game 6 of the NLCS against the Braves.
and on non-baseball issues...
What did the Great Wallenda Do at Candlestick Park?
Walk a tightrope that stretched from one foul pole to the other. The Wallenda familiy has been referenced in quotes within this blog, in regards to the Mets 'walking a tightrope' within certain games, and also in reference to the height of Darryl Strawberry's home run off the roof at Olympic Stadium.
What's really very nice and good?
In Seinfeld, Jerry is describing a potential blind date to George. George asks what kind of body she has. Jerry describes it as "really very nice and good."
What was the ending of the "Penske" Seinfeld episode?
The Penske Board of Directors was indicted, and thus was unable to hire George.
11/14/2009
Why did the 1986 Mets play the Astros on the road to start the playoffs?
There was a time, under the two-division format, that home-field advantage for the LCS alternated divisions by year. In 1986, it was the NL East's turn, but the Astros had a scheduling conflict with the NFL's Oilers, and could not host Game 4. Thus, the Astros were given Games 1,2, 6, and 7, and thus home-field advantage in the series.
Thanks to Greg Prince for steering me to the right answer for this one, via Jerry Izenberg's book on Game 6 of the 1986 NLCS, after I initially answered incorrectly.
Who allowed Todd Hundley's 41st home run in 1996?
That home run was allowed by Greg McMichael. Here's the link to the box score of that game.
http://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/NYN/NYN199609140.shtml
What's the story of Robin Ventura impersonating Mike Piazza?
It happened during a rain delay in a game against the Yankees on June 11, 2000. As Marty Noble of MLB.com describes: "he stuffed padding into his uniform shirt and painted sideburns on his face."
Do you have video of Benny Agbayani hitting the winning home run in the 2000 NLDS?
I don't, and it's not on YouTube either. MLB.com has a lot of classic games archived that you can purchase. I'd try there.
Keep coming back and checking this file, as I'll update it regularly.
Can you tell me about Patrick Ewing's 0.1 second buzzer beater?
I think you're actually referring to the famous Trent Tucker shot from January 15, 1990, referenced here:
http://metswalkoffs.blogspot.com/2006/12/knick-knack.html
Did the Mets play the Cardinals in a doubleheader in 1986?
They actually played two doubleheaders against them in a four-day span. On August 14, they beat the Cardinals 4-3 (on Kevin Mitchell's walk-off hit) and then lost the nightcap, 5-1. On August 17, they split again, losing 2-1 and winning, 9-2 behind spot starter Randy Niemann.
I'm going to try to answer the questions posed by those people so that if they ever search again, they'll end up finding what they're looking for. Hopefully this will help others out as well. I'll put the newest questions on top.
11/28/2009
What happened in the Mets game on July 27, 1985?
Ooh, I like this one a lot. The Mets beat the Astros in a doubleheader, 16-4, and 7-3. The highlight of the doubleheader is that in Game 1, all 16 of the Mets runs were unearned. (I was there).
What Mets have hit a home run in their first at-bat?
Benny Ayala (1974), Mike Fitzgerald (1983), Kaz Matsui (2004), and Mike Jacobs (2005)
Does a sacrifice count in batting average?
No.
Did Willie Mays hit a home run off Tom Seaver?
In 26 plate appearances against Seaver, he did not.
Did Willie Mays hit a home run against Steve Carlton?
Yes, two of them, in 75 plate appearances. He hit one for the Giants on August 23 1967 and one for the Mets on May 21, 1972.
What's the most doubles in a season by a Met?
44 by Bernard Gilkey in 1996.
What happened in the Knicks-Bulls game on December 25, 1986?
Patrick Ewing hit a walk-off shot at the buzzer to win the game.
Who is Tommy Euler?
Tommy Euler is a pitcher from the video game Hardball. He was lefthanded and threw a screwball that came inside to a right-handed hitter, and then hooked back away from him as it got closer to the plate.
11/16/2009
Did Ed Kranepool ever hit a home run to win a game against the Expos?
Yes, he did. On April 8, 1978. It was a two-run pinch-hit walk-off home run off Stan Bahnsen with two outs in the ninth inning to give the Mets a 6-5 win.
Did Derek Bell have a walk-off hit for the Mets?
Yes, against the Diamondbacks, on May 21, 2000. You can find out more here: http://metswalkoffs.blogspot.com/2006/11/best-games-i-know-mets-vs-diamondbacks.html
Did the Mets once beat the Cubs, 23-10?
Yes. Details here: http://metswalkoffs.blogspot.com/2007/05/best-games-i-know-cubs.html
Who is Marty Wannemacher?
Marty is the fan who caught a record-breaking home run hit by Todd Hundley.
http://metswalkoffs.blogspot.com/2009/09/sixty-count-em-sixty-part-ii.html
Who hit the Mets last home run in 1999?
Depends. In the regular season, it was Ricky Henderson in the 5th inning of the one-game playoff against the Reds. In the playoffs, it was Mike Piazza, in the seventh inning of Game 6 of the NLCS against the Braves.
and on non-baseball issues...
What did the Great Wallenda Do at Candlestick Park?
Walk a tightrope that stretched from one foul pole to the other. The Wallenda familiy has been referenced in quotes within this blog, in regards to the Mets 'walking a tightrope' within certain games, and also in reference to the height of Darryl Strawberry's home run off the roof at Olympic Stadium.
What's really very nice and good?
In Seinfeld, Jerry is describing a potential blind date to George. George asks what kind of body she has. Jerry describes it as "really very nice and good."
What was the ending of the "Penske" Seinfeld episode?
The Penske Board of Directors was indicted, and thus was unable to hire George.
11/14/2009
Why did the 1986 Mets play the Astros on the road to start the playoffs?
There was a time, under the two-division format, that home-field advantage for the LCS alternated divisions by year. In 1986, it was the NL East's turn, but the Astros had a scheduling conflict with the NFL's Oilers, and could not host Game 4. Thus, the Astros were given Games 1,2, 6, and 7, and thus home-field advantage in the series.
Thanks to Greg Prince for steering me to the right answer for this one, via Jerry Izenberg's book on Game 6 of the 1986 NLCS, after I initially answered incorrectly.
Who allowed Todd Hundley's 41st home run in 1996?
That home run was allowed by Greg McMichael. Here's the link to the box score of that game.
http://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/NYN/NYN199609140.shtml
What's the story of Robin Ventura impersonating Mike Piazza?
It happened during a rain delay in a game against the Yankees on June 11, 2000. As Marty Noble of MLB.com describes: "he stuffed padding into his uniform shirt and painted sideburns on his face."
Do you have video of Benny Agbayani hitting the winning home run in the 2000 NLDS?
I don't, and it's not on YouTube either. MLB.com has a lot of classic games archived that you can purchase. I'd try there.
Keep coming back and checking this file, as I'll update it regularly.
Can you tell me about Patrick Ewing's 0.1 second buzzer beater?
I think you're actually referring to the famous Trent Tucker shot from January 15, 1990, referenced here:
http://metswalkoffs.blogspot.com/2006/12/knick-knack.html
Did the Mets play the Cardinals in a doubleheader in 1986?
They actually played two doubleheaders against them in a four-day span. On August 14, they beat the Cardinals 4-3 (on Kevin Mitchell's walk-off hit) and then lost the nightcap, 5-1. On August 17, they split again, losing 2-1 and winning, 9-2 behind spot starter Randy Niemann.
Friday, November 13, 2009
Figgins, He's One of a Kind
Chone Figgins is a good player, but he isn't worth mega-millions, and since the two positions he's played most in the majors are third base and center field, he's not exactly the best fit. For the record, the priority for Mets Walk-Offs this offseason is to put the team in a situation in which no player is playing a position with which he's uncomfortable.
But I would take Chone Figgins on my 2010 Mets, and the story of why dates to the Angels-Astros game of June 18, 2007. The Angels (winning pitcher: Francisco Rodriguez) beat the Astros, 10-9, in a rather wild affair.
Figgins had an amazing game that day, one that would be hard to match in Mets history.
* He had six hits in six at-bats, something a Met (Edgardo Alfonzo) has only done once.
* And he had a walk-off triple, also something that the Mets have only had happen once (Cleon Jones).
Figgins has five walk-off hits in his career, and we're a fan both of that one, and the one from August 10, 2008. That one came against the Yankees, and their closer Mariano Rivera.
True Metgins know...Chone Figgins led the American League in 2009 with 101 walks. Only one Met has ever led the National League in walks- Keith Hernandez in 1986.
But I would take Chone Figgins on my 2010 Mets, and the story of why dates to the Angels-Astros game of June 18, 2007. The Angels (winning pitcher: Francisco Rodriguez) beat the Astros, 10-9, in a rather wild affair.
Figgins had an amazing game that day, one that would be hard to match in Mets history.
* He had six hits in six at-bats, something a Met (Edgardo Alfonzo) has only done once.
* And he had a walk-off triple, also something that the Mets have only had happen once (Cleon Jones).
Figgins has five walk-off hits in his career, and we're a fan both of that one, and the one from August 10, 2008. That one came against the Yankees, and their closer Mariano Rivera.
True Metgins know...Chone Figgins led the American League in 2009 with 101 walks. Only one Met has ever led the National League in walks- Keith Hernandez in 1986.
Monday, November 09, 2009
Sixty, Count Em Sixty (Part VI)
The final part in our series on the top 60 regular season home runs in Mets history. To read the full series, click here, or on the "Best Mets HR" label at the bottom of this post.
10- Carl Everett, September 13, 1997 (#4,040)
I know that there are home runs that ranked lower on the list for which you could make a good argument that they belong higher, but I really, really, really like this home run.
To reset the circumstances: The Mets were trailing the Expos 6-0 with two outs and two men on base in the ninth inning. Roberto Petagine scored two runs with a single, and then hits by Luis Lopez and Matt Franco loaded the bases with two outs.
The odds against a comeback when you're down 6-0 with two outs in the ninth inning are astronomical, but given that Everett is a man with significant doubts about the astronomical (he believes the moon landing was faked), I'm guessing that he neither cared nor realized that the chances of success were minimal.
On a 3-2 pitch, Everett defied the odds with a grand slam-- described by Howie Rose as “a brand new shiny one!” The Mets would win in the 13th on a walk-off home run by Bernard Gilkey.
True Mets home run historians know...The game-tying bottom-of-the-ninth grand slam became nearly extinct after that one. The next one wasn't hit until 2005, by Khalil Greene.
9- Steve Henderson, June 14, 1980 (#1,782)
When I e-mailed word of this project to “This Date in Mets History” author Dennis D'Agostino, he noted that his primary curiosity was to see where I'd rank the Steve Henderson home run. It's amazing to me how many lives this home run touched.
Any time I talk to a Mets fan old enough to remember this game, one in which the Mets rallied for five runs in the ninth inning to beat the Giants, 7-6 (capped by Henderson's first home run of the year, a three-run shot), they recall it with such excitement.
As does Henderson, and it was one of this blog's early coups to score an interview with him right around the date of the 25th anniversary. It was one of those games that gave a lot of people hope at a time when the Mets were thought to be hopeless. The magic was back.
“I could just feel that the guys in the dugout were waiting for me to hit a home run,” Henderson said. “I was known for ending games and they were counting on me to deliver.”
True Mets home run historians know...Steve Henderson specialized in hitting home runs against game closers. He had three home runs apiece vs Kent Tekulve and Bruce Sutter.
8- Edgardo Alfonzo, October 4, 1999 (#4,374)
After sweeping the Pirates in three excruciating games to force the one-game playoff with the Reds, the Mets needed to make an early statement in Cincinnati. There was no better hitter to do that in 1999 than Edgardo Alfonzo.
The Mets second baseman homered on a line to straightaway centerfield, putting the Mets up 2-0. It felt like it was 10-0, and that a huge weight had been lifted off the team. The rest of the 5-0 win, putting the Mets into the postseason for the first time since 1988, was easy, relatively speaking.
True Mets home run historians know...Edgardo Alfonzo's first career home run came in Cincinnati, an inside-the-park home run on May 6, 1995.
7- Tommie Agee, September 8, 1969 (#803)
Tommie Agee finished a distant sixth in the 1969 NL MVP voting, but given the games that he basically won, by himself, that season, a higher presence would be justifiable.
This was one of those games, probably as important as any for the 1969 Mets, a 3-2 win over the Cubs to move within 1 ½ games of the NL East lead. Agee got brushed back by a pair of Bill Hands pitches in the first, but then got revenge with a home run in the third. In the sixth, he'd snap a 2-2 tie by scoring the win on an extraordinarily close play at the plate.
This is the play with the famous video you've probably seen of Cubs catcher Randy Hundley leaping in the air to argue. We don't think he and the ump were discussing Agee's MVP candidacy. But they should have been.
True Mets home run historians know...Tommie Agee is the Mets single-season leader for most home runs out of the No. 1 slot in the lineup. He had 24 in 1970, and ranks second with his 22 in 1969.
6- Ron Swoboda, September 15, 1969 (#807, 808)
Ralph Kiner was not just a fine broadcaster during the 1960s. Apparently he dispensed some good advice to the Mets players as well.
“I knew I was swinging the bat well at the time,” Swoboda told Stanley Cohen in the book “A Magic Summer” after he homered twice to beat Steve Carolton and the Cardinals, on a day in which Carlton whiffed 19. “Ralph Kiner had been working with me in the batting cage, and I was in a good groove.”
The win widened the Mets lead to 4 ½ games in the NL East, though psychologically, it had to be worth more than one game for opposing teams to see that the Mets beat a pitcher who had fanned that many. These are the kinds of games you win when it's meant to be your year.
Howard Blatt had a great quote in his book: “Amazin Met Memories” from former Tigers manager Mayo Smith, who said “Swoboda is what happens when a team wins a pennant.”
True Mets home run historians know...Three other Mets have homered twice against a pitcher who struck out at least a dozen batters in a game...Joe Torre in 1976 (vs John Candelaria), and both Marv Throneberry and Frank Thomas in 1962 (vs Art Mahaffey...the Mets hit 4 HR and lost, 9-4).
5- Mike Piazza, June 30, 2000 (#4,477)
It's very rare that you would equate wins in June with those in October, but if you want to have a discussion about all-time great Mets wins, the comeback from 8-1 down in the eighth inning against the Braves deserves inclusion in conversation. In the annals of Mets victory stories, this one was one of the most ridiculously absurd.
Two hits and four straight walks with two outs in the eighth (including three walks on 3-2 counts) set the stage for Edgardo Alfonzo's game-tying hit, followed by Piazza's at-bat.
The turn was brief, and was over as quick as the ball cleared the fence on a line, down the left field line (actually very resemblant to Mark McGwire's 62nd home run in 1998). It was not your typical Piazza home run, but as most of the media wrote the next day, this was a Mets win that would be known as far from typical.
True Mets home run historians know...Mike Piazza's 16 go-ahead home runs in 2000 tied the Mets club record, which he now shares with Gary Carter (16 in 1985).
4- Tommie Agee, August 19, 1969 (#784)
If you didn't think it was going to be a special year for the 1969 Mets, after their 1-0 14-inning victory over the Giants on Tommie Agee's game-ending home run against Hall of Famer Juan Marichal, then maybe you were following the wrong team.
Agee got his 500th career hit, a home run on pitch number 151 (details we know thanks to the account from Times writer Joe Durso) over the Giants bullpen in left field.
Forgive the name-drop, but I once had the opportunity to eavesdrop on a conversation in which Marichal talked about that home run. “I can still see it today,” he said wistfully.
This game should be known not just for the home run that was, but the one that wasn't as well. In the visitors 13th, with Willie McCovey up, manager Gil Hodges must have had some sort of premonition, because he alligned his defense with a four-man outfield. That allowed left fielder Cleon Jones just enough time to get back to the fence and rob McCovey with a leaping catch.
True Mets home run historians know...In the last 55 years, only three times has a team won a game, 1-0 on a solo walk-off home run in the 14th inning or later. Agee's was the first since Willie Mays hit one for the Giants against Warren Spahn and the Braves, in the 16th inning on July 2, 1963. The only one since Agee was hit by the Mets Dave Kingman against Charlie Hough and the Dodgers, in the 14th inning on June 17, 1976.
3- Gary Carter, April 9, 1985 (#2,205)
“There aren't enough words to describe what I felt,” Carter told the media after his walk-off home run beat the Cardinals in his Mets debut on Opening Day, 1985.
We've got two-- pleasure-- obviously-- and pain. Carter is the only player in Mets history to twice be hit by pitches in an Opening Day game. On a 42 degree day, Carter took one pitch off his left elbow and another in his lower back, not to mention the beating he took behind the plate. But there was enough good, in the form of a home run off a Neil Allen curveball, to shake off the discomfort. It was somewhat symbolic of all that Carter would endure during his tenure with the Mets.
True Mets home run historians know...The Mets have hit 51 Opening Day home runs. Darryl Strawberry and Todd Hundley each have the most with four.
2- Darryl Strawberry, October 1, 1985 (#2,334)
When we say a player really clocked one, we are paying tribute to one particular moment in Mets history. If you were going to rate Mets games by tension level, this one would exceed any other I know from my nearly 30 years as a fan, and I would imagine it would rate at the top of the list for anyone who has lived longer than I.
This stomach-knotter between the Mets and Cardinals in the final days of the NL East race was a battle of mental stamina between Cardinals ace John Tudor and Mets upstart Ron Darling, who rose to the challenge by pitching nine shutout innings.
So did Darryl Strawberry. It was common for Strawberry, during his Mets tenure, to go into funks against left-handed pitchers. Some days he'd look fantastic. Others, he'd look lost.
Strawberry was in the midst of one of those bad stretches when he came to bat against lefty Ken Dayley, in a scoreless game in the top of the 11th.
In his last 16 at-bats against southpaws, Strawberry had only one hit. He'd match that with a humongous swing at a hanging curveball. The ball would soar to the highest heights, until it hit a clock, way, way up in the right field stands. The Mets were 1-0 winners and the clock had not yet struck on their pennant hopes.
True Mets home run historians know...The Mets have nine 1-0 road wins, in which the only run of the game scored on a home run. Strawberry's was the first in 12 years, the first since Wayne Garrett led off with a home run in a 1-0 win in Montreal in the first game of a doubleheader, on September 7, 1973. Also of note: Of those nine 1-0 road wins, in which the only run of the game came on a home run, four have come since 2004.
1- Mike Piazza, September 21, 2001 (#4,705)
I remember being really nervous about going to the ballpark for this game, the first baseball game back in New York since the World Trade Center attacks on September 11. But looking back, I'm really glad that I was at Shea Stadium that night. It was important to be a part of the moment.
Afterwards, I remember telling my mother that I thought that while the night was very dramatic and touching, that I thought Liza Minelli's rendition of “New York, New York” was a bit over-the-top. My mom explained to me that Minelli had to do it that way, because that was her style. It wouldn't have been right to do it any other way.
Just like it wouldn't have been right for the Mets to have won any other way than they did-- in come-from-behind fashion on a home run in the eighth by Piazza, best described as over-the-top.
True Mets home run historians know...The Mets enter the 2010 season with 6,010 home runs, and each one is special and worth remembering in its own way.
10- Carl Everett, September 13, 1997 (#4,040)
I know that there are home runs that ranked lower on the list for which you could make a good argument that they belong higher, but I really, really, really like this home run.
To reset the circumstances: The Mets were trailing the Expos 6-0 with two outs and two men on base in the ninth inning. Roberto Petagine scored two runs with a single, and then hits by Luis Lopez and Matt Franco loaded the bases with two outs.
The odds against a comeback when you're down 6-0 with two outs in the ninth inning are astronomical, but given that Everett is a man with significant doubts about the astronomical (he believes the moon landing was faked), I'm guessing that he neither cared nor realized that the chances of success were minimal.
On a 3-2 pitch, Everett defied the odds with a grand slam-- described by Howie Rose as “a brand new shiny one!” The Mets would win in the 13th on a walk-off home run by Bernard Gilkey.
True Mets home run historians know...The game-tying bottom-of-the-ninth grand slam became nearly extinct after that one. The next one wasn't hit until 2005, by Khalil Greene.
9- Steve Henderson, June 14, 1980 (#1,782)
When I e-mailed word of this project to “This Date in Mets History” author Dennis D'Agostino, he noted that his primary curiosity was to see where I'd rank the Steve Henderson home run. It's amazing to me how many lives this home run touched.
Any time I talk to a Mets fan old enough to remember this game, one in which the Mets rallied for five runs in the ninth inning to beat the Giants, 7-6 (capped by Henderson's first home run of the year, a three-run shot), they recall it with such excitement.
As does Henderson, and it was one of this blog's early coups to score an interview with him right around the date of the 25th anniversary. It was one of those games that gave a lot of people hope at a time when the Mets were thought to be hopeless. The magic was back.
“I could just feel that the guys in the dugout were waiting for me to hit a home run,” Henderson said. “I was known for ending games and they were counting on me to deliver.”
True Mets home run historians know...Steve Henderson specialized in hitting home runs against game closers. He had three home runs apiece vs Kent Tekulve and Bruce Sutter.
8- Edgardo Alfonzo, October 4, 1999 (#4,374)
After sweeping the Pirates in three excruciating games to force the one-game playoff with the Reds, the Mets needed to make an early statement in Cincinnati. There was no better hitter to do that in 1999 than Edgardo Alfonzo.
The Mets second baseman homered on a line to straightaway centerfield, putting the Mets up 2-0. It felt like it was 10-0, and that a huge weight had been lifted off the team. The rest of the 5-0 win, putting the Mets into the postseason for the first time since 1988, was easy, relatively speaking.
True Mets home run historians know...Edgardo Alfonzo's first career home run came in Cincinnati, an inside-the-park home run on May 6, 1995.
7- Tommie Agee, September 8, 1969 (#803)
Tommie Agee finished a distant sixth in the 1969 NL MVP voting, but given the games that he basically won, by himself, that season, a higher presence would be justifiable.
This was one of those games, probably as important as any for the 1969 Mets, a 3-2 win over the Cubs to move within 1 ½ games of the NL East lead. Agee got brushed back by a pair of Bill Hands pitches in the first, but then got revenge with a home run in the third. In the sixth, he'd snap a 2-2 tie by scoring the win on an extraordinarily close play at the plate.
This is the play with the famous video you've probably seen of Cubs catcher Randy Hundley leaping in the air to argue. We don't think he and the ump were discussing Agee's MVP candidacy. But they should have been.
True Mets home run historians know...Tommie Agee is the Mets single-season leader for most home runs out of the No. 1 slot in the lineup. He had 24 in 1970, and ranks second with his 22 in 1969.
6- Ron Swoboda, September 15, 1969 (#807, 808)
Ralph Kiner was not just a fine broadcaster during the 1960s. Apparently he dispensed some good advice to the Mets players as well.
“I knew I was swinging the bat well at the time,” Swoboda told Stanley Cohen in the book “A Magic Summer” after he homered twice to beat Steve Carolton and the Cardinals, on a day in which Carlton whiffed 19. “Ralph Kiner had been working with me in the batting cage, and I was in a good groove.”
The win widened the Mets lead to 4 ½ games in the NL East, though psychologically, it had to be worth more than one game for opposing teams to see that the Mets beat a pitcher who had fanned that many. These are the kinds of games you win when it's meant to be your year.
Howard Blatt had a great quote in his book: “Amazin Met Memories” from former Tigers manager Mayo Smith, who said “Swoboda is what happens when a team wins a pennant.”
True Mets home run historians know...Three other Mets have homered twice against a pitcher who struck out at least a dozen batters in a game...Joe Torre in 1976 (vs John Candelaria), and both Marv Throneberry and Frank Thomas in 1962 (vs Art Mahaffey...the Mets hit 4 HR and lost, 9-4).
5- Mike Piazza, June 30, 2000 (#4,477)
It's very rare that you would equate wins in June with those in October, but if you want to have a discussion about all-time great Mets wins, the comeback from 8-1 down in the eighth inning against the Braves deserves inclusion in conversation. In the annals of Mets victory stories, this one was one of the most ridiculously absurd.
Two hits and four straight walks with two outs in the eighth (including three walks on 3-2 counts) set the stage for Edgardo Alfonzo's game-tying hit, followed by Piazza's at-bat.
The turn was brief, and was over as quick as the ball cleared the fence on a line, down the left field line (actually very resemblant to Mark McGwire's 62nd home run in 1998). It was not your typical Piazza home run, but as most of the media wrote the next day, this was a Mets win that would be known as far from typical.
True Mets home run historians know...Mike Piazza's 16 go-ahead home runs in 2000 tied the Mets club record, which he now shares with Gary Carter (16 in 1985).
4- Tommie Agee, August 19, 1969 (#784)
If you didn't think it was going to be a special year for the 1969 Mets, after their 1-0 14-inning victory over the Giants on Tommie Agee's game-ending home run against Hall of Famer Juan Marichal, then maybe you were following the wrong team.
Agee got his 500th career hit, a home run on pitch number 151 (details we know thanks to the account from Times writer Joe Durso) over the Giants bullpen in left field.
Forgive the name-drop, but I once had the opportunity to eavesdrop on a conversation in which Marichal talked about that home run. “I can still see it today,” he said wistfully.
This game should be known not just for the home run that was, but the one that wasn't as well. In the visitors 13th, with Willie McCovey up, manager Gil Hodges must have had some sort of premonition, because he alligned his defense with a four-man outfield. That allowed left fielder Cleon Jones just enough time to get back to the fence and rob McCovey with a leaping catch.
True Mets home run historians know...In the last 55 years, only three times has a team won a game, 1-0 on a solo walk-off home run in the 14th inning or later. Agee's was the first since Willie Mays hit one for the Giants against Warren Spahn and the Braves, in the 16th inning on July 2, 1963. The only one since Agee was hit by the Mets Dave Kingman against Charlie Hough and the Dodgers, in the 14th inning on June 17, 1976.
3- Gary Carter, April 9, 1985 (#2,205)
“There aren't enough words to describe what I felt,” Carter told the media after his walk-off home run beat the Cardinals in his Mets debut on Opening Day, 1985.
We've got two-- pleasure-- obviously-- and pain. Carter is the only player in Mets history to twice be hit by pitches in an Opening Day game. On a 42 degree day, Carter took one pitch off his left elbow and another in his lower back, not to mention the beating he took behind the plate. But there was enough good, in the form of a home run off a Neil Allen curveball, to shake off the discomfort. It was somewhat symbolic of all that Carter would endure during his tenure with the Mets.
True Mets home run historians know...The Mets have hit 51 Opening Day home runs. Darryl Strawberry and Todd Hundley each have the most with four.
2- Darryl Strawberry, October 1, 1985 (#2,334)
When we say a player really clocked one, we are paying tribute to one particular moment in Mets history. If you were going to rate Mets games by tension level, this one would exceed any other I know from my nearly 30 years as a fan, and I would imagine it would rate at the top of the list for anyone who has lived longer than I.
This stomach-knotter between the Mets and Cardinals in the final days of the NL East race was a battle of mental stamina between Cardinals ace John Tudor and Mets upstart Ron Darling, who rose to the challenge by pitching nine shutout innings.
So did Darryl Strawberry. It was common for Strawberry, during his Mets tenure, to go into funks against left-handed pitchers. Some days he'd look fantastic. Others, he'd look lost.
Strawberry was in the midst of one of those bad stretches when he came to bat against lefty Ken Dayley, in a scoreless game in the top of the 11th.
In his last 16 at-bats against southpaws, Strawberry had only one hit. He'd match that with a humongous swing at a hanging curveball. The ball would soar to the highest heights, until it hit a clock, way, way up in the right field stands. The Mets were 1-0 winners and the clock had not yet struck on their pennant hopes.
True Mets home run historians know...The Mets have nine 1-0 road wins, in which the only run of the game scored on a home run. Strawberry's was the first in 12 years, the first since Wayne Garrett led off with a home run in a 1-0 win in Montreal in the first game of a doubleheader, on September 7, 1973. Also of note: Of those nine 1-0 road wins, in which the only run of the game came on a home run, four have come since 2004.
1- Mike Piazza, September 21, 2001 (#4,705)
I remember being really nervous about going to the ballpark for this game, the first baseball game back in New York since the World Trade Center attacks on September 11. But looking back, I'm really glad that I was at Shea Stadium that night. It was important to be a part of the moment.
Afterwards, I remember telling my mother that I thought that while the night was very dramatic and touching, that I thought Liza Minelli's rendition of “New York, New York” was a bit over-the-top. My mom explained to me that Minelli had to do it that way, because that was her style. It wouldn't have been right to do it any other way.
Just like it wouldn't have been right for the Mets to have won any other way than they did-- in come-from-behind fashion on a home run in the eighth by Piazza, best described as over-the-top.
True Mets home run historians know...The Mets enter the 2010 season with 6,010 home runs, and each one is special and worth remembering in its own way.
Tuesday, October 20, 2009
Fifteen, Count Em, Fifteen (The Most Metmorable Postseason Home Runs)
Chances are that you know the stories of these moments, so the descriptions are brief, but we figured we should rank the postseason home runs as well. Our top 15:
15- Robin Ventura, 2000 NL Division Series Game 4
It was a lot easier for Bobby Jones to relax and throw his one-hit shutout, knowing he had the cushion of a lead from the first inning on, thanks to Ventura's two-run home run.
True Mets postseason home run historians know...Robin Ventura had 7 singles (including his grand slam single), 5 doubles, and 2 home runs in his Mets postseason career.
14- Mike Piazza, 1999 NL Championship Series Game 6
This game-tying shot off John Smoltz in the seventh inning would have made the top couple had Kenny Rogers not walked Andruw Jones in the series-concluding moment.
True Mets postseason home run historians know...Mike Piazza and Al Weis are the only two Mets to hit a game-tying home run in the 7th inning or later of a postseason game.
13- Gary Carter x 2, 1986 World Series Game 4
The Mets didn't hit Al Nipper all that well, early in Game 4, but once Carter hit his first of two home runs that day, the team managed to get the job done, evening the series, 2-2 with the win.
True Mets postseason home run historians know...Four catchers have had a multi-homer game in the World Series: Gary Carter, Johnny Bench (1976), Gene Tenace (1972), and Yogi Berra (1956).
12- Edgardo Alfonzo, 1999 NL Division Series Game 1
There is no one I would have wanted at the plate more in the situation of tie game, bases loaded in the ninth inning, than Alfonzo, whose grand slam off Diamondbacks reliever Bobby Chouinard gave the Mets a win in their first playoff game in 11 years.
True Mets postseason home run historians know...Your Mets leaders in postseason go-ahead home runs: Rusty Staub 3, Edgardo Alfonzo 3, Carlos Delgado 3.
11- Darryl Strawberry, 1986 World Series, Game 7
With the Mets clinging to a lead in the eighth inning, Strawberry's mammoth blow off Al Nipper helped ensure that a World Series title was on the precipice of occurring.
True Mets postseason home run historians know...The last 3 National Leaguers to homer in the 7th game of a World Series are Bobby Bonilla (1997), Darryl Strawberry, and Ray Knight.
10- Darryl Strawberry, 1986 NL Championship Series, Game 5
Nolan Ryan didn't allow a baserunner, and might not have for the rest of his day, had Strawberry not hit a missile down the right field line for a game-tying home run in the fifth inning.
True Mets postseason home run historians know...Darryl Strawberry had 35 at-bats against Nolan Ryan in regular season play. He had only one home run, and five hits, to go along with 15 strikeouts. The home run came in 1986.
9- Darryl Strawberry, 1986 NL Championship Series Game 3
Strawberry's three-run, first-pitch home run off Bob Knepper in the sixth inning brought the Mets from way back, a 4-1 deficit, to even, in a game that would be decided by another longball, three innings later.
True Mets postseason home run historians know...Darryl Strawberry had 3 game-tying postseason home runs as a Met. No other Met has more than one.
8- Lenny Dykstra, 1986 World Series Game 3
It was important in Game 3 that Boston fans had absolutely nothing to cheer about, even with a 2-0 lead heading into the series. Dykstra's leadoff home run opened the floodgates against Oil Can Boyd, on the way to an easy Mets victory.
True Mets postseason home run historians know...The last six times a player has led off the top of the first inning of a World Series game with a home run, his team has won. It has happened nine times overall, and the team whose player homers is 7-2 in those games.
7- Tommie Agee, 1969 World Series Game 3
Agee's leadoff home run against Jim Palmer set the stage for a day in which all the magic moments (including two amazing catches) belonged to him, and gave the Mets a 2-1 lead in the World Series.
True Mets postseason home run historians know...The two innings in which the Mets have hit the most postseason home runs are the fourth (12) and the first (10).
6- Benny Agbayani, 2000 NL Division Series Game 3
"Hawaiian Punch!" said Fox analyst Tim McCarver after the Aloha State native smacked a walk-off home run in the 13th inning against Giants reliever Aaron Fultz.
True Mets postseason home run historians know...Four players whose first name starts with B have hit a postseason walk-off home run: Bill Mazeroski, Bert Campaneris, Bernie Williams, and Benny Agbayani. The only player, besides Agbayani, whose last name started with A, who hit a postseason walk-off home run is Alan Ashby.
5- Todd Pratt, 1999 NL Division Series Game 4
Diamondbacks centerfielder Steve Finley came pretty close, but didn't get enough spring into his leap to deny Pratt and the Mets a series-clinching walk-off home run.
True Mets postseason home run historians know...The most common position for a player who hit a postseason walk-off home run is catcher. Six have hit postseason walk-off home runs: Johnny Bench, Carlton Fisk, Alan Ashby, Tony Pena, Jim Leyritz, and Todd Pratt.
3- Donn Clendenon and Al Weis, 1969 World Series Game 5
If they can split the World Series MVP, they can tie for this spot. Clendenon's home run, following the shoe-polish play, brought the Mets to within a run in the sixth, and Weis's surprise blow tied the score at three in the seventh inning.
True Mets postseason home run historians know...Donn Clendenon is the Mets all-time leader in World Series home runs with 3.
Al Weis's seven career regular-season home runs are by far the fewest of anyone who played for the Mets who hit a postseason home run.
2- Lenny Dykstra, 1986 NL Championship Series Game 3
The home run that launched Dykstra's mark as a clutch postseason performer was this stunning two-run walk-off shot to beat the Astros and closer Dave Smith in a game that turned out to be a must-win, with Mike Scott pitching in the next contest.
True Mets postseason home run historians know...Lenny Dykstra also had two sacrifices in his Mets postseason career. Oft forgotten is one in the eighth inning of Game 6 of the World Series in which Dykstra ended up safe by fielder's choice, helping set the Mets up to tie the game.
1- Ray Knight, 1986 World Series Game 7
Oh what a Knight it was for the Mets third baseman, whose presence was so vital to the team's success that season. It was appropo that he hit the deciding blow, a go-ahead home run vs Calvin Schiraldi in the seventh inning.
True Mets postseason home run historians know...Five players have hit a go-ahead run in the 7th inning or later of Game 7 of a World Series: Roger Peckinpaugh (1925), Hal Smith (1960), Bill Mazeroski (1960), Ray Knight, and Alfonso Soriano (2001).
15- Robin Ventura, 2000 NL Division Series Game 4
It was a lot easier for Bobby Jones to relax and throw his one-hit shutout, knowing he had the cushion of a lead from the first inning on, thanks to Ventura's two-run home run.
True Mets postseason home run historians know...Robin Ventura had 7 singles (including his grand slam single), 5 doubles, and 2 home runs in his Mets postseason career.
14- Mike Piazza, 1999 NL Championship Series Game 6
This game-tying shot off John Smoltz in the seventh inning would have made the top couple had Kenny Rogers not walked Andruw Jones in the series-concluding moment.
True Mets postseason home run historians know...Mike Piazza and Al Weis are the only two Mets to hit a game-tying home run in the 7th inning or later of a postseason game.
13- Gary Carter x 2, 1986 World Series Game 4
The Mets didn't hit Al Nipper all that well, early in Game 4, but once Carter hit his first of two home runs that day, the team managed to get the job done, evening the series, 2-2 with the win.
True Mets postseason home run historians know...Four catchers have had a multi-homer game in the World Series: Gary Carter, Johnny Bench (1976), Gene Tenace (1972), and Yogi Berra (1956).
12- Edgardo Alfonzo, 1999 NL Division Series Game 1
There is no one I would have wanted at the plate more in the situation of tie game, bases loaded in the ninth inning, than Alfonzo, whose grand slam off Diamondbacks reliever Bobby Chouinard gave the Mets a win in their first playoff game in 11 years.
True Mets postseason home run historians know...Your Mets leaders in postseason go-ahead home runs: Rusty Staub 3, Edgardo Alfonzo 3, Carlos Delgado 3.
11- Darryl Strawberry, 1986 World Series, Game 7
With the Mets clinging to a lead in the eighth inning, Strawberry's mammoth blow off Al Nipper helped ensure that a World Series title was on the precipice of occurring.
True Mets postseason home run historians know...The last 3 National Leaguers to homer in the 7th game of a World Series are Bobby Bonilla (1997), Darryl Strawberry, and Ray Knight.
10- Darryl Strawberry, 1986 NL Championship Series, Game 5
Nolan Ryan didn't allow a baserunner, and might not have for the rest of his day, had Strawberry not hit a missile down the right field line for a game-tying home run in the fifth inning.
True Mets postseason home run historians know...Darryl Strawberry had 35 at-bats against Nolan Ryan in regular season play. He had only one home run, and five hits, to go along with 15 strikeouts. The home run came in 1986.
9- Darryl Strawberry, 1986 NL Championship Series Game 3
Strawberry's three-run, first-pitch home run off Bob Knepper in the sixth inning brought the Mets from way back, a 4-1 deficit, to even, in a game that would be decided by another longball, three innings later.
True Mets postseason home run historians know...Darryl Strawberry had 3 game-tying postseason home runs as a Met. No other Met has more than one.
8- Lenny Dykstra, 1986 World Series Game 3
It was important in Game 3 that Boston fans had absolutely nothing to cheer about, even with a 2-0 lead heading into the series. Dykstra's leadoff home run opened the floodgates against Oil Can Boyd, on the way to an easy Mets victory.
True Mets postseason home run historians know...The last six times a player has led off the top of the first inning of a World Series game with a home run, his team has won. It has happened nine times overall, and the team whose player homers is 7-2 in those games.
7- Tommie Agee, 1969 World Series Game 3
Agee's leadoff home run against Jim Palmer set the stage for a day in which all the magic moments (including two amazing catches) belonged to him, and gave the Mets a 2-1 lead in the World Series.
True Mets postseason home run historians know...The two innings in which the Mets have hit the most postseason home runs are the fourth (12) and the first (10).
6- Benny Agbayani, 2000 NL Division Series Game 3
"Hawaiian Punch!" said Fox analyst Tim McCarver after the Aloha State native smacked a walk-off home run in the 13th inning against Giants reliever Aaron Fultz.
True Mets postseason home run historians know...Four players whose first name starts with B have hit a postseason walk-off home run: Bill Mazeroski, Bert Campaneris, Bernie Williams, and Benny Agbayani. The only player, besides Agbayani, whose last name started with A, who hit a postseason walk-off home run is Alan Ashby.
5- Todd Pratt, 1999 NL Division Series Game 4
Diamondbacks centerfielder Steve Finley came pretty close, but didn't get enough spring into his leap to deny Pratt and the Mets a series-clinching walk-off home run.
True Mets postseason home run historians know...The most common position for a player who hit a postseason walk-off home run is catcher. Six have hit postseason walk-off home runs: Johnny Bench, Carlton Fisk, Alan Ashby, Tony Pena, Jim Leyritz, and Todd Pratt.
3- Donn Clendenon and Al Weis, 1969 World Series Game 5
If they can split the World Series MVP, they can tie for this spot. Clendenon's home run, following the shoe-polish play, brought the Mets to within a run in the sixth, and Weis's surprise blow tied the score at three in the seventh inning.
True Mets postseason home run historians know...Donn Clendenon is the Mets all-time leader in World Series home runs with 3.
Al Weis's seven career regular-season home runs are by far the fewest of anyone who played for the Mets who hit a postseason home run.
2- Lenny Dykstra, 1986 NL Championship Series Game 3
The home run that launched Dykstra's mark as a clutch postseason performer was this stunning two-run walk-off shot to beat the Astros and closer Dave Smith in a game that turned out to be a must-win, with Mike Scott pitching in the next contest.
True Mets postseason home run historians know...Lenny Dykstra also had two sacrifices in his Mets postseason career. Oft forgotten is one in the eighth inning of Game 6 of the World Series in which Dykstra ended up safe by fielder's choice, helping set the Mets up to tie the game.
1- Ray Knight, 1986 World Series Game 7
Oh what a Knight it was for the Mets third baseman, whose presence was so vital to the team's success that season. It was appropo that he hit the deciding blow, a go-ahead home run vs Calvin Schiraldi in the seventh inning.
True Mets postseason home run historians know...Five players have hit a go-ahead run in the 7th inning or later of Game 7 of a World Series: Roger Peckinpaugh (1925), Hal Smith (1960), Bill Mazeroski (1960), Ray Knight, and Alfonso Soriano (2001).
Monday, October 19, 2009
Sixty, Count Em, Sixty (Part V)
Continuing along with out list of the top 60 Mets regular season home runs of all-time. You may have to wait a bit for the top 10 to come out...
20- Ray Knight, July 3, 1986 (#2,413)
One of my all-time favorite regular season moments is this one, the conclusion of a Mets-Astros game that foreshadowed how the key game in October would play out. The Mets and Astros went to the 10th inning tied, 3-3. Houston scored twice on a two-run home run by Phil Garner.
The Mets responded quickly in the home half when Darryl Strawberry hit a monstrous game-tying home run against Astros reliever Frank Dipino.
Knight came up a couple batters later. He had fanned four times previously against the combo of Jim Deshaies and Charlie Kerfeld. This time, he got up, 2-0, and took advantage, homering to left field to win the game. It was the first time that season that the Mets had rallied with three runs in the 10th to win a game, 6-5. It wouldn't be the last.
True Mets home run historians know...Four Mets have struck out four times and hit a home run in the same game- Bobby Bonilla, Knight, Dave Kingman, and Tommie Agee.
19- Darryl Strawberry, May 3, 1988 (#2,712)
The game in which Darryl Strawberry set the new Mets career home run record is oft-forgotten, because the contest was not close. Straw's homer didn't even earn top billing in the New York Times or Newsday the next day, as that was dedicated to David Cone's first career shutout. That seems rather shabby in hindsight, considering that Straw's final mark still stands 21 years later.
The homer that passed Dave Kingman was number 155 in Strawberry's career and came with two men on base against Braves reliever Juan Eichelberger, with the Mets up 5-0 at the time.
The best quote I could find came from USA Today, and it didn't even seem like Strawberry was really enjoying the moment.
“Everybody expected 50 homers a year from the start,” Strawberry said. “I'm just happy to have been in a position to break it.”
True Mets home run historians know...Strawberry's next home run after this one was more meaningful. It was a two-run walk-off home run to beat John Franco and the Reds, 4-3 in 10 innings. The Mets had two outs with nobody on base when Keith Hernandez walked. Strawberry hit the next pitch off the scoreboard in right center.
18- Darryl Strawberry, April 4, 1988 (#2,681)
Randy St. Claire got fired as Nationals pitching coach not too long ago, so now he's back to being best known not for that job, but for yielding one of the longest home runs in Mets history. With the Mets leading 7-4 in the 7th inning on Opening Day, St. Claire delivered a pitch that Darryl Strawberry put into a monstrous orbit with a huge uppercut swing. It hit the Olympic Stadium roof in right field before coming down.
This was part of a day in which the Mets broke the 1932 Yankees record for home runs on Opening Day by clocking six. As much as Strawberry's record-breaking home run has been ignored, this one has been played up quite a bit.
“Just another home run,” Strawberry told the media afterwards. Marty Noble got a great quote from Tim Teufel into his story the next day:
“Maybe we can convince someone to climb out (on the roof) and look for a dent. Where's the great Wallenda?”
True Mets home run historians know...Darryl Strawberry hit the most home runs at Olympic Stadium of any Met. He had 16. Mike Piazza and Howard Johnson are tied for second with nine.
17- Tommie Agee, April 10, 1969 (#708)
Since we're saluting long home runs, we might as well go back-to-back here with the famous Tommie Agee home run, the only one to ever reach the left field upper deck at Shea Stadium. It came in the second inning of a 4-2 win over the Expos. The New York Times estimated that tier of seats to be 100 feet off the ground, and the angle and distance required to put a ball into that spot makes it easy to understand why that was the sole ton of swat (a previously referenced pun) in that section. For good measure, he'd hit another in this game.
The Times also noted how this was an important stepping-stone game for Agee, who'd been awful in 1968, partly due to the aftereffects of a Bob Gibson beaning. These two home runs set the stage for a magical season.
True Mets home run historians know...If you were to list the Mets home run hitters alphabetically by last name, Tommie Agee would come third, after Kurt Abbott and Benny Agbayani.
16- Johnny Lewis, June 14, 1965 (#382)
One of the most amazin' wins in the history of the Mets was this one, in an otherwise mostly-meaningless season (save for Casey Stengel's retirement). The Mets had lost 10 in a row, including a three-game stretch against the Hall of Fame combo of Juan Marichal, Don Drysdale, and Sandy Koufax. But this would be the game in which they were dominated most.
Red pitcher Jim Maloney took a no hitter through 10 innings, with 17 strikeouts to that point. He actually got stronger as the game lasted, having allowed no baserunners from the fourth through 10th innings. He entered the 11th having struck out seven of the last nine batters he faced. But since the Reds couldn't push a run across either (Maloney actually could have won his own game with a base hit in the 10th, but was unsuccessful), the score was still tied.
Johnny Lewis led off the 11th, hitting a 2-1 pitch “that sped on an ascending line to straightaway center. There it cleared the inside barrier that delineates the field of play with at least five feet to spare and slammed into the outer wall erected recently to screen off the glare of traffic on a new superhighway” reads the description in the New York Times. The Reds went down with a whimper in the home half and Maloney finished an 18-strikeout, two-hit loser. The Mets winning ways didn't last long. They dropped their next five.
It's too bad the Mets couldn't play extra-inning games every day. They went 8-6 when the game lasted beyond regulation, 41-106 otherwise.
True Mets home run historians know...Johnny Lewis hit three home runs against Jim Maloney, his most against any pitcher.
15- Carlos Beltran, August 22, 2006 (#5,526)
Good things happen to those who swing the bat. This was how the 2006 NLCS should have ended, with Carlos Beltran capping a great come-from-behind win by slamming a walk-off home run against the Cardinals closer (in this case Jason Isringhausen, not Adam Wainwright). This was one of the more fun days of the season, with Carlos Delgado joining the 400 home run club, in addition to the Mets rallying from six runs down, and a tally behind when Beltran launched his big swing.
True Mets home run historians know...The Mets have hit 24 walk-off home runs in situations in which they were trailing at the time. This was the most recent one.
14- Mike Piazza, June 9, 2000 (#4,450)
This is the kind of walk-off we like a lot:
“By the time Roger Clemens walked off the mound, almost every Yankees fan in the ballpark was booing, except for mayor Rudolph Giuliani.”
That was the lead of the AP story the day after Mike Piazza belted a grand slam against Yankees pitcher Roger Clemens, as part of a 12-2 Mets rout in the Bronx, a day in which Clemens matched a career-high with nine runs allowed. All part of the continued avenging of Clemens act of bullpen vandalism during Game 6 of the 1986 World Series.
True Mets home run historians know...Of the 20 players who, since the Mets inception, have hit 30+ home runs against the Yankees, only one- Carlos Delgado- has played for the Mets.
13- Howard Johnson, April 24, 1986 (#2,346)
The race for first place in the NL East essentially concluded 11 games into the season, or more specifically, with one out in the home ninth inning of the Mets-Cardinals game that day. It was then that Howard Johnson hit a game-tying home run against Cardinals closer Todd Worrell. The two-run shot tied the game, 4-4, and the Mets would win in 10 on George Foster's RBI hit.
The win made the Mets winners of six in a row and the Cardinals losers of four straight. The Mets had a 1 ½ game lead in the standings, but it might well have been what it ended up at after 162 games- 21 ½ games. The Mets would go on to sweep the series and bury any team that came close to them the rest of the season.
True Mets home run historians know...Howard Johnson career vs Todd Worrell: 6 for 13, 4 home runs, 6 walks. The other pitchers whom Howard Johnson owned were Mike Lacoss (5 HR, 22 AB), Pat Perry (4 HR, 13 AB), and Jim Acker (4 HR, 15 AB).
12- Donn Clendenon, September 24, 1969 (#813, 815)
The game that clinched the 1969 NL East title was never in doubt and the man who made sure of that was the one who was credited with having the biggest impact on the team's fortunes over the last three-and-a-half months of the season. Four batters into the game with the St. Louis Cardinals, Clendenon clinked a three-run home run off Steve Carlton. The Mets scored five runs in the first inning, which held up under Gary Gentry's fine pitching. Clendenon added another home run in the fifth to account for the final tally.
True Mets home run historians know...The 1969 Mets tied a club record at the time by having 10 instances in which a player hit two home runs in a game. The mark had previously been established by the 1962 Mets. The current record is 18 instances, by the 2008 squad.
11- Willie Mays, May 14, 1972 (#1,048)
I'm sure I'm going to get some arguments from people who feel that this home run belongs in the top 10, but I'm going to spot it right here. I was born in 1975, and had I lived through this moment, I probably would have rated it higher. I'll grant you that it was a pretty Amayzin' (deliberately spelled that way) moment for Willie Mays to hit what turned out to be the game-winning home run in his first game with the Mets (against the Giants, no less). But this one is about sentiment, more than significance, so it nestles into this location in the rankings.
True Mets home run historians know...Twelve of Willie Mays' 14 home runs with the Mets came with the score within three runs, one way or the other.
20- Ray Knight, July 3, 1986 (#2,413)
One of my all-time favorite regular season moments is this one, the conclusion of a Mets-Astros game that foreshadowed how the key game in October would play out. The Mets and Astros went to the 10th inning tied, 3-3. Houston scored twice on a two-run home run by Phil Garner.
The Mets responded quickly in the home half when Darryl Strawberry hit a monstrous game-tying home run against Astros reliever Frank Dipino.
Knight came up a couple batters later. He had fanned four times previously against the combo of Jim Deshaies and Charlie Kerfeld. This time, he got up, 2-0, and took advantage, homering to left field to win the game. It was the first time that season that the Mets had rallied with three runs in the 10th to win a game, 6-5. It wouldn't be the last.
True Mets home run historians know...Four Mets have struck out four times and hit a home run in the same game- Bobby Bonilla, Knight, Dave Kingman, and Tommie Agee.
19- Darryl Strawberry, May 3, 1988 (#2,712)
The game in which Darryl Strawberry set the new Mets career home run record is oft-forgotten, because the contest was not close. Straw's homer didn't even earn top billing in the New York Times or Newsday the next day, as that was dedicated to David Cone's first career shutout. That seems rather shabby in hindsight, considering that Straw's final mark still stands 21 years later.
The homer that passed Dave Kingman was number 155 in Strawberry's career and came with two men on base against Braves reliever Juan Eichelberger, with the Mets up 5-0 at the time.
The best quote I could find came from USA Today, and it didn't even seem like Strawberry was really enjoying the moment.
“Everybody expected 50 homers a year from the start,” Strawberry said. “I'm just happy to have been in a position to break it.”
True Mets home run historians know...Strawberry's next home run after this one was more meaningful. It was a two-run walk-off home run to beat John Franco and the Reds, 4-3 in 10 innings. The Mets had two outs with nobody on base when Keith Hernandez walked. Strawberry hit the next pitch off the scoreboard in right center.
18- Darryl Strawberry, April 4, 1988 (#2,681)
Randy St. Claire got fired as Nationals pitching coach not too long ago, so now he's back to being best known not for that job, but for yielding one of the longest home runs in Mets history. With the Mets leading 7-4 in the 7th inning on Opening Day, St. Claire delivered a pitch that Darryl Strawberry put into a monstrous orbit with a huge uppercut swing. It hit the Olympic Stadium roof in right field before coming down.
This was part of a day in which the Mets broke the 1932 Yankees record for home runs on Opening Day by clocking six. As much as Strawberry's record-breaking home run has been ignored, this one has been played up quite a bit.
“Just another home run,” Strawberry told the media afterwards. Marty Noble got a great quote from Tim Teufel into his story the next day:
“Maybe we can convince someone to climb out (on the roof) and look for a dent. Where's the great Wallenda?”
True Mets home run historians know...Darryl Strawberry hit the most home runs at Olympic Stadium of any Met. He had 16. Mike Piazza and Howard Johnson are tied for second with nine.
17- Tommie Agee, April 10, 1969 (#708)
Since we're saluting long home runs, we might as well go back-to-back here with the famous Tommie Agee home run, the only one to ever reach the left field upper deck at Shea Stadium. It came in the second inning of a 4-2 win over the Expos. The New York Times estimated that tier of seats to be 100 feet off the ground, and the angle and distance required to put a ball into that spot makes it easy to understand why that was the sole ton of swat (a previously referenced pun) in that section. For good measure, he'd hit another in this game.
The Times also noted how this was an important stepping-stone game for Agee, who'd been awful in 1968, partly due to the aftereffects of a Bob Gibson beaning. These two home runs set the stage for a magical season.
True Mets home run historians know...If you were to list the Mets home run hitters alphabetically by last name, Tommie Agee would come third, after Kurt Abbott and Benny Agbayani.
16- Johnny Lewis, June 14, 1965 (#382)
One of the most amazin' wins in the history of the Mets was this one, in an otherwise mostly-meaningless season (save for Casey Stengel's retirement). The Mets had lost 10 in a row, including a three-game stretch against the Hall of Fame combo of Juan Marichal, Don Drysdale, and Sandy Koufax. But this would be the game in which they were dominated most.
Red pitcher Jim Maloney took a no hitter through 10 innings, with 17 strikeouts to that point. He actually got stronger as the game lasted, having allowed no baserunners from the fourth through 10th innings. He entered the 11th having struck out seven of the last nine batters he faced. But since the Reds couldn't push a run across either (Maloney actually could have won his own game with a base hit in the 10th, but was unsuccessful), the score was still tied.
Johnny Lewis led off the 11th, hitting a 2-1 pitch “that sped on an ascending line to straightaway center. There it cleared the inside barrier that delineates the field of play with at least five feet to spare and slammed into the outer wall erected recently to screen off the glare of traffic on a new superhighway” reads the description in the New York Times. The Reds went down with a whimper in the home half and Maloney finished an 18-strikeout, two-hit loser. The Mets winning ways didn't last long. They dropped their next five.
It's too bad the Mets couldn't play extra-inning games every day. They went 8-6 when the game lasted beyond regulation, 41-106 otherwise.
True Mets home run historians know...Johnny Lewis hit three home runs against Jim Maloney, his most against any pitcher.
15- Carlos Beltran, August 22, 2006 (#5,526)
Good things happen to those who swing the bat. This was how the 2006 NLCS should have ended, with Carlos Beltran capping a great come-from-behind win by slamming a walk-off home run against the Cardinals closer (in this case Jason Isringhausen, not Adam Wainwright). This was one of the more fun days of the season, with Carlos Delgado joining the 400 home run club, in addition to the Mets rallying from six runs down, and a tally behind when Beltran launched his big swing.
True Mets home run historians know...The Mets have hit 24 walk-off home runs in situations in which they were trailing at the time. This was the most recent one.
14- Mike Piazza, June 9, 2000 (#4,450)
This is the kind of walk-off we like a lot:
“By the time Roger Clemens walked off the mound, almost every Yankees fan in the ballpark was booing, except for mayor Rudolph Giuliani.”
That was the lead of the AP story the day after Mike Piazza belted a grand slam against Yankees pitcher Roger Clemens, as part of a 12-2 Mets rout in the Bronx, a day in which Clemens matched a career-high with nine runs allowed. All part of the continued avenging of Clemens act of bullpen vandalism during Game 6 of the 1986 World Series.
True Mets home run historians know...Of the 20 players who, since the Mets inception, have hit 30+ home runs against the Yankees, only one- Carlos Delgado- has played for the Mets.
13- Howard Johnson, April 24, 1986 (#2,346)
The race for first place in the NL East essentially concluded 11 games into the season, or more specifically, with one out in the home ninth inning of the Mets-Cardinals game that day. It was then that Howard Johnson hit a game-tying home run against Cardinals closer Todd Worrell. The two-run shot tied the game, 4-4, and the Mets would win in 10 on George Foster's RBI hit.
The win made the Mets winners of six in a row and the Cardinals losers of four straight. The Mets had a 1 ½ game lead in the standings, but it might well have been what it ended up at after 162 games- 21 ½ games. The Mets would go on to sweep the series and bury any team that came close to them the rest of the season.
True Mets home run historians know...Howard Johnson career vs Todd Worrell: 6 for 13, 4 home runs, 6 walks. The other pitchers whom Howard Johnson owned were Mike Lacoss (5 HR, 22 AB), Pat Perry (4 HR, 13 AB), and Jim Acker (4 HR, 15 AB).
12- Donn Clendenon, September 24, 1969 (#813, 815)
The game that clinched the 1969 NL East title was never in doubt and the man who made sure of that was the one who was credited with having the biggest impact on the team's fortunes over the last three-and-a-half months of the season. Four batters into the game with the St. Louis Cardinals, Clendenon clinked a three-run home run off Steve Carlton. The Mets scored five runs in the first inning, which held up under Gary Gentry's fine pitching. Clendenon added another home run in the fifth to account for the final tally.
True Mets home run historians know...The 1969 Mets tied a club record at the time by having 10 instances in which a player hit two home runs in a game. The mark had previously been established by the 1962 Mets. The current record is 18 instances, by the 2008 squad.
11- Willie Mays, May 14, 1972 (#1,048)
I'm sure I'm going to get some arguments from people who feel that this home run belongs in the top 10, but I'm going to spot it right here. I was born in 1975, and had I lived through this moment, I probably would have rated it higher. I'll grant you that it was a pretty Amayzin' (deliberately spelled that way) moment for Willie Mays to hit what turned out to be the game-winning home run in his first game with the Mets (against the Giants, no less). But this one is about sentiment, more than significance, so it nestles into this location in the rankings.
True Mets home run historians know...Twelve of Willie Mays' 14 home runs with the Mets came with the score within three runs, one way or the other.
Friday, October 16, 2009
Happy Anniversary, 1969 Mets
We'll return to the home run tracking next week. In the meantime, we've got an anniversary to celebrate...
On October 16, 1969, the Mets won the World Series...
* They won, despite being at a nine-win disadvantage to the Orioles in regular season play (100 to 109). After the 1969 Mets, no NL team won a World Series at that big a disadvantage until 1988, when the 94-win Dodgers beat the 104-win Athletics.
* They beat a team with 109 wins. Only two teams have won the World Series by beating a team with more wins: The 1954 Giants (54 Indians won 111) and the 1906 White Sox (06 Cubs won 116)
* They held the Orioles to a .146 batting average. That's the second-lowest batting average a team has ever had in the World Series. Only the 1966 Dodgers (.142) hit worse.
* They won despite hitting .242 in the regular season- Only 4 Mets teams have had a worse batting average since (1972, 1974, 1983, 1992)
* Jerry Koosman allowed 11 baserunners in 17 2/3 innings, for a WHIP of 5.6. Only one pitcher, who pitched at least 15 innings in a World Series, has had a better WHIP since- Steve Blass (1971 Pirates, 5.5).
* Koosman pitched a complete game to clinch the World Series, something only three NL pitchers have done since (Steve Blass, Orel Hershiser, and Josh Beckett). Koosman is the last NL pitcher to throw a complete game AT HOME to clinch the World Series.
On October 16, 1969, the Mets won the World Series...
* They won, despite being at a nine-win disadvantage to the Orioles in regular season play (100 to 109). After the 1969 Mets, no NL team won a World Series at that big a disadvantage until 1988, when the 94-win Dodgers beat the 104-win Athletics.
* They beat a team with 109 wins. Only two teams have won the World Series by beating a team with more wins: The 1954 Giants (54 Indians won 111) and the 1906 White Sox (06 Cubs won 116)
* They held the Orioles to a .146 batting average. That's the second-lowest batting average a team has ever had in the World Series. Only the 1966 Dodgers (.142) hit worse.
* They won despite hitting .242 in the regular season- Only 4 Mets teams have had a worse batting average since (1972, 1974, 1983, 1992)
* Jerry Koosman allowed 11 baserunners in 17 2/3 innings, for a WHIP of 5.6. Only one pitcher, who pitched at least 15 innings in a World Series, has had a better WHIP since- Steve Blass (1971 Pirates, 5.5).
* Koosman pitched a complete game to clinch the World Series, something only three NL pitchers have done since (Steve Blass, Orel Hershiser, and Josh Beckett). Koosman is the last NL pitcher to throw a complete game AT HOME to clinch the World Series.
*Al Weis hit .455 in the World Series, which stands as a Mets record to this date. Next-best was Rusty Staub, who hit .423 in 1973.
* In the clinching game, the Orioles did not have an at-bat with a runner in scoring position. I intend to check, but I don't believe this has happened in a World Series game since then.
* The Mets clinched by rallying from 3 runs down to win. Only three teams since then have clinched the World Series by rallying from 3 runs down to win the clincher- the 1970 Orioles, the 1975 Reds, and the 1986 Mets.
* The 1969 Mets won 4 straight games to close out the postseason. The longest Mets postseason win streak is 5 games, spanning the end of the 2000 NLDS and the start of the 2000 NLCS.
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