Writing about the current state of the Mets is a bummer. Instead, I'll tell you a funny story.
I don't think I'm embellishing any details, but it's been awhile, so I apologize if I inadvertently fictionalize anywhere.
Flash back about 15 years ago to my college days. As a sophomore, I won an award (third-place) from the New Jersey Press Association for a feature I wrote about our athletic director's eclectic tastes in literature (he liked Chaucer) and music (Gregorian chants).
The problem was that the awards ceremony coincided with the one day a week in which I guested on our radio station's sports talk program, and did the sports report for the 5:30 news.
If you knew me in college then, you knew that, at the time
a) I hated being on the school newspaper
and
b) I lived for doing the sports talk show and the sports reports more than anything else.
Something happened the night before the ceremony and I got into a nasty argument with my roommate (it was over something newspaper-related). The result was that I slept four hours, at best.
We were scheduled to leave at around 8:15 a.m. The sports talk show aired at 8-9, so that meant I couldn't be on that day. We ended up leaving at 9:10 a.m. So I had missed a chance to be on the show.
Our driver that day had decided to pull an all-nighter to finish a project. He was going on zero sleep. I seem to recall six or seven of us trying to fit into a car meant to seat five. It was decidedly uncomfortable. And I was with a group of people whom I wasn't exactly pleased to be with.
After an hour's drive, we arrived at the hotel for the awards banquet. My first stop was the bathroom.
I go into a stall, did my business and zippered up.
If you're a male, you know that there are three things that can happen when you zip up your pants.
One- nothing
Two- You hit a "roadblock" (remember Ben Stiller in "There's Something About Mary?")
I ended up with thing #3...
At the conclusion of my hand's uphill climb, I pulled just a little bit.
And the zipper came off into my hand.
Have you ever seen a nice pair of pants with a zipper missing?
It's a very distinct look.
I walk out of the bathroom and do my best to cover it up. I have a bookbag with me, so rather than wear it on my shoulders, I carry it in front. That basically meant I was walking around as if I were pregnant.
We go to look for a table at the banquet and our driver, the editor of the paper, decides we have to sit with someone important. So we end up sitting at a table with the publisher of the Philadelphia Inquirer.
So I'm sitting there through this awards ceremony, knowing that I'll have to get up at some point to receive my award and be acknowledged. And I'm praying that this guy won't notice that I'm grabbing my certificate with one hand, while "covering up" the vacant spot with the other.
Thankfully he didn't.
After getting my award, I'd decided I'd had enough. The others in my group wanted to stay and brown-nose. My goal was to get the hell out of there.
So I left the hotel, grabbed a cab and asked to go to the nearest train station.
We got there. I believe the fare was $12. I only had a couple of $20s in my pocket.
"I don't have change," said the cabdriver.
So he ended up getting a 67 percent tip. And I ended up missing the train by a minute or two.
This was costly.
I had figured I could salvage the day by racing to the radio station by 5:30, and doing my sports report.
After I got to my destination, I had to take a bus back to campus. That meant another wait, and a crawl through rush hour traffic.
I got back to my room at 5:45 and flipped on the radio.
"And now it's time for Rob Sinatra with the sports."
Rob Sinatra proceeded to deliver what I thought was the best sports report I'd ever heard. He probably rattled through 30 scores without messing up once. I was convinced that he'd be doing all my sports reports from then on.
Did you ever see the Charlie Brown cartoon in which he's all excited about somethingorother, a series of unfortunate things happen and in the final panel he says "Maybe I'll just go home and lie in bed all day."
That was me on the conclusion of that day about 15 years ago.
It's also the story of the 2009 Mets season.
Thursday, September 03, 2009
Wednesday, September 02, 2009
From Abbott to Zeile
I'm very excited to announce a new project that I've put together.
With the Mets on the verge of reaching 6,000 regular season home runs, I've put together a Mets home run encyclopedia of sorts. Thanks to the research tools at Baseball-Reference.com, I was able to assemble data for every Mets regular season and postseason home run in one place.
I haven't yet fully figured out how to make the best use of this data, but you'll surely see it sprinkled into my work in the future.
I'm currently working on a series of pieces in which I will rank the most notable (I suppose you can call it greatest) Mets home runs of all-time. That will probably debut in the next week or so.
For now, I leave you with some minutiae to show off the extent of what I can do...
* The Mets have hit 6,055 home runs, if you combine regular season and postseason. They've hit 5,992 in the regular season and 63 in the postseason. The first was hit by Gil Hodges on April 11, 1962. The most recent was hit by Angel Pagan on August 27, 2009.
* The first Met to hit a go-ahead home run was Felix Mantilla against the Pirates on April 15, 1962. The first Met to hit a go-ahead grand slam was Jim Hickman on April 21, 1963.
* The deepest into an at-bat that a Met has been documented to hit a HR: 12 pitches, by Roberto Alomar against Tony Armas on April 14, 2002. (We don't have full data on this stat).
* The biggest lead at the time of a Mets home run? 16 runs...David Wright's home run against Diamondbacks pitcher Brandon Lyon built on a 16-0 Mets lead.
* By my count, the 500th home run in Mets history was hit by Eddie Bressoud against Dodgers pitcher Sandy Koufax, on July 14, 1966.
* Pedros the Mets have homered against: Ramos, Borbon (Sr. and Jr.), Astacio, and Martinez
* Two Mets have hit a game-tying grand slam in their careers- Todd Hundley and Carl Everett.
* Alphabetically speaking, Kurt Abbott ranks first on the Mets homer list. Todd Zeile rates last.
* The Mets have homered off 3 pitchers with the last name starting with Z this season: Clay Zavada, Jordan Zimmermann, and Barry Zito.
Tuesday, September 01, 2009
Taking Away The Positives
* The Mets are 10-5 against teams currently holding the wild card spot (5-3 vs Giants, 3-1 vs Rockies, 2-1 vs Red Sox).
* Luis Castillo, hitting .312, ranks second in the major leagues in highest batting average by a player with 0 or 1 home runs (Juan Pierre: .322)
* The Mets lead the NL in stolen bases, and rank second in the league in triples.
* Carlos Beltran's batting average (.336) is 16 points better than Albert Pujols. David Wright's also 4 points up on Pujols at .324
* Nelson Figueroa's .333 batting average is the best for any pitcher this season with a minimum of 10 plate appearances.
* Omir Santos has a commanding lead in every possible category in the race for most "anything" by an Omir.
* Darren O'Day (3 IP) and Billy Wagner (2 IP) will tie the Mets record for best ERA in a single season with their 0.00 efforts.
* Among those pitchers who have started a game for the Mets this season, none has a record worse than two games below .500.
* Pedro Feliciano trails by only 3 games (he's pitched 70) in the race for the NL lead. if he finishes first, he'd be the first NL pitcher to lead his league in games pitched in back to back years since Paul Quantrill (2002-2003)
* For those familiar with the stat, the Mets are performing exactly how their Pythagorean projection would expect them to perform...for those unfamiliar: Projected win percentage= (Runs squared)/(Runs squared) + (Opponents runs squared)
* Luis Castillo, hitting .312, ranks second in the major leagues in highest batting average by a player with 0 or 1 home runs (Juan Pierre: .322)
* The Mets lead the NL in stolen bases, and rank second in the league in triples.
* Carlos Beltran's batting average (.336) is 16 points better than Albert Pujols. David Wright's also 4 points up on Pujols at .324
* Nelson Figueroa's .333 batting average is the best for any pitcher this season with a minimum of 10 plate appearances.
* Omir Santos has a commanding lead in every possible category in the race for most "anything" by an Omir.
* Darren O'Day (3 IP) and Billy Wagner (2 IP) will tie the Mets record for best ERA in a single season with their 0.00 efforts.
* Among those pitchers who have started a game for the Mets this season, none has a record worse than two games below .500.
* Pedro Feliciano trails by only 3 games (he's pitched 70) in the race for the NL lead. if he finishes first, he'd be the first NL pitcher to lead his league in games pitched in back to back years since Paul Quantrill (2002-2003)
* For those familiar with the stat, the Mets are performing exactly how their Pythagorean projection would expect them to perform...for those unfamiliar: Projected win percentage= (Runs squared)/(Runs squared) + (Opponents runs squared)
Monday, August 31, 2009
A Figueroa Flashback
A little busy today...Put Nelson Figueroa in with this group
http://www.metswalkoffs.com/2008/05/best-games-i-know-bad-pitcher-good-game.html
http://www.metswalkoffs.com/2008/05/best-games-i-know-bad-pitcher-good-game.html
Saturday, August 29, 2009
I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For
One of the neat things about having a blog is that, in theory, anyone can read it, from anywhere.
And they might not always be looking for your blog.
The magic of the Google search has, for the most part, eluded this blog during its four years of existence.
For the most part, when someone has found this blog via Google search it's because they knew of the blog, but didn't know the exact address, so they punched "Mets Walk Offs" into Google and got me.
Most of those searches ended when the blog changed its URL to eliminate the "Blogspot" reference. And for the most part, so did the arrivals via Google search.
That changed within the last 10 days however. On Friday, I got an e-mail from a reader who informed me he was looking for Brett Hinchliffe's whereabouts and stumbled upon my recent post. He thought I was being serious about Hinchliffe's return to the Mets (he wasn't the only one fooled by my Brett Favre parody) and was curious why he wasn't on their roster yet.
Turned out he found me during a Google search.
So I looked at the website I use to track my hit tallies, and was shocked to find that I've been the recipient of a bonanza. Google searches galore have found their way to me. I want to share some of them because I found them amusing and interesting.
famous seinfeld quote george pink hue
In the Seinfeld episode, The Fix Up, George is very inquisitive regarding the facial features of his blind date. He asks Jerry if her cheek has a "pinkish hue." Replies Jerry in his annoyed manner: "There's a hue."
For me, it was a description of how I felt after a Mets walk-off win.
Orlando Mercado father died home run
Orlando Mercado was briefly a Met, and he may have hit a home run in tribute to his dead father. I don't know.
His significance to me is that I wrote how he once broke up, in the ninth inning the closest thing I ever experienced to a perfect game while playing Strat-O-Matic Baseball.
Mets Young Artists Program
If the Mets have a young artists program, I'd love to see some of the work that results from it.
I imagine this person was checking for a program offered by the Metropolitan Opera House and not a closer examination of Johan Santana's first career win.
April 13, 1967 Mets News
There was some pretty big Mets news on April 13, 1967. It marked the major league debut of one George Thomas Seaver. I hope that's the news to which they were referring.
amy stack at davisvision
When the Mets were pulling numbers off the Shea wall last year, representing how many games remained in that ballpark, they chose not to have a member of the 1969 team pull off #69. Instead, they had two reps from Davis Vision, including one named Amy Stack.
I have yet to get a search for the puller-offers of #68: "Harry and Digit from Cyberchase."
Nuns Day at Mets Citi Field on August 24, 2009
It was actually, but I wrote about a Nuns Day at the ballpark some 40+ years prior.
100 Worst Mets of All-Time
Great idea for a project...coming soon, perhaps :)
1962 mets season ending triple play
A misnomer actually. They actually hit into a triple play in the 8th inning, not the 9th.
Mets took September off
Wishful thinking, though it appears I've written 85 blog entries that put all four of those words to use.
And they might not always be looking for your blog.
The magic of the Google search has, for the most part, eluded this blog during its four years of existence.
For the most part, when someone has found this blog via Google search it's because they knew of the blog, but didn't know the exact address, so they punched "Mets Walk Offs" into Google and got me.
Most of those searches ended when the blog changed its URL to eliminate the "Blogspot" reference. And for the most part, so did the arrivals via Google search.
That changed within the last 10 days however. On Friday, I got an e-mail from a reader who informed me he was looking for Brett Hinchliffe's whereabouts and stumbled upon my recent post. He thought I was being serious about Hinchliffe's return to the Mets (he wasn't the only one fooled by my Brett Favre parody) and was curious why he wasn't on their roster yet.
Turned out he found me during a Google search.
So I looked at the website I use to track my hit tallies, and was shocked to find that I've been the recipient of a bonanza. Google searches galore have found their way to me. I want to share some of them because I found them amusing and interesting.
famous seinfeld quote george pink hue
In the Seinfeld episode, The Fix Up, George is very inquisitive regarding the facial features of his blind date. He asks Jerry if her cheek has a "pinkish hue." Replies Jerry in his annoyed manner: "There's a hue."
For me, it was a description of how I felt after a Mets walk-off win.
Orlando Mercado father died home run
Orlando Mercado was briefly a Met, and he may have hit a home run in tribute to his dead father. I don't know.
His significance to me is that I wrote how he once broke up, in the ninth inning the closest thing I ever experienced to a perfect game while playing Strat-O-Matic Baseball.
Mets Young Artists Program
If the Mets have a young artists program, I'd love to see some of the work that results from it.
I imagine this person was checking for a program offered by the Metropolitan Opera House and not a closer examination of Johan Santana's first career win.
April 13, 1967 Mets News
There was some pretty big Mets news on April 13, 1967. It marked the major league debut of one George Thomas Seaver. I hope that's the news to which they were referring.
amy stack at davisvision
When the Mets were pulling numbers off the Shea wall last year, representing how many games remained in that ballpark, they chose not to have a member of the 1969 team pull off #69. Instead, they had two reps from Davis Vision, including one named Amy Stack.
I have yet to get a search for the puller-offers of #68: "Harry and Digit from Cyberchase."
Nuns Day at Mets Citi Field on August 24, 2009
It was actually, but I wrote about a Nuns Day at the ballpark some 40+ years prior.
100 Worst Mets of All-Time
Great idea for a project...coming soon, perhaps :)
1962 mets season ending triple play
A misnomer actually. They actually hit into a triple play in the 8th inning, not the 9th.
Mets took September off
Wishful thinking, though it appears I've written 85 blog entries that put all four of those words to use.
Friday, August 28, 2009
A TD and an FG, to an FG
The Mets won a game by the score of 10-3 on Thursday.
I thought that was an unusual final score, but when I checked, I noticed that the Mets won by the score of 10-3 a month ago- July 25 in Houston.
Then I checked a little further and noticed something really unusual.
Here's a list of the last 10 times the Mets won a game by the final score of 10-3.
8/27/09 at Marlins
7/25/09 at Astros
6/25/05 at Yankees
8/19/04 at Rockies
6/12/01 at Orioles
8/10/00 at Astros
9/12/99 at Dodgers
8/3/99 at Brewers
4/9/99 at Expos
9/22/97 at Marlins
Notice what they all have in common?
They were all done on the road.
The last time the Mets won a HOME GAME by a 10-3 final score, their starting shortstop was Manny Alexander and their starting moundsman was soon-to-be 4-0 Armando Reynoso, and we could rejoice in Carlos Baerga beating up the Phillies with four hits and four RBI. It was May 31, 1997.
Since then, the Mets have scored 10 runs in a HOME GAME 24 times. They have excorcised every possible 10-run score combination within the last five years (the last of those being 10-1 against the Pirates on May 9)...except for the elusive, 10-3.
I don't know why this sort of thing intrigues me, but it does. Perhaps because football season is coming, and that's a football kind of score.
True Metball fans know... The Jets never won a game at Shea Stadium by a 10-3 score.
Got a big project that I'm unveiling info on next week...think it will be rather popular, so please check back...
I thought that was an unusual final score, but when I checked, I noticed that the Mets won by the score of 10-3 a month ago- July 25 in Houston.
Then I checked a little further and noticed something really unusual.
Here's a list of the last 10 times the Mets won a game by the final score of 10-3.
8/27/09 at Marlins
7/25/09 at Astros
6/25/05 at Yankees
8/19/04 at Rockies
6/12/01 at Orioles
8/10/00 at Astros
9/12/99 at Dodgers
8/3/99 at Brewers
4/9/99 at Expos
9/22/97 at Marlins
Notice what they all have in common?
They were all done on the road.
The last time the Mets won a HOME GAME by a 10-3 final score, their starting shortstop was Manny Alexander and their starting moundsman was soon-to-be 4-0 Armando Reynoso, and we could rejoice in Carlos Baerga beating up the Phillies with four hits and four RBI. It was May 31, 1997.
Since then, the Mets have scored 10 runs in a HOME GAME 24 times. They have excorcised every possible 10-run score combination within the last five years (the last of those being 10-1 against the Pirates on May 9)...except for the elusive, 10-3.
I don't know why this sort of thing intrigues me, but it does. Perhaps because football season is coming, and that's a football kind of score.
True Metball fans know... The Jets never won a game at Shea Stadium by a 10-3 score.
Got a big project that I'm unveiling info on next week...think it will be rather popular, so please check back...
Thursday, August 27, 2009
Sound Familiar?
Thursday marks the anniversary of a game that might be confused for one that took place in 2009.
This one occurred in 1963 in Forbes Field against the Pirates, a team that gave the Mets plenty of trouble in their early days.
An Al Moran single gave the Mets a 1-0 lead in the second inning and Grover Powell, who pitched so well in his first big league start a week earlier, gave the visitors five very good scoreless innings.
Powell's day ended prematurely when he was hit in the cheek by a line drive, which forced him to leave the game due to blurred vision. His replacement in the sixth, Galen Cisco, pitched credibly for three innings.
In the home ninth, with the Mets still up, 1-0, Pirates shortstop Dick Schofield Sr. (father of the future Met) led off with a walk. The next batter, Manny Mota, bounced a game-ending single to centerfield.
How can that be, you ask? A single with a man on first and nobody out. There should be two on, none out, but the Mets should still be ahead, 1-0, right?
Not quite.
The newspapers of the time provide great description of the events that occurred within this play. I use them to provide the details because I don't know anyone who could remember this game, and I don't know any Met fan of the time who would want any sort of memory from this.
The culprits in defeat were multiple.
* Centerfielder Duke Carmel failed to field Mota's hit cleanly. The ball bounced away and rolled to right field.
* Rightfielder Joe Christopher retrieved the ball and pegged it back towards home plate. The throw however was apparently nowhere within the vicinity of home plate. That allowed Schofield to scamper home with the tying run.
* Catcher Jesse Gonder watched Christopher's ugly throw, rather than chase it down.
* Pitcher Galen Cisco, trying to retrieve Christopher's wild throw, fell down. By the time he got the ball, Mota was on his way to the plate. Cisco's throw to Gonder was in time, but Gonder failed to block the plate, and Mota slid in with the winning run.
Leonard Koppett's story in the New York Times the next day is wonderfully detailed and includes the note that winning pitcher Bob Friend, now a Josh Johnson-esque 8-0 against the Mets, had not allowed an earned run to them in 47 (!) innings. I like his lead, so we'll end with that.
"Even to those who may be inured by exposure to the ability of the New York Mets to fritter away a ball game at the last moment, tonight's 2-1 loss to the Pittsburgh Pirates is hard to describe and harder to believe."
The truly Inured Mets fan knows... Dick Schofield Sr. is actually the great-uncle of Phillies outfielder Jayson Werth.
This one occurred in 1963 in Forbes Field against the Pirates, a team that gave the Mets plenty of trouble in their early days.
An Al Moran single gave the Mets a 1-0 lead in the second inning and Grover Powell, who pitched so well in his first big league start a week earlier, gave the visitors five very good scoreless innings.
Powell's day ended prematurely when he was hit in the cheek by a line drive, which forced him to leave the game due to blurred vision. His replacement in the sixth, Galen Cisco, pitched credibly for three innings.
In the home ninth, with the Mets still up, 1-0, Pirates shortstop Dick Schofield Sr. (father of the future Met) led off with a walk. The next batter, Manny Mota, bounced a game-ending single to centerfield.
How can that be, you ask? A single with a man on first and nobody out. There should be two on, none out, but the Mets should still be ahead, 1-0, right?
Not quite.
The newspapers of the time provide great description of the events that occurred within this play. I use them to provide the details because I don't know anyone who could remember this game, and I don't know any Met fan of the time who would want any sort of memory from this.
The culprits in defeat were multiple.
* Centerfielder Duke Carmel failed to field Mota's hit cleanly. The ball bounced away and rolled to right field.
* Rightfielder Joe Christopher retrieved the ball and pegged it back towards home plate. The throw however was apparently nowhere within the vicinity of home plate. That allowed Schofield to scamper home with the tying run.
* Catcher Jesse Gonder watched Christopher's ugly throw, rather than chase it down.
* Pitcher Galen Cisco, trying to retrieve Christopher's wild throw, fell down. By the time he got the ball, Mota was on his way to the plate. Cisco's throw to Gonder was in time, but Gonder failed to block the plate, and Mota slid in with the winning run.
Leonard Koppett's story in the New York Times the next day is wonderfully detailed and includes the note that winning pitcher Bob Friend, now a Josh Johnson-esque 8-0 against the Mets, had not allowed an earned run to them in 47 (!) innings. I like his lead, so we'll end with that.
"Even to those who may be inured by exposure to the ability of the New York Mets to fritter away a ball game at the last moment, tonight's 2-1 loss to the Pittsburgh Pirates is hard to describe and harder to believe."
The truly Inured Mets fan knows... Dick Schofield Sr. is actually the great-uncle of Phillies outfielder Jayson Werth.
Wednesday, August 26, 2009
Leftover Minutiae
* A belated happy birthday to Choo Choo Coleman, who celebrated on Tuesday. Coleman has the distinction of having the second-lowest batting average for any Met to hit a walk-off home run.
Coleman's .205 batting average trails only Jim Tatum's .180 for worst by a Mets walk-off home run hitter.
* Johan Santana's 13 wins, not the record for most by a Mets pitcher making 25 or fewer starts in a season.
Dwight Gooden holds that mark, with 15 wins in his 25-start 1987 season.
* Billy Wagner departs as one of 10 Mets pitchers to strike out better than 10 batters per 9 innings in his Mets career.
The full list:
18.00- Kenny Greer (2 strikeouts, 1 inning)
18.00- Bob Gibson (not the Hall of Famer, 2 strikeouts, 1 inning)
15.43- Kane Davis (14 innings)
13.92- Jorge Julio (21 1/3 innings)
13.50- Matt Franco (2 strikeouts, 1 1/3 innings)
13.50- Jesse Hudson (3 strikeouts, 2 innings)
11.83- Armando Benitez
11.57- Joe Vitko (6 strikeouts, 4 2/3 innings)
10.91- Billy Wagner
10.80- Rich Sauveur (4 strikeouts, 3 1/3 innings)
* Lastly, I think it's pretty cool that the first inside-the-park home run hit at Shea Stadium was hit against Sandy Koufax, and the first inside-the-park home run hit at Citi Field was hit against Pedro Martinez. Pedro will likely become the 4th Hall of Famer to allow an inside-the-park HR to the Mets, joining Koufax, Steve Carlton, and Bruce Sutter.
Coleman's .205 batting average trails only Jim Tatum's .180 for worst by a Mets walk-off home run hitter.
* Johan Santana's 13 wins, not the record for most by a Mets pitcher making 25 or fewer starts in a season.
Dwight Gooden holds that mark, with 15 wins in his 25-start 1987 season.
* Billy Wagner departs as one of 10 Mets pitchers to strike out better than 10 batters per 9 innings in his Mets career.
The full list:
18.00- Kenny Greer (2 strikeouts, 1 inning)
18.00- Bob Gibson (not the Hall of Famer, 2 strikeouts, 1 inning)
15.43- Kane Davis (14 innings)
13.92- Jorge Julio (21 1/3 innings)
13.50- Matt Franco (2 strikeouts, 1 1/3 innings)
13.50- Jesse Hudson (3 strikeouts, 2 innings)
11.83- Armando Benitez
11.57- Joe Vitko (6 strikeouts, 4 2/3 innings)
10.91- Billy Wagner
10.80- Rich Sauveur (4 strikeouts, 3 1/3 innings)
* Lastly, I think it's pretty cool that the first inside-the-park home run hit at Shea Stadium was hit against Sandy Koufax, and the first inside-the-park home run hit at Citi Field was hit against Pedro Martinez. Pedro will likely become the 4th Hall of Famer to allow an inside-the-park HR to the Mets, joining Koufax, Steve Carlton, and Bruce Sutter.
Monday, August 24, 2009
If Ever A Game Symbolized A Season
"And when you write the story of this game, where in the world do you begin??"
-- Al Michaels, after John Shelby caught the final out of Game 4 of the 1988 NLCS
(IE: The Mike Scioscia HR Game)
* I begin at the beginning, or at least the third batter of the game...Jayson Werth homering on the 12th pitch of his at-bat against Oliver Perez.
Baseball-Reference has pitch data dating back to 1988, and the only 12-pitch at-bat resulting in a home run against the Mets was hit by Jose Gonzalez of the Dodgers, against Wally Whitehurst, on May 21, 1990. I'm guessing not many remember that, since the score was 12-2 Mets at the time.
* I could have begun with Oliver Perez and the disgustingness that was his unfinished, 47-pitch first inning. There are no examples, dating back to 1988, of a Mets starter throwing 47+ pitches, while failing to get out of the first inning.
The closest example to be found was the grossness of a Ron Darling start in Cincinnati, on July 19, 1988, in which he allowed nine first-inning runs (five earned) and was pulled after two outs and 44 pitches.
* There's obviously a lot that could be written about former Mets pitchers returning to face the Mets, and I'm not gonna get into that now.
As far as former Mets pitchers getting RBI against the Mets, that I will note, in brief.
Pedro Martinez is the 3rd former Mets pitcher to get an RBI against them this season, joining fan favorites Mike Hampton and Braden Looper. The Mets had actually gone the previous two seasons (2007 and 2008) without allowing an RBI to a former pitcher of theirs.
I will say that if you see a pitcher get an RBI against the Mets (747 times, a pitcher has had at least one), you could probably turn off the TV. The last nine games in which the Mets have allowed an opposing pitcher to get an RBI, they've lost.
* As far as the inside-the-park home run goes...
You may have heard on TV or in print, thanks to the folks at Elias, that this was the 2nd time a Mets player led off a game with an inside-the-park home run (Charlie Neal, 1963). Let's fill in one other blank...
Angel Pagan hit the 25th inside-the-park home run in Mets history, and amazingly the 6th to come against the Phillies. The others came in 1963 (Charlie Neal), 1971 (Don Hahn), 1980 (Lee Mazzilli), 1993 (Tim Bogar) and 2000 (Timo Perez).
* Moving ahead to Pagan's second home run, it made him noteworthy, as the first Met to hit an inside-the-park and an outside-the-park home run since the afforementioned Tim Bogar, against the Phillies in 1993. Of course, we don't like to talk about that one either, since Bogar wrecked his hand sliding into home plate on his inside-the-parker (a maneuver only acceptable in 1962, 1993, or 2009).
* There's been a lot written and said about this being the 2nd game-ending unassisted triple play ever (Johnny Neun, 1927 Tigers turned the other), but I wanted to comment on the synergy of that triple play and another.
The first triple play in Shea Stadium's history took place 45 years ago this month. That game shared two things in common with this one.
- The opponent was the Phillies.
- The Phillies scored six runs in the first inning.
Other than that, we're lacking in absurdities for the other contest, an 8-1 Mets loss that featured, typical of the time, four Mets errors. The triple play came in the second inning, hit by Bobby Klaus- a line drive back to the pitcher, John Boozer, who turned the trick via 1-6-3.
* Let's end with a note on the final score, thanks to Greg Prince of Faith and Fear. If you were going to rate this the strangest of the 22 games that the Mets have lost by a 9-7 score, you'd have to rate the game of May 5, 1981 second.
That day, the Mets trailed 9-0 in the ninth inning but strung together seven runs to make the game a lot more interesting. The inning even featured the Mets hitting for the cycle- via four consecutive hitters (Brooks single, Trevino double, Flynn triple, Jorgensen home run), but just like on Sunday, the home team would come up short in the end.
The triply played Mets fan knows... In terms of the most famous triple plays the Mets have ever hit into, this one would seem to replace the one from September 30, 1962 (also contributed by Faith and Fear). In the final game of that 120-loss season, Joe Pignatano hit a triple play in his final big league at-bat. He'd have been even more distinct had he done so in the ninth inning instead of the eighth.
-- Al Michaels, after John Shelby caught the final out of Game 4 of the 1988 NLCS
(IE: The Mike Scioscia HR Game)
* I begin at the beginning, or at least the third batter of the game...Jayson Werth homering on the 12th pitch of his at-bat against Oliver Perez.
Baseball-Reference has pitch data dating back to 1988, and the only 12-pitch at-bat resulting in a home run against the Mets was hit by Jose Gonzalez of the Dodgers, against Wally Whitehurst, on May 21, 1990. I'm guessing not many remember that, since the score was 12-2 Mets at the time.
* I could have begun with Oliver Perez and the disgustingness that was his unfinished, 47-pitch first inning. There are no examples, dating back to 1988, of a Mets starter throwing 47+ pitches, while failing to get out of the first inning.
The closest example to be found was the grossness of a Ron Darling start in Cincinnati, on July 19, 1988, in which he allowed nine first-inning runs (five earned) and was pulled after two outs and 44 pitches.
* There's obviously a lot that could be written about former Mets pitchers returning to face the Mets, and I'm not gonna get into that now.
As far as former Mets pitchers getting RBI against the Mets, that I will note, in brief.
Pedro Martinez is the 3rd former Mets pitcher to get an RBI against them this season, joining fan favorites Mike Hampton and Braden Looper. The Mets had actually gone the previous two seasons (2007 and 2008) without allowing an RBI to a former pitcher of theirs.
I will say that if you see a pitcher get an RBI against the Mets (747 times, a pitcher has had at least one), you could probably turn off the TV. The last nine games in which the Mets have allowed an opposing pitcher to get an RBI, they've lost.
* As far as the inside-the-park home run goes...
You may have heard on TV or in print, thanks to the folks at Elias, that this was the 2nd time a Mets player led off a game with an inside-the-park home run (Charlie Neal, 1963). Let's fill in one other blank...
Angel Pagan hit the 25th inside-the-park home run in Mets history, and amazingly the 6th to come against the Phillies. The others came in 1963 (Charlie Neal), 1971 (Don Hahn), 1980 (Lee Mazzilli), 1993 (Tim Bogar) and 2000 (Timo Perez).
* Moving ahead to Pagan's second home run, it made him noteworthy, as the first Met to hit an inside-the-park and an outside-the-park home run since the afforementioned Tim Bogar, against the Phillies in 1993. Of course, we don't like to talk about that one either, since Bogar wrecked his hand sliding into home plate on his inside-the-parker (a maneuver only acceptable in 1962, 1993, or 2009).
* There's been a lot written and said about this being the 2nd game-ending unassisted triple play ever (Johnny Neun, 1927 Tigers turned the other), but I wanted to comment on the synergy of that triple play and another.
The first triple play in Shea Stadium's history took place 45 years ago this month. That game shared two things in common with this one.
- The opponent was the Phillies.
- The Phillies scored six runs in the first inning.
Other than that, we're lacking in absurdities for the other contest, an 8-1 Mets loss that featured, typical of the time, four Mets errors. The triple play came in the second inning, hit by Bobby Klaus- a line drive back to the pitcher, John Boozer, who turned the trick via 1-6-3.
* Let's end with a note on the final score, thanks to Greg Prince of Faith and Fear. If you were going to rate this the strangest of the 22 games that the Mets have lost by a 9-7 score, you'd have to rate the game of May 5, 1981 second.
That day, the Mets trailed 9-0 in the ninth inning but strung together seven runs to make the game a lot more interesting. The inning even featured the Mets hitting for the cycle- via four consecutive hitters (Brooks single, Trevino double, Flynn triple, Jorgensen home run), but just like on Sunday, the home team would come up short in the end.
The triply played Mets fan knows... In terms of the most famous triple plays the Mets have ever hit into, this one would seem to replace the one from September 30, 1962 (also contributed by Faith and Fear). In the final game of that 120-loss season, Joe Pignatano hit a triple play in his final big league at-bat. He'd have been even more distinct had he done so in the ninth inning instead of the eighth.
Friday, August 21, 2009
No Offense, None Taken
This weekend, we celebrate the accomplishments of mediocrity, and I say that with pride.
The 1969 Mets were a great team and one of the best stories in baseball history.
One thing they were not was an offensive juggernaut.
The 1969 Mets hit .242 as a team. The only teams with a worse batting average were the two expansion franchises, the Expos and Padres.
But it was a consistent .242. I looked up their offensive numbers from the season-ending surge that propelled them from 9 1/2 games out to the NL East title. In that stretch, they hit...242.
The 1969 Mets slugging percentage of .351 ranked next-to-last in the NL, as was their .662 OPS.
The 1969 Mets struck out 1,089 times- third-most in the National League.
The 1969 Mets were the 11th-best team in the NL for hitting doubles, the eighth-best for hitting home runs and the eighth-best for stealing bases.
They fare a little better, rankings-wise, when you include the AL within these tallies, but not by much.
You know what offensive category the Mets were statistically best at?
Not hitting into double plays.
The Mets hit into only 105 of them, tied for the best mark in the majors.
That's because there was often nobody on base!
If you take out Cleon Jones (admittedly an unfair thing to do), the rest of the team hit .232. They had one player hit 15 or more home runs. Their RBI leader had 76 (and yes, this is statistically dicey, since they didn't have Donn Clendenon for the full year). Their leader in stolen bases had 16. Their No. 2 hitters hit a combined .222... We could go on and on.
And yet this team somehow won the World Series. Amazin'
The 1969 Mets were a great team and one of the best stories in baseball history.
One thing they were not was an offensive juggernaut.
The 1969 Mets hit .242 as a team. The only teams with a worse batting average were the two expansion franchises, the Expos and Padres.
But it was a consistent .242. I looked up their offensive numbers from the season-ending surge that propelled them from 9 1/2 games out to the NL East title. In that stretch, they hit...242.
The 1969 Mets slugging percentage of .351 ranked next-to-last in the NL, as was their .662 OPS.
The 1969 Mets struck out 1,089 times- third-most in the National League.
The 1969 Mets were the 11th-best team in the NL for hitting doubles, the eighth-best for hitting home runs and the eighth-best for stealing bases.
They fare a little better, rankings-wise, when you include the AL within these tallies, but not by much.
You know what offensive category the Mets were statistically best at?
Not hitting into double plays.
The Mets hit into only 105 of them, tied for the best mark in the majors.
That's because there was often nobody on base!
If you take out Cleon Jones (admittedly an unfair thing to do), the rest of the team hit .232. They had one player hit 15 or more home runs. Their RBI leader had 76 (and yes, this is statistically dicey, since they didn't have Donn Clendenon for the full year). Their leader in stolen bases had 16. Their No. 2 hitters hit a combined .222... We could go on and on.
And yet this team somehow won the World Series. Amazin'
Wednesday, August 19, 2009
Our Special Bonds: That's Just Grand
Appropos of nothing, I used Baseball-Reference to create a Mets grand slam database the other day.
Figured my first use of it would be for some good, fun, trivia questions, ones a little tougher than "Who has the most grand slams in Mets history?" (Mike Piazza, 6).
Answers in the comments section
1- The record for most grand slams allowed by a pitcher against the Mets is 3. Name the pitcher who allowed them.
Hint: The Mets who hit them were Robin Ventura, Cliff Floyd, and David Wright.
2- Name the 3 Mets who hit multiple grand slams in 2006.
Hint: Two are easy. One is hard.
3- Angel Pagan became the 2nd Met whose first name started with "A" to hit a grand slam. Who was the first?
Hint: He played in the 1960s.
4- Four Hall of Famers have allowed a grand slam to the Mets. Name them.
Hint: Steve Carlton and Don Sutton didn't...
5- What Met was the first to hit 3 grand slams for them in the same season, doing so in 1976?
Hint: He played first base
6- Who is the only pitcher, who was a member of the 1969 Mets, to allow a grand slam against the Mets?
Hint: He's not someone you'd think of as a '69 Met
7- Only two Mets have hit a grand slam in October. Edgardo Alfonzo ('99 LDS) is one of them. Name the other.
Hint: He did it in the regular season in 1986.
8- Name the only pitcher to throw a no-hitter against the Mets, who also allowed a grand slam against the Mets.
Hint: His career record was 133-119.
9- From June 21, 1988 to May 21, 1990, all four of the Mets grand slams were hit by Kevin McReynolds. Name the Met who broke that streak with a grand slam on May 22, 1990 against the Dodgers.
Hint: He's a former Dodger
10- Who has the most career home runs by a Met without hitting a grand slam?
Hint: He hit more than 100.
Figured my first use of it would be for some good, fun, trivia questions, ones a little tougher than "Who has the most grand slams in Mets history?" (Mike Piazza, 6).
Answers in the comments section
1- The record for most grand slams allowed by a pitcher against the Mets is 3. Name the pitcher who allowed them.
Hint: The Mets who hit them were Robin Ventura, Cliff Floyd, and David Wright.
2- Name the 3 Mets who hit multiple grand slams in 2006.
Hint: Two are easy. One is hard.
3- Angel Pagan became the 2nd Met whose first name started with "A" to hit a grand slam. Who was the first?
Hint: He played in the 1960s.
4- Four Hall of Famers have allowed a grand slam to the Mets. Name them.
Hint: Steve Carlton and Don Sutton didn't...
5- What Met was the first to hit 3 grand slams for them in the same season, doing so in 1976?
Hint: He played first base
6- Who is the only pitcher, who was a member of the 1969 Mets, to allow a grand slam against the Mets?
Hint: He's not someone you'd think of as a '69 Met
7- Only two Mets have hit a grand slam in October. Edgardo Alfonzo ('99 LDS) is one of them. Name the other.
Hint: He did it in the regular season in 1986.
8- Name the only pitcher to throw a no-hitter against the Mets, who also allowed a grand slam against the Mets.
Hint: His career record was 133-119.
9- From June 21, 1988 to May 21, 1990, all four of the Mets grand slams were hit by Kevin McReynolds. Name the Met who broke that streak with a grand slam on May 22, 1990 against the Dodgers.
Hint: He's a former Dodger
10- Who has the most career home runs by a Met without hitting a grand slam?
Hint: He hit more than 100.
The Savior Has Arrived
WALKOFFSVILLE, NY. (MW) – Brett Hinchliffe's latest retirement lasted all of eight years.
The 0-5 career moundsman with the 10.22 ERA has done an about-face and will pitch for the Mets this season.
"I felt I did everything I possibly could do to get where I need to be," Hinchliffe said Tuesday.
"You're 35, your arm may not feel like it did at 21. But the pieces are in place that you don't have to do that much and I agree with that. If they were willing to take that chance, I was, too."
If the wait for Hinchliffe's decision seemed never-ending, it was resolved in a few short hours. He jumped on a team plane and was picked up at LaGuardia Airport by manager Jerry Manuel himself. The two drove to the team's ballpark, where Hinchliffe waved to hundreds of cheering fans.
No less than 90 minutes later, Hinchliffe was on the field in his familiar No. 32 jersey with blue shorts and a Mercury Mets hat, a vision that has had opposing fans cringing about for months.
He shook hands with a few of his new teammates and quickly began throwing as fans peeked through the security fence to catch a glimpse of the superstar.
Shortly after batting practice began, the Mets confirmed the agreement that seemed so inevitable all summer, only to be held up on July 28 when the man who holds every Mets career-worst ERA record told Manuel he wasn't ready to play, citing a lack of confidence in his beat-up body to hold up over an entire season.
Hinchliffe also had been told by doctors that he had a tear in his rotator cuff.
"The bottom line is it's baseball," Hinchliffe said. "Once you step onto the mound, I don't look at the helmets. I look at the faces."
Omar Minaya, a few weeks ago said he had not planned to pursue Hinchliffe after the pitcher said he was staying retired. And yet here comes Hinchliffe once reviled by a Mets fan base that hustled to welcome him to town.
"I don't have any problem rooting for one of the worst pitchers the Mets have ever had," said Phil Liesuck, a 23-year-old from Bayside who was at batting practice proudly wearing a black No. 32 jersey.
Even the governor chimed in.
"It's going to be good for the team. It's going to be good for the state. It's going to be exciting," a giddy Gov. David Patterson said after a speech.
Tweeted one rival : "Holy Strawberries Batman! Brett Hinchliffe is back!"
Last month, Hinchliffe explained his decision by saying he had to be "careful not to commit for the wrong reasons."
"I'm 35 with a 10.22 ERA to my name," he said.
The last time Hinchliffe appeared on a major league mound — a bitter loss at Miller Park by the Mets to the Brewers in April of 2001— he put up one of his worst performances in recent memory, allowing eight runs in two innings, giving him a career Mets ERA of 36.00.
Now the question becomes how Hinchliffe will fit in with a team that's already done with the grind of most of the season, not to mention how his health will hold up so soon after he questioned it.
The Mets got an encouraging performance from their beleagured lineup on Tuesday, with a franchise record 10 hits in the fourth inning. But none of their pitchers have been consistently sharp recently.
And none are anywhere in Hinchliffe's league. His zinger of an arm and toughness on the mound are a combination few possess. With an offense he claimed this summer that could operate while it slept, Hinchcliffe seems to fit well with New York — especially given the Mets problems finding a reliable starting pitcher.
The Mets have All-Star players all over their roster (they're all on the DL). No matter who's on the mound, they ought to be in position to contend for something, even if it's last place in the NL East.
To win the wild card, and perhaps that elusive World Series title, they'll need stability at the sport's most critical position.
Hinchliffe has wrestled with retirement for most of this decade and the will-he-or-won't-he saga became an annual offseason drama for the Mets.
Now, he is back.
The 0-5 career moundsman with the 10.22 ERA has done an about-face and will pitch for the Mets this season.
"I felt I did everything I possibly could do to get where I need to be," Hinchliffe said Tuesday.
"You're 35, your arm may not feel like it did at 21. But the pieces are in place that you don't have to do that much and I agree with that. If they were willing to take that chance, I was, too."
If the wait for Hinchliffe's decision seemed never-ending, it was resolved in a few short hours. He jumped on a team plane and was picked up at LaGuardia Airport by manager Jerry Manuel himself. The two drove to the team's ballpark, where Hinchliffe waved to hundreds of cheering fans.
No less than 90 minutes later, Hinchliffe was on the field in his familiar No. 32 jersey with blue shorts and a Mercury Mets hat, a vision that has had opposing fans cringing about for months.
He shook hands with a few of his new teammates and quickly began throwing as fans peeked through the security fence to catch a glimpse of the superstar.
Shortly after batting practice began, the Mets confirmed the agreement that seemed so inevitable all summer, only to be held up on July 28 when the man who holds every Mets career-worst ERA record told Manuel he wasn't ready to play, citing a lack of confidence in his beat-up body to hold up over an entire season.
Hinchliffe also had been told by doctors that he had a tear in his rotator cuff.
"The bottom line is it's baseball," Hinchliffe said. "Once you step onto the mound, I don't look at the helmets. I look at the faces."
Omar Minaya, a few weeks ago said he had not planned to pursue Hinchliffe after the pitcher said he was staying retired. And yet here comes Hinchliffe once reviled by a Mets fan base that hustled to welcome him to town.
"I don't have any problem rooting for one of the worst pitchers the Mets have ever had," said Phil Liesuck, a 23-year-old from Bayside who was at batting practice proudly wearing a black No. 32 jersey.
Even the governor chimed in.
"It's going to be good for the team. It's going to be good for the state. It's going to be exciting," a giddy Gov. David Patterson said after a speech.
Tweeted one rival : "Holy Strawberries Batman! Brett Hinchliffe is back!"
Last month, Hinchliffe explained his decision by saying he had to be "careful not to commit for the wrong reasons."
"I'm 35 with a 10.22 ERA to my name," he said.
The last time Hinchliffe appeared on a major league mound — a bitter loss at Miller Park by the Mets to the Brewers in April of 2001— he put up one of his worst performances in recent memory, allowing eight runs in two innings, giving him a career Mets ERA of 36.00.
Now the question becomes how Hinchliffe will fit in with a team that's already done with the grind of most of the season, not to mention how his health will hold up so soon after he questioned it.
The Mets got an encouraging performance from their beleagured lineup on Tuesday, with a franchise record 10 hits in the fourth inning. But none of their pitchers have been consistently sharp recently.
And none are anywhere in Hinchliffe's league. His zinger of an arm and toughness on the mound are a combination few possess. With an offense he claimed this summer that could operate while it slept, Hinchcliffe seems to fit well with New York — especially given the Mets problems finding a reliable starting pitcher.
The Mets have All-Star players all over their roster (they're all on the DL). No matter who's on the mound, they ought to be in position to contend for something, even if it's last place in the NL East.
To win the wild card, and perhaps that elusive World Series title, they'll need stability at the sport's most critical position.
Hinchliffe has wrestled with retirement for most of this decade and the will-he-or-won't-he saga became an annual offseason drama for the Mets.
Now, he is back.
Tuesday, August 18, 2009
On The Outside Looking In
Chipper Jones has accomplished a lot against the Mets in his career.
But there's one area in which he's a little short.
There are 7 players who have a 1.000 OPS against the Mets (on-base percentage + slugging percentage...minimum 150 plate appearances).
Chipper Jones is not one of them.
Chipper is the best of those who doesn't have a 1.000 OPS. His presently stands at .993.
The "Magnificent 7" are an interesting group- one that includes two former Mets players and a former Mets manager.
Best OPS vs Mets
Minimum 150 Plate Appearances
1.086- Albert Pujols
1.078- Frank Howard
1.066- Rico Carty
1.056- Mike Piazza
1.038- Derek Jeter
1.028- Todd Helton
1.001- Claudell Washington.
But there's one area in which he's a little short.
There are 7 players who have a 1.000 OPS against the Mets (on-base percentage + slugging percentage...minimum 150 plate appearances).
Chipper Jones is not one of them.
Chipper is the best of those who doesn't have a 1.000 OPS. His presently stands at .993.
The "Magnificent 7" are an interesting group- one that includes two former Mets players and a former Mets manager.
Best OPS vs Mets
Minimum 150 Plate Appearances
1.086- Albert Pujols
1.078- Frank Howard
1.066- Rico Carty
1.056- Mike Piazza
1.038- Derek Jeter
1.028- Todd Helton
1.001- Claudell Washington.
Sunday, August 16, 2009
360 Degrees of Murph
Dare to dream...
This Date in Mets History tells us that on August 16, 1969 "The Mets amazing stretch drive, one that would carry them to the World Championship begins..."
Fistbumps to Daniel Murphy, Mike Pelfrey, and David Wright.
* Walk-off win number 360 (including postseason) was the Mets 4th walk-off win of the season, their first since May 29.
* It was Murphy's first walk-off RBI as a Met and the first by a Mets lefthanded hitter against a lefthanded pitcher since Carlos Delgado beat Scott Eyre and the Cubs with a two-run walk-off single on May 17, 2005.
* It was the Mets 71st walk-off 3-2 win, their first since beating the Nationals, 3-2 in 14 innings, on April 17, 2008.
* It was the Mets first 3-2 walk-off win IN REGULATION since a 3-2 walk-off win over the Marlins on April 9, 2006.
* It was the Mets 26th walk-off win against the Giants, the most famous of which was also a 3-2 final score, in 13 innings in Game 3 of the 2000 NLDS.
* It's the second time the Mets have beaten a pitcher, last name Romo, via walk-off. The other instance happened on September 28, 1982 against the Pirates. Similarly, this Romo was not in the game for the game-ending play, a walk-off hit by lefty swinging Rusty Staub against Pirates southpaw Rod Scurry.
* The Mets are now 1-0 in games on August 16 that were decided by walk-off. They've never had a walk-off loss on this date.
* Billy Murphy never had a walk-off RBI for the Mets, though he did score the winning run on Ron Swoboda's walk-off walk against the Braves on April 17, 1966.
* Daniel now trails David Murphy for most walk-off RBI by an active Murphy, 3-1. He has a ways to go to catch Dale Murphy, who had 11 career walk-off RBI.
True Metsmurphs know...The Mets had lost their previous four games in which they entered the bottom of the ninth inning tied.
Saturday, August 15, 2009
Good Things Come In Threes, Bad Things Come in 100s
Normally when I sit at a game with Greg from Faith and Fear, I try to bring with me a couple of really challenging trivia questions. Friday night, I came, as the Giants did, with nothing.
He hit me with a good one...
What do the combination of
Andre Dawson
Gary Varsho
Ryan Theriot
have in common?
I'll acknowledge being stumped at the trio's distinction, which I'll share momentarily, after allowing you to ponder for a few moments.
When I woke up this morning and web-surfed a bit, I discovered that Angel Pagan had made himself part of a significant trio in Mets history.
First Mets To Hit Leadoff HR in Home Ballpark
Polo Grounds- Felix Mantilla (1962)
Shea Stadium- Billy Cowan (1965)
Citi Field- Angel Pagan (2009)
It only took three home games for Mantilla to make the list, but it would take a bit longer for a Met to christen Shea with a leadoff home run.
Cowan hit his on June 29, 1965, but it would be rendered insignificant by later long balls from Hank Aaron and Eddie Mathews in an 8-6 win for the Braves over the Mets.
Cowan's name is actually more appropriate for another list that Greg and I discussed on the 7 train on the way home from Shea. Who are the 100 Worst Mets Of All Time?
Perhaps one of us will answer that question someday. For now, here are Cowan's credentials.
* A .179 batting average
* 3 home runs and 9 RBI
* A Jeff Francoeur-esque 45 strikeouts and 4 walks
True Metophiles know...
Andre Dawson was Tom Seaver's last batter faced as a Met.
Gary Varsho was Dwight Gooden's last batter faced as a Met.
Ryan Theriot was Pedro Martinez's last batter faced as a Met.
Thursday, August 13, 2009
When Rock Bottom is a Good Thing
Forty years ago Thursday is a significant date in Mets history. It was the bottoming out point for the 1969 Mets.
An 8-2 loss to the Astros in Houston dropped them to 62-51. By the end of the day, after the Cubs had beaten the Padres, the 1969 Mets were 9 1/2 games out of first place, in third place in the NL East.
For whatever reason, the 1969 Astros were the Mets bugaboo. In 12 meetings, Houston won 10, and the Astros outscored the Mets, 78-36. But once the Mets were done with them, something magical took place.
It would be nice if the 1969 Mets could transfer their invincibility cloak forward 40 years hence, but I'm not expecting it. But then again, who would have expected something like this.
Over their last 49 regular season games, the 1969 Mets highlights included...
- Going 38-11
- Going 15-2 in 1-run games
- An ERA of 2.06 and an opponents batting average of .207
- Tom Seaver: 9-0, 1.24 ERA
- Jerry Koosman: 8-1, 2.35 ERA
- Tug McGraw: 4-1, 5 SV, 0.61 ERA
- Ron Swoboda: team-best: 26 RBI (despite hitting .222)
- Ken Boswell: .407 BA
Forty years later, those numbers are still pretty staggering, almost to the point of being hard to believe.
An 8-2 loss to the Astros in Houston dropped them to 62-51. By the end of the day, after the Cubs had beaten the Padres, the 1969 Mets were 9 1/2 games out of first place, in third place in the NL East.
For whatever reason, the 1969 Astros were the Mets bugaboo. In 12 meetings, Houston won 10, and the Astros outscored the Mets, 78-36. But once the Mets were done with them, something magical took place.
It would be nice if the 1969 Mets could transfer their invincibility cloak forward 40 years hence, but I'm not expecting it. But then again, who would have expected something like this.
Over their last 49 regular season games, the 1969 Mets highlights included...
- Going 38-11
- Going 15-2 in 1-run games
- An ERA of 2.06 and an opponents batting average of .207
- Tom Seaver: 9-0, 1.24 ERA
- Jerry Koosman: 8-1, 2.35 ERA
- Tug McGraw: 4-1, 5 SV, 0.61 ERA
- Ron Swoboda: team-best: 26 RBI (despite hitting .222)
- Ken Boswell: .407 BA
Forty years later, those numbers are still pretty staggering, almost to the point of being hard to believe.
Tuesday, August 11, 2009
Watch Out
I didn't really watch the Mets last night, other than for a quick peek at the score on a couple of occasions.
Tuesday might be more of the same, but for a different reason.
The Mets have a terrible walk-off history on August 11.
They've never won via walk-off on this date.
And they've lost via walk-off on this date 6 times.
It's been awhile though.
The last time the Mets lost via walk-off on this date was in 1994. Some may remember it as the last game of the 1994 season.
It was the game that wouldn't end between the Mets and Phillies, a pretty good pitchers duel between Jason Jacome and Phillie-for-a-minute Fernando Valenzuela.
Each pitcher allowed one run- Jacome through seven innings and Valenzuela through eight.
I remember remarking that it felt like neither team wanted the game to end. Evidence of that: In the first 14 innings, neither team got a hit with a runner in scoring position. The Mets lone tally came via Jim Lindeman home run. The Phillies scored on a Billy Hatcher groundout.
Doug Jones, Toby Borland and Tom Edens shut the Mets out from the ninth through 15 innings, a rather unimpressive display of batsmanship by the visitors.
It allowed the home team to break through in the 15th. A Hatcher bunt single, a wild pitch and a flyout put a runner on third with one out. Mauro Gozzo then intentionally walked the next two batters to load the bases.
The hitter was Kim Batiste, who had burned the Mets the previous season with a walk-off grand slam. This time, the Mets would get the better of him, as Gozzo recorded the strikeout. But Ricky Jordan ripped Gozzo's next pitch on a line drive to left, bringing home the winning run.
The players strike, which began the next day, made this one a walk-off that lasted through the fall and into the next spring.
True Metsochists know...The 1994 season ended with a Mets walk-off loss and the 1995 season began with a Mets walk-off loss (Dante Bichette's game-winning home run).
Tuesday might be more of the same, but for a different reason.
The Mets have a terrible walk-off history on August 11.
They've never won via walk-off on this date.
And they've lost via walk-off on this date 6 times.
It's been awhile though.
The last time the Mets lost via walk-off on this date was in 1994. Some may remember it as the last game of the 1994 season.
It was the game that wouldn't end between the Mets and Phillies, a pretty good pitchers duel between Jason Jacome and Phillie-for-a-minute Fernando Valenzuela.
Each pitcher allowed one run- Jacome through seven innings and Valenzuela through eight.
I remember remarking that it felt like neither team wanted the game to end. Evidence of that: In the first 14 innings, neither team got a hit with a runner in scoring position. The Mets lone tally came via Jim Lindeman home run. The Phillies scored on a Billy Hatcher groundout.
Doug Jones, Toby Borland and Tom Edens shut the Mets out from the ninth through 15 innings, a rather unimpressive display of batsmanship by the visitors.
It allowed the home team to break through in the 15th. A Hatcher bunt single, a wild pitch and a flyout put a runner on third with one out. Mauro Gozzo then intentionally walked the next two batters to load the bases.
The hitter was Kim Batiste, who had burned the Mets the previous season with a walk-off grand slam. This time, the Mets would get the better of him, as Gozzo recorded the strikeout. But Ricky Jordan ripped Gozzo's next pitch on a line drive to left, bringing home the winning run.
The players strike, which began the next day, made this one a walk-off that lasted through the fall and into the next spring.
True Metsochists know...The 1994 season ended with a Mets walk-off loss and the 1995 season began with a Mets walk-off loss (Dante Bichette's game-winning home run).
Monday, August 10, 2009
500 (and 56) Days of Johan
In the 556 days we've had Johan Santana.
* He ranks tied for 4th in MLB with 29 wins (tied with sandwich-mate CC Sabathia).
* He ranks 3rd in ERA at 2.72.
* He ranks 3rd in opponents batting average at .234.
* He ranks tied for 8th in MLB with 344 strikeouts
* He ranks 13th in win percentage at .659 (pitchers with at least 20 decisions).
* He ranks tied for 4th in MLB with 29 wins (tied with sandwich-mate CC Sabathia).
* He ranks 3rd in ERA at 2.72.
* He ranks 3rd in opponents batting average at .234.
* He ranks tied for 8th in MLB with 344 strikeouts
* He ranks 13th in win percentage at .659 (pitchers with at least 20 decisions).
Saturday, August 08, 2009
There Is Nothing To Say Here, Please Disperse
The Mets have now lost 386 games by walk-off, including postseason.
7 of them have been by walk-off grand slam.
Do you really want to know any more than that?
7 of them have been by walk-off grand slam.
Do you really want to know any more than that?
Friday, August 07, 2009
Just Win (One For The) Baby
Mike Pelfrey had his start pushed back from Saturday to Monday, allowing him to be with his wife for the birth of their child.
So he won't be pulling a Jon Matlack.
This Date In Mets History is great for anecdotes and one-liners that allow us to learn things such as what happened on July 2, 1975.
"Hours after the birth of his son, Danny, Jon Matlack beats the Cubs, 7-2."
There's a little more to it than that, as I gleaned from reading newspaper accounts of the game, going. beyond the basics (Felix Millan's four RBI and a Joe Torre home run)
For one, Matlack was up at 6 a.m. to get his wife to the hospital for the birth of their third child (a boy).
For another, he pitched a complete game, scattering eight hits., making for a heck of a long day.
Lastly, he somehow managed to walk three times as a hitter.
He was the second Mets pitcher to do that, joining Jay Hook, while tying a major league record in the process (the last MLB pitcher with three walks in a game- Joaquin Andujar in 1984).
Notes like that get me excited, because as you know, I'm a big fan of that kind of minutiae. You know what I think of them?
They're awesome,...baby!
True Mets babies know...One of my favorite Ralph Kiner stories is about how he used to struggle to beat his wife at her sport, tennis (she was a professional player).
Kiner has noted that he was quite pleased the first time he won a match from her. I'm paraphrasing here, but his next line was something along the lines of:
"And a few weeks later, our first child was born."
So he won't be pulling a Jon Matlack.
This Date In Mets History is great for anecdotes and one-liners that allow us to learn things such as what happened on July 2, 1975.
"Hours after the birth of his son, Danny, Jon Matlack beats the Cubs, 7-2."
There's a little more to it than that, as I gleaned from reading newspaper accounts of the game, going. beyond the basics (Felix Millan's four RBI and a Joe Torre home run)
For one, Matlack was up at 6 a.m. to get his wife to the hospital for the birth of their third child (a boy).
For another, he pitched a complete game, scattering eight hits., making for a heck of a long day.
Lastly, he somehow managed to walk three times as a hitter.
He was the second Mets pitcher to do that, joining Jay Hook, while tying a major league record in the process (the last MLB pitcher with three walks in a game- Joaquin Andujar in 1984).
Notes like that get me excited, because as you know, I'm a big fan of that kind of minutiae. You know what I think of them?
They're awesome,...baby!
True Mets babies know...One of my favorite Ralph Kiner stories is about how he used to struggle to beat his wife at her sport, tennis (she was a professional player).
Kiner has noted that he was quite pleased the first time he won a match from her. I'm paraphrasing here, but his next line was something along the lines of:
"And a few weeks later, our first child was born."
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