Author: Barry Duchan

40th Anniversary of Mets Acquiring Keith Hernandez

Mets history has certainly given us many more bad trades than good, but let’s look on the bright side and reminisce about one of the best trades the Mets have ever made on the 40th anniversary of it happening. A trade hatched by Frank Cashen, certainly the best general manager the Mets have ever had, at least to this point. By now, you probably figured out I’m talking about the Keith...

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Ron Hunt: A Mets’ Star Is Born

As is still the case today, every team gets to send at least one player to the All Star Game. In 1962 and 1963, the Mets sent Richie Ashburn and Duke Snider respectively, although both were well past their prime. But in 1964, for the first time, a Met was selected to start in the All Star Game and that was second baseman Ron Hunt. Because the game was played at Shea Stadium (a game I attended, I...

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Hey Mets Fans, This Bud’s For You

On June 7, 1963, one day after his 19th birthday, a tough and scrawny kid who weighed 150 pounds soaking wet, signed with the New York Mets.  His name… Bud Harrelson. Back in 1963 and 1964 when fringe-major leaguer Al Moran and later, aging veteran Roy McMillan were playing shortstop for the Mets, the minor league system was developing two promising shortstops, one of whom who would...

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Paul Blair: The One Who Got Away

In their long history, the Mets have had more than their share of young players who were dealt away and became stars with other teams. Nolan Ryan and Amos Otis are probably the two names mentioned most often. And the trading of future MVPs Kevin Mitchell and Jeff Kent were in retrospect, major mistakes, too. But the very first star the Mets let get away was the defensively-gifted Paul Blair, who...

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Mets Sultan of Swat, Dave Kingman

Dave Kingman was one of the most fascinating players in Mets’ history. Because he played in one of the Mets’ major down periods – the mid ‘70’s to early ‘80’s, you  don’t hear his name mentioned much in Mets’ retrospectives, but for a while, he was clearly the Mets’ biggest star and one of their very few drawing cards, at least at home. If remembered at all, it’s as a low-average power hitter...

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