This was originally posted two years ago on January 11, 2011, and was written by the brilliant Ed Leyro. With all the fuss about the Mets outfield these days, I thought this was a nice reminder that at least where right field is concerned, it’s been 22 years and we still haven’t found a suitable replacement for Darryl Strawberry. So grab a hot cup of your favorite brew, pull up a...
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A Japanese pitcher, a catcher and a pitching coach walk into a bar. Think you understand where this joke is going? No? Well, the protagonists of the joke didn’t understand it either. But come Opening Day, they’ll have a better chance of getting it. According to Jayson Stark of espn.com, baseball owners have approved a new rule that would allow interpreters to join managers and...
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Although he finished his 18-year career with only 1,418 hits, an average of less than 80 hits per season, Ed Kranepool had remained the Mets’ all-time leader in hits for well over three decades. That’s “had”, as is the past tense of “has”. David Wright has now supplanted Kranepool as the team’s all-time leader with his 1,419th hit, collecting the...
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The Mets have had a number of great catchers in their half century of existence. Jerry Grote was behind the plate for two pennant winners, nurturing a young and dominant pitching staff. John Stearns was a four-time All-Star who was at times the best player on his team. Ron Hodges was always No. 2 on the depth chart but in his 12 seasons in New York, but was the perfect complement to Grote and...
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There is an old adage in baseball that says pitching wins championships. The San Francisco Giants can attest to that, as they’ve won two titles in three years on the strength of their stellar starting rotation and deep bullpen. But while pitching wins titles, it’s youth that keeps teams playing for championships. After winning four World Series in five seasons from 1996 to 2000...
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