The Mets of the late 90s are remembered for the acquisition of Mike Piazza in May 1998, Robin Ventura’s “Grand Slam Single,” and the postseason run of 1999. But the foundation for a winning culture began during a season in which they had low expectations and little experience with success. Bobby Valentine’s first full year as Mets manager may have been his most...
Pete Alonso already has the Mets’ single-season home run record. Now he’s after the RBI mark. Following play on Monday, even with recent struggles, his current pace has him within sight of the 124 set by Mike Piazza and David Wright. And with under six weeks left in the regular season, his other number put him in the discussion for the greatest individual hitting seasons by a Met. In...
Dave Mlicki’s major league career lasted ten seasons. By comparison, it was a rather modest decade: 66-80, a 4.72 ERA, and a 1.47 WHIP. He spent four years with the Mets registering a 24-30 record and an ERA+ of 98. Of the 66 victories in the majors and 24 as a Met, his night at Yankee Stadium clearly stands out. It wasn’t any ordinary game, contrary to what some players may have...
Pete Alonso continued his strong first two months of the season with another big day in the Mets’ 8-6 win Friday night. The slugging first baseman went 2-for-2 with four RBIs, bringing his total up to an MLB-leading 45 on the season. That number breaks the Mets’ franchise record for most RBIs before Memorial Day, which was set by Bernard Gilkey in his 1996 campaign. Alonso got his...
It’s rare that a comeback is largely forgotten, but the defensive wizardry displayed by Rey Ordóñez in his major league debut is still what’s most remembered from Opening Day 1996. The Mets had sliced a 6-0 deficit in half by the time the Cardinals were at bat with two outs in the top of the seventh and Royce Clayton on first. Ray Lankford went down the left field line — a hit that...
We are right smack in the middle of the holidays, so there’s a good chance you’re still around some extended family even though Christmas is officially in the rearview mirror. What better way to pass the time than talk about New York Mets history…am I right? I mean, there’s not much happening in the game right now thanks to the lockout, so this is the next best thing to...
June 16, 1997 was a historic day in the chronicles of the New York Mets. On that date, they played their first regular season game against the cross-town rival New York Yankees, defeating the Bombers in the Bronx by a 6-0 score. On June 13, 1997 the Mets played their first regular season Interleague game in franchise history, losing 8-4 to the Boston Red Sox at Shea Stadium. The Red Sox would...
