Also, good morning to any Knicks fans out there!

A good Wednesday for the guys in blue started in Arizona where the Mets took the rubber match against the Arizona Diamondbacks by a score of 7-1. Despite having some control issues early on, Kodai Senga found the range and went six innings of shutout ball, lowering his ERA to 1.16 on the season. Along with that, Juan Soto had his second multi-homer game of the season, going 2-for-4 with two long balls and three RBIs. Click here for a full game recap!

The Mets have an off day on Thursday and will start a three-game set against the Chicago Cubs on Friday at Citi Field. The projected starters are Clay Holmes, Tylor Megill and Griffin Canning. 

Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

Latest Mets News

The Mets signed veteran left-handed reliever Colin Poche to a minor-league contract and he will report to Syracuse. Click here for more on the signing. 

Padres’ Jose Iglesias was ‘totally shocked’ he didn’t receive contract offer from Mets in the offseason, per Anthony Rieber of Newsday.

Latest MLB News

The Baltimore Orioles acquired RHP Luis F. Castillo (not the All-Star) from the Seattle Mariners for cash considerations. 

The Los Angeles Dodgers announced Evan Phillips is on the IL with right forearm discomfort, per Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic.

Royals first baseman Vinnie Pasquantino announced he will be playing for Team Italy in the 2026 WBC, per his X page.

Former Mets relief pitcher Stephen Nogosek signed a contract with the Kansas City Royals, per player agent John Shinn.

Alex Bregman launched his 200th career home run over the Green Monster on Wednesday night.

Breggy Bomb No. 200 💥 pic.twitter.com/E0QPmJ47lE

— MLB (@MLB) May 7, 2025

Colorado Rockies manager Bud Black told reporters that Kris Bryant is undergoing an ablation procedure on his lower back on Thursday.

The Cincinnati Reds placed on the 10-day injured list IF Noelvi Marte, retroactive to May 5th, with a left oblique strain. 

The Chicago White Sox placed outfielder Andrew Benintendi on the 10-day injured list, retroactive to May 5th, with a left calf strain.

Latest On MMO

The Mets sign a veteran lefty reliever.

Soto goes deep twice in the Mets’ win.

Mets have three players in Baseball America’s updated top 100. 

On This Date In Mets History

2010: Henry Blanco hits a walk-off home run to beat the Giants.

1961: New York’s National League expansion team announces that they will be known as the “Mets.” 

Born on This Date: Sean Gilmartin (1990), Adrián González (1982), John Maine (1981).

The post Morning Briefing: Mets Grab Rubber Match Over Arizona appeared first on Metsmerized Online.

After years of being a divisional pest, former Philadelphia Phillies first baseman Rhys Hoskins agreed to a two-year, $34 million contract with the Milwaukee Brewers. ESPN’s Jeff Passan was the first to report the agreement. 

The deal comes with an opt-out after the first season, according to Passan. 

Hoskins, 31, missed last season after suffering a torn ACL during spring training. Prior to the injury, he was a mainstay in the middle of the Philadelphia lineup. 

Hoskins hit 148 home runs, drove in 405 runs, and had an OPS of .846 over six seasons with the Phillies. 

Latest Mets News 

David Wright secured his spot on the 2025 Hall of Fame ballot, while Billy Wagner and Carlos Beltran improved from the previous year. Read Metsmerized’s coverage here. 

Jose Reyes did not receive a single Hall of Fame vote. Here’s how former Mets fared on this year’s ballot. 

Ken Rosenthal reported the Mets “do not seem inclined to spend on a DH.” Read more here.

The Mets reportedly have interest in reliever Ryne Stanek. Read more here. 

The Mets will debut their City Connect jerseys on April 26. More details can be found here.

Jay Horwitz conducted an in-depth interview with former Mets pitcher John Maine. Find the interview here. 

Latest MLB News

Adrian Beltre, Joe Mauer and Todd Helton were elected to the 2024 Hall of Fame. Read more here. 

The Los Angeles Angels signed pitcher Matt Moore, per Jon Heyman of the New York Post.

The Nationals agreed to a one-year contract with Joey Gallo, according to Andrew Golden of the Washington Post.  

The Los Angeles Dodgers agreed to a contract with James Paxton, according to Heyman. 

The Durham Bulls, the Tampa Bay Rays Triple-A affiliate, announced Morgan Ensberg as its manager. 

Pitchers Michael Lorenzen and Noah Syndergaard threw for about 16 MLB Teams on Tuesday, per Robert Murray of Fansided. 

Latest on MMO 

Brian Wright outlines the Hall of Fame case for David Wright. 

Christian De Block profiles Matt Moore. 

On This Date in Mets History

1980: Publishing company Doubleday and Co. bought the Mets for $21 million. Part of the group was Fred Wilpon, who owned a majority of the team by 2002. 

Birthdays: Jose Quintana (35), Mike Glavine (51), Neil Allen (66)

The post Morning Briefing: Rhys Hoskins Joins Brewers appeared first on Metsmerized Online.

The New York Mets had several thrilling wins in 2006 as they marched to a division title. On August 22, they had a spirited comeback victory at Shea Stadium over the St. Louis Cardinals, led by both Carlos Delgado and Carlos Beltran.

Setting the stage, there was not much of a race for the division title when the Mets entered play on August 22. They were in first place and held a 13.5-game lead. They had won four games in a row, including a three-game sweep of the Colorado Rockies at Shea.

The game began with John Maine pitching for the Mets against Jeff Weaver of the Cardinals. New York jumped out to a 1-0 lead on a home run in the bottom of the second inning by Carlos Delgado. However, Albert Pujols slugged a three-run home run off Maine in the top of the fourth inning, and St. Louis held a 3-1 lead. (For reference, that was Pujols’ 239th homer of his career. He just hit in 677th Saturday against the Mets.)

In the top of the fifth inning, Pujols struck again, this time sending one over the wall with the bases loaded, vaulting the Cardinals to a 7-1 lead. However, Delgado matched Pujols in the bottom of the fifth inning, driving a grand slam home run (the 400th home run of his career) to right field, bringing the Mets close at 7-5.

The Mets would draw a run closer off Adam Wainwright in the bottom of the sixth inning, when a Jose Reyes ground out scored Endy Chavez. The score would remain 7-6 until the Mets prepared to take their last at-bat in the bottom of the ninth inning off a former Met, Cardinals’ closer Jason Isringhausen.

Reyes led off the inning by grounding our to second base. Paul Lo Duca followed with a single to center field, bringing up Beltran. The Mets’ center fielder ripped the first pitch he saw deep into the Queens night for a two-run home run and a Mets’ victory. You can see Beltran’s heroics in the video below.

Earlier in the 2006 season, Beltran had sent the Flushing faithful home happy by hitting a walk-off home run against the Phillies in the 16th inning. This time, he victimized the Cardinals.

We know that the 2006 season did not end the way the Mets and the fans would have hoped. However, that team provided many thrills, and a divisional dominance from start to finish that no Mets team has been able to since replicate.

The 2006 season was fun (until the middle of October). With the struggles of 2021 team of late, let’s hope that there are more moments like this one in our near future.

The post OTD in 2006: Carlos Beltran Caps Comeback, Walks Off Cardinals appeared first on Metsmerized Online.

Since we’ve already covered the 10 best and worst offenses since 1980, and the 10 best pitching staffs since 1980, it’s only fitting that we take a look at the 10 worst pitching staffs since 1980.  While the mid-to-late 80s and into the early 90s were the renaissance of Mets pitching, all of the bottom 10 performances have been after 1992.

Ten Most Runs Allowed Since 1980

1)    1996 – 779 runs – 4.81/game

2)    2009 – 757 runs – 4.67/game

3)    2003 – 754 runs – 4.68/game

4)    1994 – 754 runs* – 4.65/game

5)    2007 – 750 runs – 4.63/game

6)    1993 – 744 runs – 4.59/game

7)    2011 – 742 runs – 4.58/game

8)    2000 – 738 runs – 4.56/game

9)    2006 – 731 runs – 4.51/game

10)   2004 – 731 runs – 4.51/game

*The 1994 season was cut short by the player strike.  The Mets only played 113 games, allowing 526 runs.  Over a 162 game schedule, this is prorated to 754 runs.

Right after the eight year stretch of 1985-1992 which saw 7 of the 10 best 10 pitching squads since the 80s, the following 4 years immediately thereafter saw 3 of the worst 4.  The National League championship squad was among the bottom 10, but that team was also among the top 10 in runs scored.

So who were the starting rotations on these bottom 10 squads? (the top 5 starters in terms of games started are listed – in 1993/1994, two pitchers were tied in the #5 spot).  Before passing any blanket judgments on these rotations for being in the bottom 10 – let’s remember that after the 80s we saw the rise of the middle relief pitcher where the bullpen began eating up more innings (and along with it, middle relievers that may not have been in the major leagues in years past).  This top 10 list is comprised of the collective staffs of the teams that allowed the most runs.

1993 – Dwight Gooden, Frank Tanana, Eric Hillman, Bret Saberhagen, Sid Fernandez/Pete Schourek

1994 – Bret Saberhagen, Bobby Jones, Pete Smith, Mike Remlinger, Jason Jacome/Mauro Gozzo

1996 – Mark Clark, Bobby Jones, Pete Harnisch, Jason Isringhausen, Paul Wilson

2000 – Mike Hampton, Al Leiter, Glendon Rusch, Rick Reed, Bobby Jones

2003 – Steve Trachsel, Jae Weong Seo, Tom Glavine, Al Leiter, Aaron Heilman

2004 – Tom Glavine, Steve Trachsel, Al Leiter, Jae Weong Seo, Matt Ginter

2006 – Tom Glavine, Steve Trachsel, Pedro Martinez, Orlando Hernandez, John Maine

2007 – Tom Glavine, John Maine, Oliver Perez, Orlando Hernandez, Mike Pelfrey

2009 – Mike Pelfrey, Johan Santana, Livan Hernandez, Tim Redding, John Maine

2011 – R.A. Dickey, Mike Pelfrey, Chris Capuano, Dillon Gee, Jon Niese

The post The 10 Worst Mets Pitching Staffs Since 1980 appeared first on Metsmerized Online.

If you are a Mets fan, you know that David Wright is still with team, or that Jose Reyes and Carlos Beltran are in Toronto and St. Louis, respectively. But what happened to guys like Nick Evans or Rod Barajas? We have the answers.

11 Players who made it into a game in 2010 with the Mets, are still employed by the team. That would be the aforementioned David Wright, Ike Davis, Ruben Tejada (Although he is currently with Triple-A Las Vegas, he is still on the Mets payroll), Lucas Duda, Justin Turner, Jon Niese, Pedro Feliciano (Although he made another stop in the Bronx, he is with the Mets once again), Bobby Parnell, Dillon Gee, Johan Santana, and Jenrry Mejia.

10 players are employed by another Major League team. That would be Jose Reyes, Angel Pagan, Beltran, Josh Thole, Henry Blanco, Joaquin Arias, Mike Pelfrey, R.A. Dickey, Francisco Rodriguez, and Oliver Perez.

As you may know, Jose Reyes was traded from the Miami Marlins to the Toronto Blue Jays this past offseason in a blockbuster deal involving Josh Johnson, Mark Buehrle, and now former Met, John Buck. Reyes now puts on his uniform in the same locker room as R.A. Dickey and Josh Thole, who were traded together this past offseason from the Mets for Travis d’Arnaud, Buck, and Noah Syndergaard (don’t forget Wuilmer Beccera!). Angel Pagan was traded to the San Francisco Giants prior to the 2012 season for outfielder Andres Torres and pitcher Ramon Ramirez who have both since played again for the team they were traded from.

Carlos Beltran was traded at the deadline in 2011 to the Giants for Zack Wheeler, but has since made his home in St. Louis playing for the Cardinals, where he has enjoyed a couple of very nice seasons, including an All Star appearance this summer. Henry Blanco, who served as the Mets backup catcher in 2010, beat out Josh Thole for the same position on this year’s Toronto Blue Jays team, but was released and then signed by the Seattle Mariners who made the corresponding move by releasing 2012 Met alumni, Kelly Shoppach. Blanco played in Arizona for the Diamondbacks in 2011 and 2012.

Joaquin Arias, of whom the Mets received for Jeff Francoeur late in the 2010 season, played for the Kansas City Royals in 2011, and was then given a championship ring after serving as Pablo Sandoval‘s ninth inning defensive replacement in 2012 for the San Francisco Giants. He has been a key hitter off the bench for the Giants in 2013. Mike Pelfrey, after failing to play a month in the 2012 season, was signed by the Minnesota Twins, where his 5-10 record and 5.06 ERA is good enough to keep him in the starting rotation.

Francisco Rodriguez was traded to the Brewers in 2011 for Daniel Herrera (yes the 5-6 guy) and a minor leaguer, but was traded to the Baltimore Orioles at the deadline this year, downgrading from a closer to a setup man. Finally, Oliver Perez signed a two-year deal with the Seattle Mariners in 2012 and is proving to be an effective arm out of their bullpen. You would think that Perez’s ERA of 9.72 with Henry Blanco behind the plate would be the highest among catchers who have caught the Mexican native, but no. That award goes to Josh Thole, who provides Ollie with a sparkling 16.20 ERA.

Eight players are in the minor leagues with another organization. They are Mike Nickeas, Mike Hessman, Luis Hernandez, Mike Jacobs, Nick Evans, Hisanori Takahashi, Fernando Nieve, and Pat Misch.

Mike Nickeas, who was in the same deal that sent R.A. Dickey north of the border, is currently with the Blue Jays Triple-A team, the Buffalo Bisons, a team Nickeas has played for many times when they were the Mets affiliate. Nickeas has failed to make the Majors this season, playing 55 games in Buffalo. Mike Hessman, who is seven home runs shy of 400 for his minor league career and one shy of 15 for his Major League career, is currently a member of the Louisville Bats, the Triple-A team of the Cincinnati Reds, where he is teammates with base stealing extraordinaire, Billy Hamilton. Hessman played in Japan in 2011 for the Orix Buffaloes, and was with the Astros Triple A team in 2012.

Luis Hernandez, who played all of 17 games for the Mets, is with the Indians Triple-A team, after playing in the Texas Rangers organization in 2012. Nick Evans is the only 2010 Met alumni playing in Double-A. Evans, who is a member of the Arizona Diamondbacks affiliated Mobile Baybears, was a member of the Pittsburgh Pirates organization in 2012. Mike Jacobs was the placeholder at first base until Ike Davis came up in 2010 but he is now with the Diamondbacks Triple-A team. Jacobs also stopped in Colorado Springs, Toronto, and Mexico. Hisanori Takahashi, who has 12 games started and 21 games finished as a Met, has played in the Majors with the Angels, Pirates, and Cubs. He is now a member of the Colorado Rockies Triple-A team. Fernando Nieve hasn’t played in the Majors since 2010, but he has played with the Astros, Dodgers, Indians, and currently the Athletics, all in Triple-A. Finally, Pat MIsch has seen time with the Phillies and Tigers Triple-A teams.

Five players are not currently with a Major League organization. The names are Jeff Francoeur, Rod Barajas, Jason Bay, John Maine, and Sean Green.

Francoeur was traded to the Rangers for Joaquin Arias in August of 2010. He spent the rest of the year there. Frenchy played in Kansas City during 2011 and 2012, but was released midway through the 2013 season. The Giants picked him up, where he played 22 games. Francouer was designated for assignment of August 20th, and released two days later. Barajas played with the Pirates in 2011 and 2012, before being signed by the Diamondbacks. He ultimately lost the bid to be Miguel Montero‘s backup, as the DBacks went with Wil Nieves instead.

Jason Bay, who was released after the 2012 season much to the delight of Mets fans, was signed by the Mariners for the 2013 season. He hit a home run in his first spring training at bat, but after a disapointing season, was released of August 6th to make room for Mike Morse. John Maine spent 2011 in the Colorado Rockies minor league system, and pitched for the Scranton/Wilkes-Bare Yankees for all of 2012. He played for the Miami Marlins in April of this year, but was released on April 22. The sidearmer, Sean Green pitched with the Brewers in 2011, before playing with the Texas Rangers’ Triple A team in 2012. He also pitched with the Somerset Patriots in 2012 of the Independent Leagues but has not found a team since.

Six players have officially retired. They are Luis Castillo, Alex Cora, Fernando Tatis, Gary Matthews Jr., Frank Catalanotto, and Tobi Stoner.

Luis Castillo was released by the Mets at the same time they released Oliver Perez. Castillo signed a minor league contract with the Philadelphia Phillies, but after a disappointing spring training, he was released, at which time he retired. Alex Cora was released by the Mets in August of 2010, and he played the rest of the year with the Rangers. He played with the Washington Nationals in 2011, and was signed by the Cardinals in the spring of 2012, which didn’t work out. He is now a baseball analyst for ESPN (his brother Joey does the same work for MLB Network). Fernando Tatis was injured of July 4th of 2010. He was placed on the DL the next day and was transferred to the 60-day DL 10 days later. That turned out to be his last major league game as he retired after the season.

The “Son of the Sarge”, Gary Matthews Jr., was released by the Mets on June 15th, 2010. He signed with the Reds on June 24th and played the rest of the year with their Triple-A team, before retiring. Frank Catalanotto was designated for assignment of May 10th, when the Mets brought up Chris Carter. After failing to sign with another team, he retired in March of 2011. Finally, the German-born Tobi Stoner was released by the Mets in March of 2012. During that season, he played in the Independent Leagues with the Bridgeport Blue Fish and the Somerset Patriots. He retired before the 2013 season.

Four players are currently playing in foreign countries. Chris Carter, Manny Acosta, and Ryota Igarashi are playing in Japan, and Jesus Feliciano is playing in Mexico.

Carter (no not the former A’s prospect) played in the Tampa Bay Rays and Atlanta Braves Minor League system in 2011 before moving to Japan to play with the Seibu Lions in 2012 and 2013. Carter is 3-26 (.115) with three RBI in nine games this year. He is teammates with Kazuhisa Ishii. Manny Acosta pitched for the Mets through 2012 but signed with the Yomuri Giants in 2013 after being released. In 14 games he has an ERA of 5.54. His teammates include former major leaguers Scott Mathieson and John Bowker.

Ryota Igarashi played with the Mets until 2011. He then played in the minor leagues with the Yankees and the Blue Jays in 2012 though he pitched in the majors with both teams. He is now pitching with the Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks where he sports a 2.15 ERA in 36 games. He is teammates with with Vicente Padilla and former Mets minor leaguer Wily Mo Pena. Jesus Feliciano, who has signed with the Mets four different times in his career, played in all of his 54 career games with the Mets in 2010. He played with the Buffalo Bisons in 2011, the Durham Bulls in 2012, and he is now playing in Mexico with the Rojos del Aguila de Veracruz. He has only played in three games with one hit.

One player is currently a coach. Elmer Dessens is the assistant pitching coach for the AZL Reds in the Arizona League (The Arizona equivalent to Florida’s Gulf Coast League). And here’s a fun piece of information. The manager of that AZL Reds team is former Met, Eli Marrero who the Mets received in 2006 when they traded Kazuo Matsui to the Rockies.

Well, now you know what happened to the 2010 Mets. Next week we’ll look at the players from Citi Field’s inaugural year, 2009.

LGM

The post The 2010 Mets: Where Are They Now? appeared first on Metsmerized Online.

Yeah…This was such a joke of a game that I insinuated in the shout box that I didn’t even think it deserved a recap. But it happened — and what’s done is done. Zack Wheeler, our touted prospect, took the mound against the Nationals for his Citi Field debut and it was rocky, to say the least. Wheeler looked to be making an effort to throw more pitches over the plate, although his strike:ball ratio (54:35) didn’t particularly show it. Unfortunately for him, he was knocked around for five earned runs and failed to finish the fifth inning, where he was lifted in favor of David Aardsma.

Two of his five runs came the hard way, as Adam LaRoche and Jayson Werth each took the young man deep for a solo home run. The other three runs crossed the plate in the third inning off a combination of hits and a walk. Wheeler struck out five, and his velocity was slightly down at times — which I really hope was not a result of some adjustment Warthen had him make due to his “tipping pitches.” That being said, I really hoped my John Maine comparison was a one-game thing, and not the norm…

There are going to be games like this for Wheeler — and there will likely be games where he dominates too. The question is how frequently we’ll see the dominant Wheeler in comparison to the one that struggled today. Three major league starts does not define a career, however.

There were little bright spots to speak of in this game regardless, however, as Brandon Lyon made an effort to ensure that another top Mets prospect wouldn’t get a win. After Aardsma and Josh Edgin pitched us into the seventh without allowing anymore damage, Lyon was obliterated for six earned runs — although one of them scored as an inherited runner when Scott Rice allowed a base hit. Fan favorite Anthony Recker allowed a two-run home run in the ninth, but got the next three outs easily.

The Mets had a few chances to score in this game, but failed to come through until the ninth, when John Buck ripped a two-run home run. Too little, too late…

Shaun Marcum looks to build on his first win when the Mets take on the Arizona Diamondbacks tomorrow evening.

The post Wheeler And The Mets Get Shell Shocked In 13-2 Loss To The Nats appeared first on Metsmerized Online.

Zack Wheeler did not throw his bullpen session on Thursday and instead spent the day working with Dan Warthen on altering his delivery so as not to tip his pitches as he was during his start against the White Sox.

Regarding the changes they are looking to make, Warthen told ESPN New York’s Adam Rubin:

“Open up his glove, keep it at the waist — kind of what we’ve done with [Jeremy] Hefner, kind of what [Adam] Wainwright does,” the pitching coach said. “Basically you open the glove, put your hand in there, instead of putting the ball in the glove. Then you can go ahead and rectify the situation pretty easily.”

Apparently, Wheeler was unaware that he had been tipping his pitches until during the game when the team tried to address it on the fly.

“I don’t think it was that big of a deal,” Wheeler said. “We’re going to change it up a little bit and try some new things.”

Wheeler is expected to throw his bullpen session today at Citi Field and will make his Mets home debut on Sunday when he will oppose Gio Gonzalez of the Washington Nationals.

“Obviously it’s the home park back in New York,” Wheeler said. “But it’s just going to be another game.”

Original Post 6/27

The Associated Press reported on what Terry Collins had to say before Wednesday’s game to reporters regarding Zack Wheeler tipping his pitches:

New York Mets manager Terry Collins said top prospect Zack Wheeler is tipping his breaking pitches. Collins said in his pregame media session Wednesday the Mets noticed the flaw in Wheeler’s motion during his second big league start a night earlier. Wheeler allowed four runs in 5 1-3 innings against the Chicago White Sox.

“We saw it. We tried to address it during the game a little bit,” Collins said.

The 23-year-old right-hander is scheduled to start again Sunday, and Collins says pitching coach Dan Warthen will work with Wheeler during a bullpen session Thursday.

“Guys look for it all the time. It starts with the glove,” said Collins. “Moving the glove there’s different things to look for and then all of sudden you start to look when he speeds up, when he slows down, what the pitches are. You start to get a read on it.”

“This is going to get out as a scouting report, but he’s been tipping his off-speed stuff more than his fastball,” Collins said. “We’ve got to fix it. We’ll fix it tomorrow.”

Collins said he’s talking publicly about it because the problem was so obvious he received about 10 text messages and emails alerting him to the issue. Collins said Wheeler was also tipping his pitches in his debut, when he tossed six shutout innings.

It seems like every couple weeks or so, a new mechanical issue surfaces with Zack Wheeler. I wouldn’t mind this as much if I trusted Dan Warthen at all. Wheeler’s young and has some kinks to work out in his game — but the ace-like fastball and breaking pitches are as good as advertised. Wheeler noticeably threw more breaking balls in his start against the White Sox than in Atlanta, which worked to his disadvantage in many ways. If Warthen can teach him anything, it’s “location, location, location…” and of course, the age-old adage about not tipping your pitches if you want to have a successful MLB career.

Watching Wheeler a couple nights ago led me to make a comparison to John Maine — remember him? Maine struggled with his pitch count in some games not only because of his inability to locate in tight spots, but he labored through innings with a high rate of foul balls. Similarly to Wheeler, Maine also had a fastball with great life up in the strike zone and an easy pitching motion.

The weirdest thing about my comparison? John Maine also had a stint of tipping his pitches at one point. Go figure…

The post Wheeler Skipped His Bullpen On Thursday, Working To Prevent Tipping His Pitches appeared first on Metsmerized Online.

A pair of Chicago Cubs centerfielders, Jimmy Qualls (1969) and Joe Wallis (1975), stole two of Tom Seaver’s early bids for a no-hitter. One year after being traded from New York to Cincinnati, Seaver threw a no-hitter for the Reds. Nolan Ryan never pitched a no-hitter – as a New York Met – but after being traded to the California Angels in 1971 he nudged Mets fans every couple years, throwing seven no-hitters.

“Every time he pitched you expected a no-hitter – or 15 strikeouts,” said Jay Horwitz, Mets VP/Public Relations, referring to Dwight Gooden.

In May 1996, Gooden tossed the only no-hitter of his career – as a member of the New York Yankees. Even Duffy Dyer had to leave the New York Mets to catch his first no-hitter (John Candelaria, Pittsburgh, 1975), 11 years before Josh Thole was born.

Four years later, in 2000, amidst a slow start and turmoil over comments Mets manager Bobby Valentine made during a speech at Penn’s Wharton School of Business, Mets ace Al Leiter attempted to lighten the mood. “I think I’m going to have to throw a no-hitter today to get the back page in New York with all the stuff going on,” he said. Starting against the Pittsburgh Pirates on the road, Leiter surrendered a second-inning lead-off home run to Wil Cordero, crushing the hopes and promise of the first-ever Mets no-hitter.

John Maine was on the brink, again, in 2007, until Florida Marlins catcher light-hitting catcher Paul Hoover reached on an infield single with two outs in the eighth inning. Maine settled for a one-hit, complete game shutout but, again, hopes of a no-hitter were dashed.

There were other close calls before, after and in between those chronicled here, but you get the idea. The New York Mets avoided no-hitters for a half-century. It was baffling at times. How could the pitching-rich Mets not have a no-hitter?

Seaver, Ryan, Gooden, Leiter, Jerry Koosman, Jon Matlack, Craig Swan, Ron Darling, Sid Fernandez, David Cone, Mike Hampton, Bret Saberhagen, Frank Viola, Bob Ojeda, Pedro Martinez, Tom Glavine; over 50 years of baseball the stars never aligned, not for a single summer’s night, for Steve Trachsel, George Stone, Rick Reed, Bobby Jones, Orlando Hernandez, Dave Mlicki, Pete Harnisch, Pete Falcone or Pat Zachry? No, no and no. Game after game, season after season the Mets were denied.

To blunt the pain and frustration, Mets fans turned the no-hit quest into a punchline. On any given night during the season a Mets fan could grab their smartphone, tap the Twitter icon and wait for [insert pitcher’s name here] to give up the first hit of the game which, inevitably, led to a tweet along the lines of:

Well, not tonight #Mets fans. That’s 7,952 games without a no-hitter.

So, on June 1, 2012, when Johan Santana became the first pitcher in Mets team history to throw a no-hitter, fans celebrated. I celebrated. In fact, the New York Daily News and New York Post back pages hang on my office wall. It was a big deal. But that’s where the road forks for me and many Mets fans.

Last week, amidst controversy over Santana’s health, Mets blogger Ted Berg tweeted:

Johan Santana returned from career-threatening surgery and pitched the first Mets no-hitter. He could show up 300 lbs. and he’d still be my hero.

Thirty-five people re-tweeted the post. I am not sure if the reaction was a symbol of support or fans just wanted to share his message with the baseball world. Either way, I disagree. Yes, I was amazed by Santana’s drive to come back and perform like the two-time Cy Young Award winner he once was with the Minnesota Twins. No, Santana should not be labeled a hero for one game.

SNY’s Chris Carlin dished out a portion of these stats on Twitter, to which another Mets fan replied:

Fair, for first no-hitter in Mets history.

Fair? Really? This is a sad – and misguided – statement.

When the Mets traded six players for Santana in 2008 they also agreed to sign him to a six-year, $101.5 million contract. Since then, he’s made 109 regular season starts, winning 46 games. He’s earned over $900,000/start in New York, or, $2.2 million per win. He missed all of the 2011 season and one-half of the 2012 season (because of the wear and tear he put on his arm pitching the no-hitter).

Remember the day you heard the news that the Mets had finally acquired Santana from the Twins? I do. Expectations were high. After the crushing collapse at the end of the 2007 season, Santana symbolized a renewed hope that 2008 would be different. Of course, it wasn’t. The point is: Santana was going to help the Mets win; a division, a league championship, maybe a World Series. You did believe that, then, right?

Hypothetically, would you give back the no-hitter if the Mets could have had a healthy Johan Santana in July, August and September? I would. I am of the mindset that winning baseball games, not pitching no-hitters or breaking records, is the goal. I am most happy when the Mets are winning. It doesn’t matter how, but if the Mets win.

Let’s face it, Santana’s not coming back after the 2013 season (if he’s not traded earlier). Over five seasons in New York he’s been closer to a disappointment than hero. Call me naive, but I expected more than one no-hitter from Santana, but thanks for the memory (singular).

Read more of my thoughts on baseball at JohnStrubel.com.

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The fact of the matter is, Jose Reyes was the superstar who possessed all the ideal points of a lovable glue guy (noun: middle of the pack talent who has the ability to electrify the crowd with a solid showing; player who goes above and beyond his expected effort output; gamer who develops a touch of extra personality in order to hold on to some semblance of excitement or because he likes having a dirty uniform). It was a beautiful thing to witness a legitimate franchise player hold onto his child-like love for the game, but Jose’s departure leaves a massive hole in the personality of this franchise. Personally, I don’t see a David Wright or an elderly Johan Santana hopping around the dugout and hyping everyone up.

Yes, this is a rebuilding year for the Mets. Yes, they will probably embarrass themselves. However there are a number of young guys like Ike Davis, Daniel Murphy, Ruben Tejada, and Lucas Duda who will likely be around after the Mets’ makeover. I wouldn’t be upset if Justin Turner or even a Bobby Parnell made it through the scourge. Granted it is important to focus on improving their game, but heading into this season I want to see them mesh and get a little goofy. Notice I didn’t even mention Wheeler, Harvey, or Familia? I only hear great things and I am excited to see how they perform when they get the call up, but that conversation is for another day. The point I am trying to get across is that I truly believe the birth of this new culture must be the first step in the rebuilding campaign. Try and personify the current organization, management and players, as soon to be parents baby-proofing the house, setting up the crib, hanging up some colorful wallpaper, and buying stuffed animals in bulk. The baby can’t appreciate it at the moment but when the time finally comes to give birth (moves have been made, poor contracts are expired, etc) the child will walk into the perfect setting. I don’t want to see these three pitching prospects finally make it to the big show only to see a depressed and hopeless squad with no real excitement.

In a perfect world the current roster can somehow breed a sense of unity and smoothness regardless of their record. David Wright looks like a swell guy when he whips out that smile but I would kill to watch Duda and Tejada grabbing at each other as they try to will a warning tracker out of the park. More importantly who will be the official creator of handshakes?!?! Call me immature or crazy but I crave genuine camaraderie and I truly believe these young “glue guys” need to get a bit more glue in their system.

Who knows? The only thing for certain is that we simply don’t know which rung of the NL East totem pole will be inhabited by the Metsies. The debate continues whether or not the stars will align or if the Mets will lay claim to last place from day one, but it will certainly be interesting to see how those on the roster will react to the state of affairs. In the meantime, let’s look at a couple guys we grew to love/hate in no particular order, and check in on where they are now.

Oliver Perez – I don’t really know how to start explaining my love affair with Ollie. On paper he was an absolute bum who rarely even sniffed his own potential while with the Mets. On the other hand, I know that the crowd developed an uncanny sense of impending greatness the few times he really brought his “stuff” to the mound. Ollie haters can go ahead and claim that it was just the reaction of absolute shock that the stiff finally pulled it together. Perhaps I am biased since I proudly rocked a sombrero as a member of Ollie’s Tamales whenever I could attend  one of his starts, but deep down we all know that high leg kick just seemed to charge the stadium up. Plus, those studly sideburns certainly didn’t hurt the cause. Sadly enough, even I can only reminisce about the good Ollie so much before questioning my own sanity. Terrible contract, even worse performance, but what happened after we all turned our backs on Mr. Perez? After the Mets released Perez in March of 2011 he was assigned to a minor league deal by the Washington Nationals. Unfortunately it took another relegation to Double A before Ollie was able to put of respectable numbers. Alas, the Nats were still not impressed and eventually released my main man. The saga of Ollie still has a heartbeat as he just recently received an invitation to spring training in the big show with the Mariners, although he didn’t make the opening day roster.

John Maine – Johny Maine was basically a one and a half pitch wonder who managed to kill it while healthy in his first couple season with the Mets from 2006-2007. Unfortunately we were forced to witness a gradual and constant decline in numbers and physical deterioration. Dan Warthen was quoted as saying that Maine had a habit of lying about his health, and became a free agent after missing most of the 2010 season following shoulder surgery. Next stop was Colorado, but a change of scenery did not improve the situation as he only pitched 45 innings and posted a 7.43 ERA in Triple-A. Retirement suddenly became an option, but Maine’s career is currently back on life support after signing a minor league contract a month ago. Realistically you have to be pessimistic about his career and it doesn’t like we will see John Maine command the mound ever again.

Endy Chavez – The man, the myth, the legend. Endy will forever hold a special place in my heart after “the catch” in 2006 and another temporary season saving grab in the last regular season game in 2008. He was a fan favorite during his three years with the Mets and a real quality defensive replacement. Good times were had, but Endy was eventually traded to Seattle where he tore the ACL in his right knee while colliding with Yuniesky Betancourt. After free-agency, the next stop was Texas where he hit a very solid .301 in 256 at bats last season. The 34 year old lefty still has some juice in the tank, and is expected to platoon in left field for the Baltimore Orioles this upcoming season.

Jeff Francoeur – You either love or you hate Frenchy. The Braves gave up on the former first round pick after an unacceptably long slump, and the Mets got their hands on the streaky outfielder with a cannon for an arm in exchange for Ryan Church. He had a decent single season for the Met but also famously hit into a game-ending unassisted triple play. Francoeur was benched the next season to make room for Carlos Beltran and traded to the Rangers for an irrelevant Joaquín Árias. In the end, he signed a one-year deal with the Royals, joined the 20 20 club for the first time in 2011, and then signed a hefty two-year $13.5 million dollar extension. Personally, I enjoyed watching Frenchy play in 2009 and that trademark grin makes it obvious he absolutely loves the game.

Ramon Castro – If I were a betting man I would say Ramon came out of the womb with the jowls of a bulldog. He was a lovable guy throughout his four and a half years with the Mets, and had a fairly reliable bat for a backup catcher behind the likes of Mike Piazza, Paul Lo Duca, and Brian Schneider. Fans were always hoping Castro would be given the reigns whenever the starting job opened up but he was never really given a shot. After the Mets he ended up with the White Sox. His claim to fame is catching Mark Buehrle’s perfect game in July of 2009. It was the first time he caught for Buehrle, who claimed that he didn’t shake off Castro a single time during the game. The guy is 35 and technically the third string catcher but Castro fans will probably get a couple more sightings as he should be healthy heading into spring training.

Lastings Milledge – The kid made his major league debut for the Mets at 21 years and 55 days old in, the same exact age of the great Darryl Strawberry, in 2006. He didn’t do anything too impressive until hitting his first career knocker against San Fran closer Armando Benitez in the bottom of the tenth inning to tie the game up at six a piece. Usually you love seeing a youngin’ get excited about making a huge hit, but the media and his teammates were pretty darn pissed when he gave fans a high five as he returned to the field to play some defense. The next year Milledge found himself shuffling in between the majors and AAA, was chastised for appearing in a rap video with some wrist-slap worthy language, and was subsequently traded to the Nationals for Ryan Church and Brian Schneider. To make a long story short, Lastings spent the next three seasons constantly recovering from injuries while putting up mediocre numbers for the Nationals and Pirates. Unfortunately it looked like the saga of this once promising Metsie was winding down after Pittsburgh chose not to offer him a new contract. The bad news continued as he barely even sniffed the big show after being signed to a minor league contract by the White Sox in 2011. You have to give the guy credit though as he recently signed a one year contract with the Tokyo Yakult Swallows. Clearly the hype wasn’t warranted but I simply can’t root against my ex-Mets. Go Swallows baby!

Whew. It’s always nice to reminisce, but this sad group of gentlemen didn’t fair very well after leaving Queens, considering Frenchy is really the only guy who is doing more than simply chugging along. Hope you guys enjoyed it and if there is a demand I’d be more than happy to put together another recap of ex-Mets and where the road has taken them…Carlos Gomez, Alex Cora, Pedro Feliciano, Xavier Nady pop into mind. I’m new to the twitter game so hit me up @HisDudenessOfNY with any requests or if you just want to tell me how much I suck/rock.

Always a pleasure MMO nation. Until next time..

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After a pitcher holds opposing teams hitless for nine innings, what is the biggest storyline that the media plays up in that pitcher’s next start? They ask that question that everyone thinks: can he do it again? Well, no one has done it since Johnny Vander Meer did so in June 1938 for the Cincinnati Reds. He had some bright spots in his 13-year MLB career, but not all of his stats are very eye-popping. He finished his career with a 119-121 record, 3.44 ERA, and 1,294 strikeouts in 2,104.3 innings.

However, getting batters to swing and miss was his specialty. Only Vander Meer, Tim Lincecum, Randy Johnson, and Warren Spahn have led the league in strikeouts three years in a row since 1940. Why is it so hard for a pitcher to throw two no-hitters in a row? Come on; it’s hard enough to fool hitters for a 1-2-3 inning, let alone for nine innings in a row. Also, I think that pitchers always think about continuing their dominance that they had previously in their next start. Most of the time, that type of dominance only happens once or twice in a lifetime, so it’s pretty tough to do that in consecutive appearances, especially when you consciously try to do it.

If you read my post about Nolan Ryan’s 7 career no-hitters, you can see how often no-hitters have taken place in MLB history. There have been only 26 pitchers in Major League Baseball that have been able to no-hit opposing teams on multiple occasions, with Justin Verlander, Roy Halladay, and Mark Buehrle being the only active players.

Why won’t this record be broken, you ask? Well, that’s easy. To break Johnny Vander Meer’s mark, a pitcher would have to throw no-hitters in three consecutive starts; I’ll only believe that this would ever happen if I saw a pitcher throw two in a row. Until then, I’m convinced that we will never see perfection like Johnny Vander Meer’s in 1938 ever again.

The post A Look At “Unbreakable” Records: Johnny Vander Meer’s Consecutive No-Hitters. appeared first on Metsmerized Online.