Apart from the opening of Citi Field, 2009 wasn’t a very memorable year for the Mets.
Still trying to string together some magic after the 2006 NLCS defeat and subsequent catastrophic collapses in 2007 and 2008, the ’09 Mets had some hope, but it ultimately fell short.
The team was decimated by injuries and finished 70-92 on the campaign. The leader in fWAR that year was Johan Santana, who had a decent campaign but finished with just 3.8.
Perhaps one of the most exciting thing that season happened against them, when Jeff Francoeur lined into an unassisted triple play against the Philadelphia Phillies to end the game. If anything sums up that season, it’s that moment.
But early on in the year, when the hope was still somewhat fresh and the ballpark was still brand spanking new, veteran Gary Sheffield in his swan song of a season, launched his 500th career home run in a game against the Milwaukee Brewers on April 17, a mere two weeks after joining the club.
Overall, he appeared in 100 games and launched 10 home runs in his final season in the bigs.
The outfielder wanted to remain a Met beyond the ’09 season but was not extended a contract extension and hung up his cleats prior to the 2011 season.
But, at the very least, he will forever remember his time as a Met due to the milestone he achieved.
A couple interesting tidbits on the longball:
- Became the 25th player in MLB history to reach the 500 home run plateau.
- Became the first player to achieve this milestone as a pinch hitter.
- First player to hit his 500th home run in a Mets uniform.
- Became the third player in MLB history to hit a home run prior to 20-years-old and after 40-years-old.
