Brian Wright selects: Cleon Jones Statistically, some of his overall rankings in Mets history have been overshadowed mainly due to the offense-friendly eras that followed him and the era in which he played — when offense was more at a premium. Even among left fielders like Kevin McReynolds, he falls short in home runs, slugging percentage, and adjusted OPS. But when we measure the weight...
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Few hitters gave Roger Clemens as much trouble as Mike Piazza. The two faced off 25 times. Against a man who would strike out more than 4,000 batters over his lengthy big-league career, Piazza struck out twice. He batted .364, had an on-base percentage of .440, and a slugging percentage of .955. He hit four home runs, each of them carrying some kind of importance. This dual evolved into a...
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In 1984, fans who once avoided Shea Stadium were now coming in droves. Shea had been a baseball mortuary for seven long years, as support diminished and victories became even scarcer. Now it was host to must-see, off-Broadway theater. The lead performer was a captivating pitching wunderkind. Not just the most exciting teenager in the big leagues, but arguably the top pitcher in baseball. Those...
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By late May, the Mets had led the league in frequent flyer miles. Beginning on May 22 and continuing through the Memorial Day weekend, Bobby Valentine’s group jettisoned to San Diego, then east to St. Louis before u-turning to Los Angeles. The Padres team that welcomed the New Yorkers into Qualcomm Stadium was a lethargic 17-26 and already 10 games off the pace in the NL West. But the...
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Garnering back page headlines was all the Mets could do to steal the spotlight away from the dominant Bronx Bombers. They did a pretty good job of it in late May with the acquisition of Mike Piazza, and thus would help them compete with the National League’s best. The Yankees, meanwhile, weren’t just competing against the current Major League teams, but with the greatest teams in...
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