Jack Wenninger. Photo by Herm Card

Triple-A

Rochester Red Wings 5 (34-21), Syracuse Mets 3 (28-27)

Box Score

• 1B Ryan Clifford: 2-4, 2B, BB (.767 OPS)
• 2B Christian Arroyo: 2-4, HR, RBI (.779 OPS)
• DH Ji Hwan Bae: 2-4, SB (.787 OPS)

Syracuse only mustered three runs despite nine hits on Saturday. The Mets went a staggering 0-for-13 with runners in scoring position, stranding 12 runners on base.

Syracuse’s No. 2, 3, and 4 each had two hits. Bae, Arroyo, and Clifford each have an OPS above .767 on the season. Clifford, who doubled on Saturday, has an .800 OPS in May despite only hitting .222.

• RHP Jack Wenninger: 4.0 IP, 9 H, 5 R (4 ER), 1 BB, 2 SO (2.80 ERA)
• RHP Zach Peek: 2.0 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 SO (1.59 ERA)
• LHP Matt Turner: 1.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 SO (2.84 ERA)

Jack Wenninger followed up the worst start of his 2026 season on May 24 with another troublesome one on Saturday. For the second-straight game, Wenninger allowed four earned runs. Across his last two starts, 9 1/3 innings, the former sixth-round pick has allowed 14 hits and eight earned runs. He had a 1.53 ERA prior to his last two rough outings.

Jorge Polanco. Photo by Ed Delany of Metsmerized

Double-A

Binghamton Rumble Ponies 4 (18-32), Portland Sea Dogs 3 (25-24)

Box Score

• CF D’Andre Smith: 2-2, BB (.653 OPS)
• C Vincent Perozo: 1-3, HR, 3 RBI (.693 OPS)
• 1B Jorge Polanco: 0-2, 2 K (1.571 OPS)

Veteran Jorge Polanco continued his rehab on Saturday. Polanco went 0-for-2 at the plate with two strikeouts. It was his first hitless appearance since his return, as he went 2-for-3 with a home run over his first two games. Polanco played three innings at first base.

• RHP Bryce Conley: 4.0 IP, 5 H, 3 ER, 3 BB, 7 SO (5.33 ERA)
• RHP Douglas Orellana: 2.0 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 SO (3.47 ERA)
• RHP Carlos Guzman: 2.0 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 SO (2.92 ERA)

Behind a seven-strikeout outing by Conley, Orellana and Guzman combined to throw four innings of scoreless ball. Orellana, 24, has a 3.47 ERA across 23 1/3 innings this season. He had a 2.96 ERA across 51 2/3 innings in Double-A and Triple-A last season. A trip up to Triple-A Syracuse should be on the horizon.

Irving Cota. Photo by Ed Delany, Metsmerized

High-A

Brooklyn Cyclones 8 (16-33), Wilmington Blue Rocks 1 (26-23)

Box Score

• 2B Mitch Voit: 2-4, HR, 2 R (.707 OPS)
• RF John Bay: 1-2, RBI, BB, 3 R, SB (.821 OPS)
• CF Yonatan Henriquez: 3-4, HR, 2 R (.465 OPS)
• LF Will Benson: 2-4, 3 RBIs (.689 OPS)

The Cyclones’ offense had a rare big day on Saturday. Their .609 OPS ranks dead-last by a large margin in the South Atlantic League, however, they were able to put across eight runs on Saturday.

Voit, Henriquez, and Benson each had multi-hit games. Bay, who has been a lone bright spot all season long for Binghamton, went 1-for-2, but scored three runs and stole his 13th base of the season. The undrafted free agent from Austin Peay had an .875 OPS across 83 at-bats to being his professional career last season.

Benson, who recently earned a call-up from High-A St. Lucie, is riding a five-game hitting streak (7-for-19, .368 average), raising his season High-A average to .250 after beginning his High-A career 1-for-13.

• RHP Irving Cota: 3.0 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 0 SO (0.73 ERA)
• RHP Dakota Hawkins: 1.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 SO (3.18 ERA)
• RHP: Tanner Witt: 2.0 IP, 0 H, o R, 1 BB, 6 SO, W (9.88 ERA)

Cota has been sensational while pitching for High-A Brooklyn this season. Through 24 2/3 innings he has allowed only 13 hits and two runs (0.73 ERA). A second chance with Binghamton (Double-A) is likely in the offing. He made one start for Binghamton (Double-A) earlier this year and allowed nine hits and five runs over 4 2/3 innings.

Witt, who has already pitched for three different organizational levels this season, had a sensational Saturday in a bulk role behind Cota. All six outs he recorded over his two innings of work were via the strikeout. The 14th-round pick in 2024 cumulatively had a 9.78 ERA in 19 1/3 innings across the High-A, Double-A, and Triple-A levels this season.

Single-A

St. Lucie Mets 6 (24-23), Bradenton Marauders 3 (24-25) F/10

Box Score

• RF/1B Randy Guzman: 3-5, HR, 2 RBIs (.865 OPS)
• PH/RF AJ Salgado: 1-1, 3B, RBI, R (.832 OPS)
• SS Elian Peña: 0-5, R, SB (.812 OPS)

Guzman launched his ninth home run of the season in the first inning to get the scoring started for St. Lucie on Saturday. He added two more hits later on as well, raising his season OPS to .865. Guzman, 21, had an .899 OPS across 252 at-bats in the Florida Complex League and Single-A levels last season. He is continuing his 2025 successes thus far in 2026.

Despite going hitless, Peña stole his 15th base of the season after reaching via an error. His OPS is still above .800 at .812 despite the 0-for-5 Saturday.

St. Lucie scored four in the 10th inning en route to the extra-innings victory. Salgado had a pinch-hit triple and scored after Peña reached on the aforementioned error. Guzman then singled-home Peña before St. Lucie added their fourth and final run of the frame.

• RHP Emilio Obispo: 5.0 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 4 SO (2.33 ERA)
• RHP Christian Rodriguez: 1.0 IP, 1 H, 1 R (0 ER), 2 BB, 2 SO (1.71 ERA)

At a mere 19-years-old Obispo is now six games (three starts) through his second professional season. Through 19 1/3 innings, he has struck out 22. His five innings of two-hit ball on Saturday was one of his most impressive outings of his very young professional career.

Rodriguez has been one of the best pitchers in the organization this season. He has a 1.76 ERA, .196 batting average against, and a 0.99 WHIP across 26 1/3 innings of sparkling relief this season.

The post Mets Minors Recap: Jorge Polanco Plays Three Innings At First Base In Rehab appeared first on Metsmerized Online.

While fans booed Utley relentlessly, the Mets hadn’t yet retaliated against the 37-year-old, who previously tormented them for years while playing for the Phillies. Utley continued to crush the Mets the night before, driving in four runs, including a bases-clearing, game-tying double against Jeurys Familia. In his first at-bat of this game, Utley struck out looking against Noah Syndergaard – another plate appearance ending without an incident between the two sides. When Utley stepped to the plate in the third inning, however, Syndergaard uncorked a slider that went behind Utley. Despite no warnings having been issued, home plate umpire Adam Hamari immediately ejected the right-hander. Crew chief Tom Hallion went to the mound to explain the ejection to Syndergaard and the rest of the infield, while manager Terry Collins unleashed a profanity-laced tirade at Hamari. Two years later, the audio of the sequence was posted online, revealing a legendary quote from Hallion’s explanation to Syndergaard.

“Our ass is in the jackpot, if we don’t do something there, I’m telling you that,” Hallion said to Syndergaard.

Hallion then went to intervene with Collins, who had also been ejected by that point, and continued his tirade. Collins pleaded his case, mentioning that the league did nothing to punish Utley. Hallion used the line again.

“Terry, listen, I’m telling you, our ass is in the jackpot now,” Hallion said.

Hallion revealed in a 2023 interview with The Athletic‘s Sam Blum that the phrase “ass in the jackpot” came from his childhood. While Hallion would stay out late at a local baseball field, his siblings would tell him his “ass was in the jackpot” because his mother was angry that he hadn’t come home yet.

“I never really used it in my baseball career, except for my argument with Terry Collins,” Hallion told Blum.

Collins admitted to Blum that the team was trying to retaliate in the moment, and he felt they should’ve been given more leeway. In 2025, Hallion was invited on The Terry Collins Show, and the two watched back their infamous exchange.

“You were able to keep calm. I got a little carried away myself,” Collins said with a grin.

Hallion said he got a little more animated than usual because of the crowd’s reactions and Collins’ interaction with Hamari.

“I heard the crowd behind me, and you were really going at it, and I really just kind of wanted to give it back to you a little bit, just to say ‘okay, I’m going to take this, but you better not try anything else,'” Hallion said.

In 2024, Collins spoke with MMO’s Mathew Brownstein and said that not a day goes by without someone making a reference to the incident with Hallion.

“I live in St. Lucie, and I belong to a golf course where three-quarters of the members are New Yorkers. During this time of year, people come down, and they’ll come out, and somebody will introduce me. And that’s the first thing they’ll bring up!” Collins said. “I have a friend who’s a golf pro at the pro shop, and every time I walk in, the first thing I hear is, ‘Give us a shot! Gotta give us a shot!’

Unfortunately for the Mets, Utley got the last laugh that night, clubbing two home runs, including a grand slam in a 9-1 beatdown victory for the Dodgers. Neither Syndergaard nor Collins was suspended for the incident, but the chaos between Collins and Hallion will live on forever.

The post Remembering “Ass In the Jackpot”, 10 Years Later appeared first on Metsmerized Online.

The current Mets squad is tough to watch, and we’ve all talked at length about what they should do to turn the season around. Instead of doing that again, let’s take a quick trip down memory lane to remember another bad Mets team.

After a promising 2000 season that saw the Mets finally back in the World Series, 2001 was filled mostly with disappointment and an 82-80 record. Similar to when the 2024 Mets made a run before they ran into the buzzsaw that is the Los Angeles Dodgers in the NLCS, and then completely failed to live up to expectations the following season. That made Stearns a busy man this offseason, swapping out a ton of longer tenured players for new faces via trade and free agent signings.

Mets GM Steve Phillips did much the same as he was headed into the 2002 season.

And, well, he did certainly make multiple moves. Check out this huge list.

• In December, the Mets traded Alex Escobar, Matt Lawton, Jerrod Riggan and two players to be named later (Earl Snyder and Billy Traber) to Cleveland for future Hall of Famer Roberto Alomar, Mike Bacsik and Danny Peoples.
• Six days later, Phillips gave out a four-year, $18 million deal to former Met Roger Cedeño.
• On the same day, the Mets signed reliever David Weathers to a three-year, $9.4 million deal.
• The following day, they traded David Justice to the A’s for Mark Guthrie and Tyler Yates.
• The Mets had traded Robin Ventura to the Yankees just the week before to acquire Justice.
• Phillips made another move during that time, sending Desi Relaford and Tsuyoshi Shinjo to the Giants for starter Shawn Estes.
• Phillips went the trade route again a few days before the New Year, when he sent starting pitcher Kevin Appier to the Angels for slugger Mo Vaughn.
• In January, Phillips made another big trade, this time involving two other teams. The Mets traded Benny Agbayani, Todd Zeile and cash to the Rockies. They also sent Lenny Harris and Glendon Rusch to the Brewers. The Mets received former Met Jeromy Burnitz, Lou Collier, Jeff D’Amico and the wrong Sweeney, Mark.
• He also brought in starting pitching help when Phillips signed veteran right-hander Pedro Astacio to a one-year, $5 million deal that could become a two-year deal if he pitched a certain number of innings.
• Phillips made a number of other smaller deals including: purchasing the contract of Satoru Komiyama from the Yokohama Bay Stars, signing John Valentin to a minor league deal and trading for Kane Davis. Right before the season started, he dealt Collier to the Expos for Jason Bay and Jimmy Serrano.
• And because Phillips couldn’t help himself, he made another trade during the first week of the season. He sent Bruce Chen, Luis Figueroa, Dicky Gonzalez and a player to be named later (Saul Rivera) to the Expos for Scott Strickland, Phil Seibel and Matt Watson.

All the wheeling and dealing looked like it might work; the Mets went 16-10 in April. They went 13-15 in May, then 11-15 in June, and then they had a little push after the All-Star break to put them back in the race (4 1/2 games out of a Wild Card spot). Phillips dealt Jason Bay, Josh Reynolds and lefty Bobby M. Jones to the Padres for veteran reliever Steve Reed and Jason Middlebrook. The Mets also traded Jay Payton, Mark Corey, and Robert Stratton to the Rockies for starter John Thomson and outfielder Mark Little.

Following the trade deadline, the Mets would go on to lose 18 of their next 21 games, including a 12-game losing streak that went from August 11 to August 23. During that streak, during the waiver trading period, the Mets traded Shawn Estes to the Reds for Elvin Beltre, Pedro Feliciano and two players to be named later (Raúl González and Brady Clark). The losing streak killed any hopes the Mets had of making the playoffs in 2002.

Outside of Mike Piazza and Edgardo Alfonzo having their typical strong seasons, the offense struggled. Vaughn had good stretches but was bad in August with a .688 OPS, and his defense all season was brutal. Alomar ended his streak of 12 straight All-Star appearances while having the worst offensive season of his career. Burnitz, along with Vaughn, were both top 15 in the NL in strikeouts.

Rey Ordóñez dealt with wrist and rib injuries that led to one of his worst seasons. Cedeño stole only 25 bases after swiping 55 the year before and saw his OPS drop 70 points.

On the pitching side, Astacio, D’Amico and Estes all struggled. Komiyama was even worse.

Then there were multiple stories of Mets players smoking pot.

In addition to the overall 12-game losing streak, the 2002 Mets lost a National League record 15 straight games at home.

The brutal season cost manager Bobby Valentine his job. Fred Wilpon decided to fire Valentine a few days after the season. There seemed to be a disconnect between Valentine and Phillips, but Phillips was the one who got to keep his job.

That didn’t make Valentine very happy, and he was never one to hold back his words. “Nobody in this organization has done more for the community than I have. Steve Phillips has done nothing in the community. I went to his church for a father-son night, his church, and he was late.”

The biggest difference between the 2002 team and the current team is the 2026 Mets are having their potential season ruining losing streak early in the year.  The 2026 Mets still have time to turn it around, but how do they do that? Does Stearns pull a Phillips and make an early season trade, bring up a hitter like Ryan Clifford or does Carlos Mendoza suffer the same fate as Valentine?

The post Looking Back at the 2002 Mets appeared first on Metsmerized Online.

1985: Gary Carter Walks It Off in Mets Debut

The Mets led for most of the game on Opening Day in 1985, but they left 15 men on base and went just 2-for-11 with runners in scoring position. The Cardinals erased a 5-2 deficit with two runs in the seventh inning and one in the ninth, with Doug Sisk walking Jack Clark with the bases loaded to tie the game. In the bottom of the 10th though, big-ticket acquisition Gary Carter sent everyone home with a solo homer off former Met reliever Neil Allen.

1996: Rey Ordoñez Makes Legendary Throw, Mets Come Back From Six-Run Deficit

Unlike the 1985 opener, the Cardinals jumped on the board first to begin the 1996 season, attacking Bobby Jones for six runs over 3 2/3 innings. With the Mets still trailing 6-3 in the seventh inning, Ray Lankford lined a double down the left field line, but rookie shortstop Rey Ordoñez fired a strike from his knees to Todd Hundley to nail Royce Clayton to end the inning. In the bottom half of the inning, the Mets rallied for four runs to take a 7-6 lead thanks to five consecutive one-out hits. Doug Henry and John Franco combined to record the final six outs to secure the victory.

1998: Alberto Castillo Snaps Scoreless Duel in 14th

The Mets and Phillies engaged in the longest season-opener in either franchise’s history on March 31, 1998. Starters Curt Schilling and Bobby Jones matched zeros, and the Phillies stranded 13 men on base. In the bottom of the 14th, the Mets finally broke through against Phillies closer Ricky Bottalico, loading the bases before Alberto Castillo’s two-out single ended the marathon.

2004: Kazuo Matsui Begins MLB Career With a Bang

After a very successful NPB career, Kazuo Matsui couldn’t have gotten his MLB career off to a better start. Batting lead-off and playing shortstop, Matsui clubbed the first pitch he saw from Braves starter Russ Ortiz over the center field fence. Matsui reached base five times, including two doubles, and drove in three runs on the day, leading the Mets to a 7-2 win.

2006: Beltrán’s Great Throw Seals Victory

The Mets entered the ninth inning of their season opener against the Nationals clinging to a 3-2 lead. Billy Wagner entered for his first save opportunity as a Met and retired Marlon Byrd and Matt LeCroy before José Vidro lined a base hit into center field. However, Carlos Beltrán cut the ball off in the gap and hurled a dart to Anderson Hernández, who slapped the tag on Vidro to end the game.

2013: Collin Cowgill Slams Padres

The Mets began the 2013 season by jumping all over Padres’ starter Edinson Volquez for six runs in three-plus innings. Leading 7-2 in the seventh inning, the Mets loaded the bases against reliever Brad Brach and lead-off hitter Collin Cowgill brought everyone home with a grand slam that barely cleared the fence in left field. Jon Niese held San Diego to two runs and four hits over 6 2/3 innings as the Mets cruised to an 11-2 win.

2015: Buddy Carlyle Earns Save, Mets Spoil Scherzer’s D.C. Debut

The Mets opened 2015 against the Nationals and their new ace, Max Scherzer, at Nationals Park, and Washington jumped out to a lead on Bryce Harper‘s fourth-inning homer. However, Bartolo Colon kept the Nationals at bay, allowing just three hits and striking out eight over six strong innings. With two outs in the top of the sixth, Ian Desmond‘s error loaded the bases, and Lucas Duda gave the Mets the lead with a two-run single. After Desmond committed another error in the seventh, Travis d’Arnaud extended the lead with an RBI triple.

Mets closer Jenrry Mejia was warming up as if he was going to enter the game in the ninth inning but was sat down due to an apparent injury. Southpaw Jerry Blevins got Harper to fly out to begin the frame, and right-hander Buddy Carlyle got Ryan Zimmerman and Desmond to ground out to earn the only save of his major league career.

2020: Yoenis Céspedes Delivers Keynote in Return to Lineup

By the time Opening Day finally rolled around in July of 2020, Yoenis Céspedes hadn’t played in a major league game in over two years. Luis Rojas penciled the slugger into the lineup as the team’s designated hitter, batting fifth against the Braves. Jacob deGrom and Mike Soroka exchanged scoreless outings, and in the seventh inning, Céspedes crushed a fastball from Chris Martin over the left field fence to give the Mets a 1-0 lead. Edwin Díaz struck out two in a scoreless ninth inning to wrap up the win.

What’s your favorite Opening Day moment?

The post Top Mets Opening Day Moments appeared first on Metsmerized Online.

In terms of the Mets, what Hall of Famers, past, present, and future, who already have Mets caps on their plaques or who might get one one day? Who, currently in the Hall of Fame, could’ve worn Mets hats? Players have input on what cap they choose to wear, but that is ultimately up to the Hall of Fame.

While the Mets have numbers retired at Citi Field, only two have Mets ballcaps in Cooperstown. Casey Stengel and Gil Hodges are also in the Hall of Fame, but they wear Brooklyn Dodgers (Hodges) and New York Yankees (Stengel) hats, respectively. 

Mets With Caps In The Hall

Tom Seaver

We start with The Franchise, the man who has a statue outside Citi Field’s main entrance. From 1967 to 1977, and again in 1983, Tom Seaver made seven All-Star teams with the Mets and helped the Mets win the 1969 World Series and the 1973 pennant. He won all three of his Cy Youngs as a Met in 1969, 1973, and 1975. Seaver is the Mets’ all-time leader in wins (198) and strikeouts (2,541). Seaver was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1988. 

Mike Piazza

The second Mets representative in Cooperstown and the greatest hitter in Mets history. Mike Piazza was traded to the Mets in 1998 and helped turn those teams into contenders, leading them to back-to-back NLCS appearances in 1999 and 2000, while winning the pennant in 2000. Piazza was a seven-time All-Star and a five-time Silver Slugger as a Met. Piazza hit 220 home runs, 655 RBIS, and a .296 average with the Mets. He was voted into the Hall of Fame in 2016.

Guys In the Hall Who Could’ve Had Mets Caps

Gary Carter

This is the most notable and the one many argue should’ve been in the Hall of Fame as a Met. Gary Carter was traded to the Mets in 1985 and was the last piece of the puzzle for the 1986 World Series championship team. Carter brought leadership to the team and, along with Keith Hernandez (we’ll get to him), was named a co-captain. Carter made the All-Star team four times and won a Silver Slugger during his five-year run in Queens. He’s, of course, most remembered for starting the dramatic comeback in Game 6 of the 1986 World Series.

Carter was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2003 as a Montreal Expo, a team he spent 12 years with. Famously, Carter expressed a desire to go into the Hall in a Mets cap. However, the Hall of Fame determined that his accomplishments in Montreal during those years warranted his induction as an Expo. While Carter may not be in the Hall of Fame in the blue and orange, his number should be in the rafters of Citi Field. He spent many years in Montreal, but he’s most remembered for his time with the Mets and the 1986 team.

Gary Carter in 1986. Photo by Westchester County Journal News

Future Mets Hall of Famers?

Carlos Beltran

It’s almost certain that Carlos Beltran will be announced as a Hall of Famer on Tuesday. The question, of course, is what team he will represent in Cooperstown. While Beltran was put on the map as a member of the Kansas City Royals, as well as his 2004 run with the Houston Astros, Beltran spent seven seasons with the Mets and made the All-Star team in six of those seasons.

New York signed him on the heels of that great postseason run with Houston. He became one of the best free agent signings in team history and the best center fielder they’ve ever had. All three of Beltran’s career Gold Gloves and both of his Silver Sluggers came as a Met. Beltran has been a member of the Mets front office since 2023. If Beltran’s name is called, expect him to become the third player to put on a Mets cap. 

Keith Hernandez

One of the biggest omissions from the Hall of Fame, Hernandez is regarded as one of the best first basemen of all time. In 1983, the Mets needed a veteran to teach the club how to win. After a successful run with the St. Louis Cardinals for nine seasons, including winning the National League MVP in 1979 and the World Series in 1982, Hernandez was traded to the Mets, and he would guide them to their most successful era in team history. He was named captain, won six of his 11 Gold Gloves with the Mets, played on three All-Star teams, and, of course, helped them win the World Series in 1986. 

Nowadays, Hernandez is recognized for his 20-year run on the SNY broadcasts with Gary Cohen and former teammate Ron Darling. Hernandez has been part of Mets broadcasts since the late 90s, but his time on SNY since the network’s launch has been nothing short of legendary. Hernandez’s number 17 was retired by the Mets in 2022. His name has gained traction in recent years, so look for him to get in at some point. If he does get in, he could go in as a Met.

David Wright 

Wright’s name is one of the more interesting on the ballot. The fact that he has remained on the ballot right now is a good sign. Though it still won’t be easy for the former Mets captain, as injuries derailed his career. However, his peak was outstanding, and he was a perennial MVP candidate in his prime. As a Met, Wright hit 242 home runs and is the franchise’s all-time leader in RBIs (970) and hits (1,777).

He was a seven-time All-Star and helped the Mets win the division title in 2006. He made a significant return in 2015, contributing to their run to the World Series. Wright would have his number 5 retired in 2025. He also made a name for himself in the World Baseball Classic as “Captain America”.

Wright will be on his third year on the ballot in 2026, and he has stayed on the ballot with 6.2% in 2024 and 8.1% in 2025. It’ll be interesting to see what his vote total will be in 2026, but if he does get in one day, it’s a guarantee The Captain will be on the team he grew up watching in Norfolk, Virginia.

Jacob deGrom

The most recent New York Met and still playing for the Texas Rangers, deGrom became one of the best pitchers in franchise history from 2014-2022. Right there with Seaver and Dwight Gooden. deGrom won Rookie of the Year in 2014 and helped the Mets to the pennant in 2015 all in his first two years in the league. Then, later in the 2017 season, deGrom became the best pitcher in baseball, and he won back-to-back Cy Youngs in 2018 and 2019. He also made the All-Star team four times.

Injuries, however, would be the story of 2021 and 2022 before he departed the Mets in free agency. If not for injuries that held him out of the second half of the 2021 season, it could’ve been one of the best seasons ever by any pitcher. He was that good in the first half on the mound. Injuries have also halted his tenure in Texas, but he bounced back with a really good 2025 season.

Still, deGrom’s resume and peak could put him in Cooperstown one day. If it does, he’ll be the next player to go in wearing the blue and orange. Not to mention his number being retired at Citi Field one day. 

The post Who Wears a Mets Hat in the Hall of Fame? appeared first on Metsmerized Online.

Photo by Ed Delany of MMO

His statistics minus context would have guaranteed him election on the first ballot. A 143 OPS+, a career .308 batting average, six seasons with at least 100 RBIs, plus 427 home runs.

Impressive numbers made more so because of where he played on the field. The unofficial title of “Greatest Hitting Catcher” was deservedly given to Mike Piazza as his career concluded and as he approached Hall of Fame eligibility.

However, speculation of performance-enhancing drug use combined with the era in which he played kept him from being a sure-fire inductee. It took four years before he cleared the 75 percent threshold.

Piazza earned his spot in Cooperstown by garnering 83 percent of the electorate and would soon be announced as the second player to be inducted as a New York Met. Joining him was Ken Griffey Jr. — who interestingly surpassed the record for the highest voting percentage previously held by the other Hall of Famer who entered as a Met, Tom Seaver.

A 62nd round selection by the Los Angeles Dodgers in 1988, Piazza became the lowest-drafted player to get enshrinement. He was named the 1993 National League’s Rookie of the Year after hitting 35 home runs. Piazza would establish himself as one of the premier power hitters in baseball before a whirlwind sequence of trades over an eight-day span in May 1998 landed him with the Mets. It turned out to be one of the best deals the franchise has ever made.

The numbers he put up in Los Angeles are no doubt impressive, but his greatest achievements — and his greatest impact on an organization — came during his seven-and-a-half years in Queens: leading the Mets to consecutive postseason appearances including the 2000 National League pennant, six All-Star appearances, and the unforgettable home run in the first game in New York City following the events of September 11th. On his way to becoming the most prolific home run-hitting catcher in baseball history, Piazza compiled 220 of them with the Mets while also driving in 655 runs. He still holds the highest slugging percentage in team history, ranks second in OPS, and third in homers.

In his retirement statement, Piazza left no doubt about where his closest loyalties lie.

“One of the hardest moments of my career was walking off the field at Shea Stadium and saying goodbye,” he said. “My relationship with you made my time in New York the happiest of my career, and for that, I will always be grateful.”

The post OTD 2016: Mike Piazza Elected to the Hall of Fame appeared first on Metsmerized Online.

On December 3, 2018, though, newly minted general manager Brodie Van Wagenen swung the biggest move of the offseason, acquiring fireballing closer Edwin Díaz and eight-time All-Star Robinson Canó from the Mariners. Díaz was coming off a season for the ages, posting a 1.96 ERA and striking out 124 batters against 17 walks in 73 1/3 innings while saving 57 games, which is tied with Bobby Thigpen for the second-most in major league history. Canó, meanwhile, posted a solid .303/.374/.471 slash line in 348 plate appearances, but was handed an 80-game suspension for failing a drug test and had five years and $120 million left on the 10-year contract he signed with Seattle back in 2013. The Mariners had fallen from an eight-game lead in the AL Wild Card race to missing the 2018 playoffs, and had already traded their ace, James Paxton, to the Yankees.

Heading to Seattle in the trade were two of the Mets’ top prospects – 2018 first-round pick Jarred Kelenic, and 2016 first-round pick Justin Dunn. To offset some of Canó’s contract, the Mets also sent Jay Bruce, who had two years and $28 million left on his deal, and Anthony Swarzak, who was owed $8.5 million in the final year of his contract. Bruce and Swarzak both had dealt with injuries and failed to live up to expectations in 2018. While reports surfaced that Jeff McNeil would be the final piece of the trade, the Mets instead sent righty reliever Gerson Bautista to complete the deal.

The early returns on the trade were mixed for both sides. Díaz was bedeviled by the home run ball, posting a 5.59 ERA and giving up 15 long balls in 58 innings. He lost his closer’s role to Seth Lugo for a brief period of time. Canó struggled out of the gate and dealt with injuries, and his bat didn’t come alive until the summer. The Mets were 10 games under .500 at the 2019 All-Star break, and a 46-26 second-half record made them the first team out of the NL playoff picture.

Meanwhile, in Seattle, Bruce clubbed 14 homers in 47 games before getting shipped to Philadelphia. Swarzak appeared in just 15 games as a Mariner before he was traded to the Braves. Bautista was rocked for 11 earned runs in nine major league innings and posted a 7.85 ERA in the minor leagues. He was non-tendered in 2020 and hasn’t appeared in the majors since. Down on the farm, though, Kelenic was soaring through the minor leagues, posting a .904 OPS with 23 homers and 20 steals across three levels. Dunn posted a solid season in Triple-A and made his major league debut in September.

While early on the trade looked like a massive win for the Mariners, the tides started to shift as years went on. Although Canó was given another suspension for using performance-enhancing drugs, Díaz found his groove in New York, and he had a dominant 2022 season, a year in which he posted a 1.31 ERA and struck out over half the batters he faced in 62 innings. He then inked a five-year deal to stay in Flushing. Dunn posted a respectable 3.94 ERA in 25 major league starts for Seattle, but was traded to the Reds as part of a deal to acquire Jesse Winker and Eugenio Suárez. As for Kelenic, he never quite lived up to the lofty expectations he set in 2019, posting an underwhelming .686 OPS in 974 plate appearances in Seattle before getting traded to Atlanta in 2023. While it was a risk to trade two top prospects for a closer and an aging bat with a hefty contract, the Mets turned into winners in this deal.

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“Playing in the World Series, in New York, for that organization, in front of those fans. ‘A dream come true’ gets thrown around pretty often, but it really was,” David Wright told MMO’s Mathew Brownstein.

There were fireworks before the Mets even stepped to the plate – Noah Syndergaard fired the game’s first pitch near the head of Royals lead-off hitter Alcides Escobar. After Escobar struck out, the Royals quieted the crowd with a pair of hits from Ben Zobrist and Lorenzo Cain, and an RBI ground-out by Eric Hosmer to take an early lead. In the bottom of the inning, though, Curtis Granderson led off with a single, and Wright sent the Flushing faithful into a frenzy when he crushed a fastball from Yordano Ventura deep into the stands in center field for a two-run homer.

Jeff Curry-USA TODAY Sports

“It was one of the few times where I was rounding the bases and looking up at the stands allowed me to kind of soak it in and enjoy the moment because of, selfishly and personally, all the hard work that I had put in to get back on the field,” Wright said to Brownstein.

The Royals responded in the top of the second – scoring two runs on three straight hits and passed ball to reclaim the lead. In the bottom of the third inning, the Mets answered again – Syndergaard led off with a single, and Granderson tucked a line drive over the right field fence for a two-run homer, giving the Mets a lead they wouldn’t relinquish.

“It was fun to see Citi Field rocking. It was exciting that it happened my second year there,” Granderson said to Brownstein. “Although I had signed there, I knew there wasn’t a lot of anticipation for us to be as good as we were that fast.”

Back on the mound, Syndergaard retired the next eight batters he faced, and Michael Conforto tacked on a run with an RBI single. With two outs in the sixth inning, the Royals loaded the bases on a single and two walks, but Syndergaard induced a ground-out from Alex Ríos to end the threat. In the bottom half of the inning, the Mets put the game to bed with a four-run frame, featuring a pinch-hit RBI single by Juan Uribe and a two-run single from Wright, giving the captain four RBIs on the game. Tyler Clippard, Addison Reed, and Jeurys Familia combined to retire the last nine Royals in order to give the Mets a 9-3 victory. Unfortunately, this ended up being the Mets’ lone victory in the series, as they surrendered late leads in the next two games.

“Being a small part of the team going to the World Series was a lifelong goal,” Wright said to Brownstein. “I just wish we could’ve finished it off and become champions.”

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On October 27, 1986, the Mets defeated the Boston Red Sox to win their second world championship. They were coming off a dramatic win in Game Six, as recapped here.

Most Mets fans are well aware of how things went down on those two October nights in Queens. I am among the lucky, in that I was able to attend both of those games. I’d like to share the emotional rollercoaster of emotions that took place during those 48 hours.

Game Six

I had a good feeling going into Game Six, as the Mets had rebounded to win two of three on the road to keep the series going, and were headed home where they had an advantage all year, posting a 55-26 record at Shea.

Here are a few things that stand out about game six. First, the skydiver (Michael Sergio) who literally dropped in during the first inning. The reaction in the Mets dugout (after Sergio was apprehended) wasn’t one of disgust (as one might expect). Rather, Ron Darling and Mel Stottlemyre (among others) were seemingly amused. As a nervous fan, I was not amused, and couldn’t wait to get the game going again.

Bob Ojeda yielded single runs in the first and second innings, and those confident feelings quickly dissipated. The Mets were held silent by Roger Clemens through four innings, and the anxiety began to skyrocket. The Mets finally tied the game in the fifth, setting up the bizarre events to come.

When Ray Knight committed an error that led to an unearned Red Sox run in the seventh, things became very uncomfortable. It was getting late, and the possibility that the dream season would end in unfulfilling fashion was becoming very real. But the Mets always found a way, that’s what I kept telling myself. The bottom of the eighth came, and the Mets were down to six outs.

Lee Mazzilli (who was a very valuable piece during the postseason and a great pickup by Frank Cashen) began the inning with a single. Later in the inning, the Red Sox walked Keith Hernandez to load the bases, bringing up Gary Carter with one out. “The Kid”, a proud player, clearly wanted to make the Sox pay. I was panicked that he’d expand the zone, and either strike out or worse, hit into a double play.

Carter worked Calvin Schiraldi to a 3-0 count. Davey Johnson, showing trust in his veteran catcher, gave Carter the green light. Carter hit a rocket directly to Jim Rice in left field. I only wish the exit velocity was available on that one. If Carter had gotten under that ball just a little, it would have been a grand slam. The Mets had to settle for a sacrifice fly and tie game. The play at the plate was not really close, but I remember being a bit spooked that Mazzilli did not slide, as Rice’s throw home made it on the fly (through a little late and slightly up the third base line).

The tension grew as the game went to the bottom of the ninth. The Mets got the first two runners on, and it just felt like a walk-off was coming. They could score off Schiraldi here, right? They didn’t. We all know that a blown situation like this can turn the momentum. This one did (for a brief time).

Rick Aguilera, who had pitched a clean ninth, faced Dave Henderson to start the tenth. When Henderson homered, I was sure it was the end. Remember, Henderson had hit a key home run in game five of the ALCS when the Red Sox were on the brink of elimination.

Well, 1986 was going to be their Cinderella story. The same guy works the same magic in both post-season series. That was it. The Mets were done. The wrecking ball Mets were outmaneuvered by a fairy tale team from Boston. The additional run Boston scored in the tenth appeared to be window dressing.

The first two outs in the ninth seemed to confirm the theory above. When Carter singled, I was almost annoyed. Just end it. Please, let my mourning begin. However, the Mets had, as they say, a puncher’s chance.

Kevin Mitchell and Knight singled, and I still thought, even with a run in and the tying run on third with two outs, it was a big tease. Mookie Wilson was coming up, and he was a strikeout waiting to happen (72 in 381 official ABs during the season).

Bob Stanley was on the mound at this point. When he uncorked the wild pitch that allowed Mitchell to score, I remember yelling “slide” from my Loge seat as Mitchell streaked down the line. That play seemed to take five minutes. I had a vision of him being thrown out at the plate to end the game, the season, and the dream. But he crossed the plate easily. The emotion was one of relief. The Mets would live to fight another inning.

When the ball “got by Buckner”, I think I had nothing left. Sure, I was excited. Sure, I hugged people I knew and many I did not. But for me, the wild pitch was the pinnacle moment. To this day, I get greater chills at that point of game replays than at any other.

Being a Mets fan, even as the frenetic hugging was happening, I had one thought: “They still have to win tomorrow. They’re the Mets. Nothing is certain.”

Game Seven

On Sunday, October 26th, we made the drive down to Shea, only to be turned around because the game was postponed due to rain. This is unfair! I can’t take another day of waiting…

We left at 3 pm to make the hour drive for an 8 pm game on Monday, October 27th.  It had to be better waiting there than at home. At least there would be more people around to engage in nervous chatter.

The game started in a light mist. Right away, the Red Sox made it clear they did not have a hangover from game six. They scored three runs off Ron Darling, and led 3-0 in the third inning. Darling had a rough fourth inning, and was replaced by Sid Fernandez, who made it out of the inning unscathed.

Fernandez did provide a spark for the crowd, striking out four batters over the fifth and sixth inning. That’s fine, but the Mets were down to 12 outs and had just one hit off Bruce Hurst (who had kept them in check in games one and five) going into the bottom of the sixth. With one out, Lee Mazzilli stepped to the plate as a pinch hitter to try to get the Mets going.

Mazzilli singled, and after a Wilson single and a walk by Tim Teufel, Hernandez got in the box with the bases loaded in a role made for him. The Mets needed a quality at-bat, down 3-0. In my same Loge seat, I was worried about an inning-ending double play, but Hernandez singed in two runs and Shea was rocking. Even though they were still down a run, even the most pessimistic fans (I was among them) started to “feel it”.

The Mets tied the game, and in the seventh, took a three-run lead. All was good, or so it seemed. The Red Sox got to Roger McDowell for two runs in the top of the eighth, and they had the tying run at second with no outs. I was done. I left my seat, and transversed the Loge level, stopping at concession stands to watch every pitch. When Orosco got Don Baylor to ground out to end the inning, I returned to my seat, to the raucous laughter of my group at how the moment had gotten too big for me.

The Mets added two runs in the bottom of the eighth, with one coming on a Darryl Strawberry home run and the other on a hit by Orosco. Now, they needed three more outs. I left my seat again, and sat on the filthy cement stairs. I didn’t want to talk to anyone. Leave me alone…

In the ninth, someone threw a smoke bomb on the field. Great, let’s break Jesse’s concentration, after all there’s nothing on the line here.

When Marty Barrett stepped to the plate with two outs, the fairy tale worm had turned from the night before. Barrett had tormented the Mets all series, and it was poetic justice that he made the last out.

The celebration was on. Collectively, Mets fans were talking dynasty. What would be good? Three championships in ten years, five, what’s the number? This is going to be great!

We know the Mets have not won a championship since that night, 35 years ago. If and when they do, cherish it, folks. It’s an Amazin’ feeling, but you never know how long it will be until it comes around again.

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10. Marathon in Oakland

Game 2 of the 1973 World Series against the A’s was (for 23 years) the longest played by time. It remains one of the craziest as well. This game lasted four hours and 13 minutes and featured a fair share of miscues on both sides. Even the umpires were prone to mistakes, none more famous than a missed call when Bud Harrelson tried to score on a fly ball to left field.

Fortunately for the Mets, they salvaged a split with a 10-7, 12-inning victory. The blinding sun did no favors to fielders trying to make otherwise routine plays. Not even Willie Mays, in his final appearance, was immune. The A’s Mike Andrews contributed two errors in the late stages, which led to him being forcibly dismissed by owner Charles O. Finley.

9. Subway Series Victory

After coming agonizingly close to beating the Yankees in the first two games in The Bronx, the Mets could claim a win once the series got back to Shea Stadium. The Yankees, as usual, didn’t make it easy.

The Mets rallied to tie it in the sixth on a Todd Zeile RBI double. Then, in the eighth, Zeile singled and Benny Agbayani drove him home with a go-ahead double. Bubba Trammell added an insurance run with a sacrifice fly. John Franco earned the win and Armando Benítez closed the door, snapping the Yankees’ incredible 14-game World Series winning streak.

8. Carter’s Two Homers

The Mets evened the ’86 World Series with the Red Sox behind two home runs from their future Hall of Fame catcher, Gary Carter, who was making his first World Series appearance after 13 big-league seasons. The first blast came in the top of the fourth against Sox starter Al Nipper, and the second was a mammoth shot over the Green Monster on a curveball from reliever Steve Crawford.

Carter’s three RBIs and multi-homer game were the driving force behind the Mets’ 6-2 victory at Fenway Park.

“All I got on my mind is getting that World Series ring,” he said in the postgame interview. Carter was ensured he’d get that ring a few days later.

7. Wright Has the Power

He had spent 12 seasons waiting to make the Fall Classic. He had spent many months just hoping to be healthy. In his first World Series at-bat in New York (and the first World Series game at Citi Field) with a runner on base, David Wright sent a towering drive over the left-center field fence and sent the crowd into a frenzy. Wright’s classic swing put the Mets on top, 2-1. New York went on to capture their lone win of the series, 9-3, with Wright tacking on two more RBIs in the sixth with a single to center.

6. Dykstra Provides a Spark

Being down 2-0 in the series following a pair of losses at home, the Mets were in desperate need of a quick start in Boston. How’s a leadoff homer in the top of the first? Lenny Dykstra went deep against Red Sox starter Oil Can Boyd on the third pitch of the game.

Dykstra’s homer kicked off a four-run inning and helped swing the momentum in New York’s favor. Bob Ojeda took it from there, delivering a wonderful start against his former team as the Mets cruised to a 7-1 victory.

5. Seaver, Swoboda Save the Day

The Mets’ ace didn’t pitch like one in the 1969 World Series opener with the Orioles. He did on this afternoon, however, with New York holding a 2-1 series edge.

Tom Seaver went all 10 innings and allowed just a run on six hits. But he had some help. With the Mets up 1-0 in the ninth and runners on the corners, Brooks Robinson drove a sinking liner to right field. Ron Swoboda was not a great defender, but he was here. In fact, he made a catch that’s still unbelievable. His diving, backhanded grab before the ball touched the ground prevented the O’s from taking the lead.

The Mets won in the bottom of the 10th on a controversial error made on a J.C. Martin bunt, giving New York the chance to close it out at home.

4. Agee Takes Over

Is it possible for one player to win a game by himself? The Mets’ center fielder put that question to the test in the first World Series game at Shea Stadium.

Tommie Agee was known best for his glove, and he showcased that with two incredible catches. In the fourth inning with men on first and third, Agee made a backhanded running catch at the 396-foot mark on a ball off the bat of Elrod Hendricks. Then in the seventh, with the bases loaded and Nolan Ryan pitching, Agee dove by the warning track in right-center and hauled in a liner by Paul Blair.

Those two defensive gems overshadowed his leadoff home run against Jim Palmer. Agee saved five runs and created one for his own team in a 5-0 Mets victory.

3. “The Dream Has Come True”

The Mets were supposed to be World Series champions from the beginning of the 1986 season. They fulfilled that promise. The way in which they did it showed that for all their dominance, they had character and resolve when it mattered most.

For all the dramatics that played out in Game 6, the winner-take-all Game 7 was anything but a sure thing for New York. Boston jumped out to a 3-0 lead and held it into the sixth. That’s when the Mets’ offense finally got to Bruce Hurst. It loaded the bases for Keith Hernandez, who delivered the biggest hit of his career when he drove in two with a single to center. New York went on to score eight runs over the final three innings — including MVP Ray Knight‘s seventh-inning homer off Calvin Schiraldi and Darryl Strawberry‘s cherry-on-top blast in the eighth.

Jesse Orosco prevented the Red Sox from evening it in the top half of the inning, holding the tying run at second. He got the final three outs in order and initiated a celebration that was some six months in the waiting.

2. The Miracle is Complete

In April 1969, humans were hundreds of thousands of miles away from setting foot on the moon just as the Mets seemed far away from a World Series title. By October 15, both distances had been covered and both feats had been achieved.

With the Orioles up 3-0 and poised to take the series back to Baltimore, Cleon Jones was hit by a pitch (the famous “shoe polish” tactic from manager Gil Hodges). Donn Clendenon belted his third homer of the series to pull New York to within a run.

Al Weis, emblematic of the unlikely nature of the Mets’ unexpected success, delivered in the seventh with a game-tying home run — the only round-tripper he hit at Shea all year — to finish off a fabulous .455 batting average over the five games. Two doubles and two Oriole errors in the eighth led to a 5-3 Mets lead.

It was an advantage the Mets’ superb big-game pitcher would protect. Jerry Koosman allowed just one hit over the final six innings while his hitters mounted their comeback. The final out came off the bat of Davey Johnson and landed in the glove of Cleon Jones in left field.

1. Game 6

It’s been talked about, shown, and debated a million times over (at least). In film, in books, and in spoken word, October 25, 1986, is among the greatest days in the history of the universe for Mets fans and (for a while) among the worst for Red Sox fans.

Wally Backman and Hernandez flew out to start the bottom of the 10th with New York down two runs. It brought Boston within one out of its first title since 1918 and the Mets to within one out of their season being a colossal disappointment.

The rest is a sequence of events that remains unbelievable. A Gary Carter single, a Kevin Mitchell single, a Ray Knight single, a wild pitch by Bob Stanley, all leading up to Mookie Wilson‘s grounder.

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