As they prepare to face two of the NL’s best pitchers back-to-back in the lions den known as Dodger Stadium, the offensively starved Mets may be able to draw inspiration from…the Dodgers. But not these Dodgers. The Dodgers of 50 years ago.
Let me of course stipulate that we have neither a Sandy Koufax nor a Don Drysdale, both of whom were in the prime of their careers when the hitless wonder known as the 1965 Dodgers won 97 games and captured the World Series in seven games against the Twins.
But with four young studs in their rotation – and perhaps five come next year – the Mets present a composite upside, because of depth, that is even greater than the two hall of famers that almost singlehandedly vaulted the Dodgers to the promised land (with some help from 15 game winner Claude Osteen).
It was just one memorable snapshot, but the Dodgers game against the Cubs on September 9, 1965 served as a perfect microcosm of the season. Bob Henley of Chicago pitched a one hit complete game…and lost because Koufax hurled a perfect game. Aren’t you just now nodding your heads, saying yeah, I could see that happening to the Mets this season (though perhaps in reverse).
No one on that Dodger team drove in more than 70 runs, hit more than 12 HR’s or batted higher than .286. The team finished last in the NL in HR’s, and near the bottom in runs, BA and OPS.
And yet, they went all the way on the strength of starting pitching. Koufax and Drysdale combined for almost 650 IP, 49 wins and an ERA of 2.40. Suppose just three of our five young studs realize something near their full upside. Could you not envision roughly the same kind of production from that trio as the Dodgers received from their hall of fame duo?
Sure, the Dodgers defense was superior to what the Mets have thrown out there in 2015, but they had no gold glove winners, and the Mets’ defensive issues should become considerably less pronounced now that Murphy, Flores and Tejada are all playing their strongest positions.
To put a bow on this, Drysdale batted .300, higher than any of the team’s position players, and hit 7 HR’s. Shades of Matz, perhaps Thor, or deGrom?
Look, the 2015 Mets are hardly the Dodgers of 50 years ago. The 1965 Dodgers were nearing the end of a memorable run since their move to LA in which they captured six pennants and four World Series titles in the space of eight years. The Mets’ eight year run has been almost the opposite – two historic collapses followed by six straight losing seasons.
But for a team now blessed with a superb and controllable rotation and cursed with an offense so weak and depleted by injuries, you would be hard pressed to find a better source of inspiration than those ‘65 Dodgers.
