Earlier in the week, we posted an MMO Roundtable where we each reminisced about our most memorable Mets Opening Day. And for me, nothing was more exciting than watching Gary Carter hit that walk-off home run against the St. Louis Cardinals in 1985. I was on cloud nine…
But 10 years earlier, I was on hand for a not-as-famous, yet just-as-exciting Mets moment that was also among one of my biggest thrills ever at Shea Stadium.
The date was April 8, 1975 and that was the day I first saw Dave Kingman who was making his New York Mets debut batting fifth and playing right field.
The 6-foot-6 Kingman had just been acquired that Spring from the San Francisco Giants for cash as the Mets were desperate for a right-handed power hitter to go with their left-handed sluggers Rusty Staub and John Milner.
The Mets were coming off a 91 loss season and expectations for 1975 were not very high despite a formidable rotation headed by Tom Seaver, Jerry Koosman and Jon Matlack.
Barely 19,000 fans were on hand at Shea as the Mets hosted the Philadelphia Phillies in an Opening Day pitching matchup featuring two future Hall of Famers, Tom Seaver versus Steve Carlton. It’s too bad I was too young to realize and appreciate the magnitude of the moment.
As you may have guessed, it was a classic pitcher’s duel with both aces going all the way in a grueling hard-fought battle that the Mets would win by a score of 2-1.
The difference in the game was a towering solo home run by our newest Met Dave Kingman. It was just a preview of what was to come by the player better known to Mets diehards as Kong.
His prodigious strength and power would give the Mets the fearsome home run they had been craving in the middle of their lineup.
“He was going to make us a winner,’’ said teammate Joe Torre. “He had such awesome power. We had never had a guy like that before.’’
Kingman went on to hit 36 homers for the Mets that season, finishing second in the NL behind Mike Schmidt of the Phillies.
During his 17-year career, Kingman played six seasons with the Mets, more than any other team. He gave the Mets the power they wanted with 154 home runs.
However, the all-or-nothing Kingman also batted just .219 with a .287 on-base percentage. He racked up 389 RBIs in his Mets tenure but only drew 211 walks in comparison to a staggering 672 strikeouts. In fact, he had more strikeouts than hits (509) with the Mets.
In addition to the Giants and the Mets, Kingman also played for the Athletics, Cubs, Padres, Angels and Yankees. He had two different stints with the Mets (1975-77 and 1981-83) and was actually part of the infamous Midnight Massacre when the Mets traded Tom Seaver.
Besides all his on the field whiffs, Kingman also struck out a lot in his interactions with the media. Of all the things Kingman is known for, perhaps most disturbing was sending a live rat to Susan Fornoff, a female reporter covering the Athletics. Yes, he really did that. Can you imagine if anyone ever pulled a stunt like that today???
Kingman hit 30 or more homers seven times, including 48 in 1979 with the Cubs and 37 in 1982 with the Mets, when he led the National League in homers.
Kingman also struck out 1,816 times – an average of 152 times a season – and in 14 years struck out at least 100 times, and eight times fanned at least 125 times. Only once, in 1985, did he draw as many as 60 walks.
Kingman’s 154 homers ranks fifth on the club’s all-time list, behind Darryl Strawberry, David Wright, Mike Piazza and Howard Johnson. He finished with 442 career homers and while speaking at the closing of Shea Stadium, said if he played longer:
“I’m sure I could have hit 500 home runs. That’s all right. I’m very happy with my career. I enjoyed my time in the big leagues.’’
Prior to the steroid era, 500 homers used to be an automatic ticket into the Hall of Fame, along with 300 pitching victories and 3,000 hits. Had Kingman played two more years and reached that milestone he would have been an interesting test case.
Other than all the homers, his other numbers across the board were terribly weak. He did provide Mets fans with plenty of thrills and clutch moments when he wasn’t striking out. And when he did make contact, the sound of that ball off his bat was something else – a thunderous crack that was unmistakable and brought everyone to their feet.
