MMO’s partnership with Out of the Park Baseball (OOTP) continues as our 16-team Mets Madness bracket is now down to only eight teams. In the second round of the OOTP Mets Madness tournament, the 1998 Mets — after taking down the 2015 squad — will be facing the ’73 team. If the past holds up, this should be another series dominated by pitching. Tim Shanahan has control of 1973, while Mojo Hill will continue to manage 1998.
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1973 Mets
The “Ya Gotta Believe” Mets advanced to the second round by way of a decisive four-game sweep of the 2007 Mets. While the series featured the expected strong pitching from the likes of Tom Seaver, Jerry Koosman and George Stone, it was a surprising offensive outburst that propelled the 1973 team to its sweep. Felix Millan took home MVP honors in the first round while hitting .353 (6-for-17) with two home runs and five RBI. Rusty Staub contributed six RBI, and John Milner hit two home runs.
Unlike the 2007 team they faced in the first round, the 1998 Mets share the same strength in pitching that the 1973 squad does. In a series that may very well yield pitching duels, it’ll be up to the rotation of Seaver, Koosman, Jon Matlack, and Stone to deliver.
1998 Mets
The Mets beat the 2015 pennant winners in a thrilling seven-game series, one in which they overcame a 3-1 deficit. Now, the top-heavy squad led by Al Leiter, Mike Piazza and John Olerud will face the 1973 Mets.
A big test for this team will be to see if its depth can hold up. Pitching performances late in the previous series by Masato Yoshii and Rick Reed helped the Mets squeeze out the victory, but the lineup got thin quickly after Piazza, Olerud and Edgardo Alfonzo. The bottom of the order will have to step up, especially against a tough ’73 pitching staff.
Bobby Jones and Armando Reynoso struggled on the mound in the first series, so New York will need them to be more reliable. The bullpen has a strong 1-2 punch of John Franco and Turk Wendell, but again, not much depth beyond that.
In real life, the Mets collapsed at the end of the season. In the fictional world, history doesn’t necessarily have to repeat itself if they can stay hot just long enough to beat all the other Mets teams. But it’s likely not going to be in overpowering fashion; this team must figure out a way to grind out wins.
