The 1973 Mets and 2007 Mets looked like the late September versions of themselves, as the 1973 team swept the 2007 squad in the first round of the Mets Madness tournament in partnership with Out of the Park Baseball.
The light-hitting 1973 Mets, managed by Tim Shanahan (MMO social media strategist), combined an offensive outburst with their typical stout pitching to outscore the 2007 Mets, managed by Gino DeCaro (MMO owner), 23-12 in the series. The 2007 Mets struggled on the mound throughout the series, save for a sterling Game 2 performance from John Maine. Outside of Maine’s effort, no starter pitched past the fifth inning for the 2007 team.
GAME 1
The series seemed to start well for the 2007 Mets when José Reyes led off Game 1 with a single against Tom Seaver and came around to score on David Wright’s two-out double. However, Orlando Hernández surrendered a two-run home run to John Milner in the bottom of the first, beginning a series-long theme for the 2007 Mets. The 1973 Mets extended their lead in the third inning courtesy of a Félix Millán RBI double and a Rusty Staub sacrifice fly, and again in the fourth with an Ed Kranepool solo shot that made it 5-1. Seaver took over from there, holding the 2007 Mets to three runs over seven innings while striking out nine. Harry Parker pitched two scoreless innings for the save in the Game One victory.
GAME 2
Game Two saw a classic pitcher’s duel between Jerry Koosman and John Maine, with the 1973 Mets once again finding a way to win. The teams exchanged solo home runs in the second inning. Carlos Beltrán launched a home run to the right field, only to be matched by Milner’s second home run of the series in the bottom half of the inning. The score remained tied until the bottom of the sixth when Millán took a 3-1 fastball from Maine and drove it over the left field wall to put the 1973 Mets up 2-1. Koosman pitched into the eighth inning, then gave way to Jim McAndrew, who escaped a bases-loaded, one-out jam. The 2007 Mets threatened in the ninth, putting runners on the corners with two outs before McAndrew induced a flyout from Luis Castillo to give the 1973 Mets a 2-0 series lead.
GAME 3
“Ya Gotta Believe” was the story of Game Three, as the 1973 Mets twice rallied from three-run deficits to eventually win 9-6. The 2007 Mets jumped on Jon Matlack in the first inning with three runs, punctuated by Moises Alou’s 415-foot, two-run blast to dead center. The 1973 Mets rallied back for the first time in the third, when Staub took Oliver Pérez deep for a game-tying, three-run homer. The 2007 Mets answered back with a three-run home run off the bat of Beltrán in the bottom of the inning. The 6-3 lead for the 2007 Mets lasted until the fifth. Jerry Grote worked a walk against Pérez to lead off the inning, and then Bud Harrelson singled to center to get the tying run to the plate. Millán, who hit the game-winning home run in Game 2, attacked the first pitch he saw from Pérez and put it into the left-field bullpen to tie the game at six.
A battle of the bullpens ensued, with neither Pérez nor Matlack escaping the fifth inning. Kranepool led off the ninth inning with a walk against southpaw Pedro Feliciano, which was followed by a Grote single. After a sacrifice bunt by Harrelson put the go-ahead runs in scoring position with one out, the 2007 Mets turned to Billy Wagner to escape trouble. But Wagner uncorked a wild one on his very first pitch, allowing pinch runner Ted Martínez to score from third. Millán and Milner continued their big series with RBI singles, extending the 1973 Mets’ lead to 9-6. Ray Sadecki finished 2 1/3 innings of scoreless relief in the ninth, earning the win and bringing the 1973 Mets one win away from advancing to the next round.
GAME 4
The 1973 Mets went for the kill in Game 4, jumping on 2007 Mets starter Pedro Martínez for four runs in the top of the first. Garrett led off the game with a single and came around to score on a Staub double. Staub was singled home by Cleon Jones, and then Willie Mays capped the inning with a two-run, opposite-field homer off Martínez. That was all George Stone and Tug McGraw would need from the 1973 Mets offense. Stone allowed one run over 5 2/3 innings, then McGraw gave up one run over the final 3 1/3 innings for the save as the 1973 Mets moved on to the next round in Mets Madness.
SERIES MVP
Félix Millán was named the series MVP after hitting .353 (6-for-17) with two home runs and five RBIs. The two surprise home runs from the second baseman came in clutch spots. His game-winning home run in the sixth inning of Game 2 broke a 1-1 tie, and his home run in Game Three drove in three and tied the game.
Worth mentioning in the losing effort was another memorable Postseason performance from Carlos Beltrán. The 2007 Mets center fielder went 6-for-14 (.429) with a series-leading four home runs and six RBIs.
ON DECK
The 1973 Mets advance to the second round where they face the winner of the first-round matchup between the 1988 NL East-winning Mets and the 2015 NL Champion Mets. Keep track of the latest in Mets Madness here and on the MMO Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram. Gino and Tim were on the OOTP Podcast recently to discuss Mets Madness.
