He established a rookie record for strikeouts, posted an ERA of 2.60, went 17-9 and completely captivated New York. It’s hard to believe Dwight Gooden almost didn’t start the ’84 season in the major leagues. Davey Johnson, the Mets’ first-year manager who saw Gooden up-close when the teenager helped his Triple-A Tidewater club, insisted upon it. Johnson eased the...
Game 6 of the 1986 World Series resonates strongly with Mets fans. Even with its dramatic ending and what it meant for its fortunes, that may not even be the best postseason game the franchise ever played. It may not even be the best Game 6 of that remarkable October of ’86 if you ask some. The contest that put the Mets into the Fall Classic that year speaks more to the team’s...
Edgardo Alfonzo is beloved by Mets fans and under-appreciated outside of Mets circles. It’s hard to go relatively unnoticed in New York, but Alfonzo did that among many other feats. No accomplishment was better than his night at the Astrodome in Houston on August 30, 1999. In fact, it might be the best performance any Met has ever had. Twelve Mets in history have blasted three home runs in...
After he set a rookie record for strikeouts, posted an ERA of 2.60, went 17-9 and completely captivated New York, it’s hard to believe that Dwight Gooden almost didn’t start the ’84 season in the majors. But Davey Johnson, the first-year Mets manager who saw Gooden up-close when the teenager helped Johnson’s Triple-A Tidewater club, insisted upon it. Smart move. Johnson...
Twelve Mets in history have blasted three home runs in a game. Fewer have had six hits. Edgardo Alfonzo managed to do both on the same night. Alfonzo spent his career in New York overlooked and under-appreciated by the national and local media, but he stood alone on August 30, 1999 — establishing or tying team records in four separate categories. He set single-game highs in runs scored...
Brian Wright selects: Edgardo Alfonzo Goes 6-for-6! Twelve Mets in history have blasted three home runs in a game. Even fewer have collected six hits. Edgardo Alfonzo managed to do both on one night in Houston nearly 21 years ago. Alfonzo spent his career in New York overlooked and under-appreciated by the national and local media, but he stood alone on August 30, 1999 — establishing or...
On April 7, 1984, the phenomenon began. Dwight Gooden, less than two years out of high school and coming off a 300-strikeout season in the minors the previous year, made his first major league appearance as the starting pitcher against Houston. The Mets and manager Davey Johnson eased the 19-year-old Gooden into the spotlight by having his initial entrance come in a rather subdued environment...
