On Wednesday afternoon, Mets president of baseball operations David Stearns addressed the media for his post-season press conference. While there were plenty of quotes regarding pending free agents, including the mention of wanting to bring back both Pete Alonso and Jesse Winker, Stearns also gave updates regarding injured Mets.

First was right-handed relief pitcher Dedniel Núñez, who was severely missed by the Mets’ bullpen down the stretch run of the season. The Mets’ president of baseball ops said that Núñez is progressing well after missing the last month of the season due to a strained flexor tendon in his right arm; the club hopes to get him back on the mound by November, and have a normal offseason if that goes well.

The other major piece of injury news was not as positive, as Mets prospect Ronny Mauricio has not started baseball activities while his rehab has not progressed as quickly as the club hoped for. Mauricio tore his ACL last offseason during his stint in the Dominican Winter League and is trying to get back on the field some time in 2025.

For a full breakdown of Stearn’s presser, click here!

Photo by Jordan Godfree-USA TODAY Sports

Latest Mets News

The Mets’ seventh-round pick in the 2019 draft, Luke Ritter, was selected by USA Baseball to represent the nation at the WBSC Premier 12 Tournament, which will feature the top 12 baseball nations in the world, per Taylor Eldridge of The Wichita Eagle. 

The League Championship Series was the most-watched since 2017, per MLB Communications. Game 1 of the NLCS between the Mets and Dodgers drew more than 20.6 million viewers in the United States and Japan. 

Alex Cohen, wife of Mets owner Steve Cohen, announced she is taking a social media break, but made sure to show her love for Mets Nation prior to doing so. “You guys have been the best fans any team could ever ask for,” she wrote.

Latest MLB News

The Miami Marlins will interview Los Angeles Dodgers first base coach Clayton McCullough for their vacant managerial position, per Isaac Azout of Fish On First.

Netflix has officially premiered its documentary on the 2004 World Series champion Boston Red Sox, titled “The Comeback.”

Sam Blum and C. Trent Rosecrans of The Athletic detailed what it feels like for major leaguers whose big league cameos resulted in World Series jewelry. 

The Tampa Bay Rays re-signed RHP Michael Flynn to a minor league deal with a spring training invite, per Steve Adams of MLB Trade Rumors. Tampa acquired him in a trade where they sent the Dodgers Amed Rosario. 

Latest on MMO

MMO writers gathered to give the Mets’ miracle season a letter grade.

Ronny Mauricio is not doing baseball activities following his ACL surgery. 

David Stearns addressed the media in his post-season press conference. 

On This Date in Mets History

2019: The MLBPA announces Pete Alonso as the NL Outstanding Rookie and Jacob deGrom as the NL Outstanding Pitcher for the 2019 MLB season. 

2006: Carlos Delgado is awarded the Roberto Clemente Award; Clemente is the reason Delgado wore 21. 

2000: Al Leiter becomes the second Met to ever win the Roberto Clemente Award, joining Gary Carter. 

2000: The Mets beat the Yankees in Game 3 of the World Series behind a Benny Agbayani go-ahead RBI double in the bottom of the eighth inning.

Born On This Date: Omar Quantanilla (1981), Mike Matthews (1973), Junior Ortiz (1959), Ron Gardenhire (1957).

The post Morning Briefing: Dedniel Núñez Progressing Well appeared first on Metsmerized Online.

The Los Angeles Dodgers’ offseason has been one for the ages as they have spent over $1 billion on just two of their winter additions. While Shohei Ohtani‘s $700 million contract has been official for over a week now, the Dodgers made the second of their two big signings official as they introduced Yoshinobu Yamamoto at Dodger Stadium on Wednesday. Among the quotes, Yamamoto said he probably would have ended up signing with the Dodgers regardless of Ohtani’s free agent decision.

Along with his opening monologue, spoken in English, the Japanese superstar pitcher also mentioned how winning was very important in his final decision. “It was very important for me to go to a team that wants to win,” he said.The Dodgers provided that opportunity the most.”

Screenshot via @Bnicklaus on Twitter

Latest Mets News

The Mets are reportedly showing strong interest in right-handed starting pitcher Lucas Giolito, per Mike Puma of the New York Post. For a deeper look into one of the Mets possible starting pitching signings click here!

In an article written by Sam Dykstra of MLB.com, the Mets were highlighted as one of the six most improved farm systems in 2023. While players such as Francisco Álvarez and Brett Baty have graduated to the Major league level; additions like Drew Gilbert and the development of pitchers like Blade Tidwell have vastly improved the Mets’ system. 

Latest MLB News

Former Yankees infielder Isiah Kiner-Falefa and the Toronto Blue Jays came to an agreement on a 2-year, $15 million deal, per Robert Murray of FanSided. For more information on the deal click here!

The Minnesota Twins came to an agreement on a one-year deal with former Kansas City Royals right-handed relief pitcher Josh Staumont. The deal is for $950,000 with the opportunity to earn more in incentives. 

Enrique Rojas and Juan Recio of ESPN gave an update to the ongoing Wander Franco situation, stating that Franco has been officially summoned by police to appear for questioning at 11 A.M. on Thursday. Wander continues to be under investigation by police and Major League Baseball for alleged inappropriate relationships with minors. 

The Boston Red Sox and Cincinnati Reds are amongst teams that are still highly interested in 26 year-old Cuban relief-pitcher Yariel Rodriguez, per Francys Romero of MLB.com.

The Los Angeles Angels and Boston Red Sox are among the most aggressive teams in pursuit of free agent outfielder Teoscar Hernández, per Chris Cotillo of MassLive.com. Click here to learn more about the report!

Latest on MMO

Jack Ramsey conducted an MMO exclusive interview with Mets pitching prospect Ben Simon.

Go all in on Montgomery and Snell or look for short-term deals? MMO debates

On This Date in Mets History

2001: Both the New York Mets and New York Yankees came to a tentative agreement with New York City to build stadiums with retractable roofs. The $1.6 billion plan had the Mets opening their new ballpark in 2006, but this obviously never came to fruition. 

Birthdays: Benny Agbayani (52), Ray Knight (71)

The post Morning Briefing: Yoshinobu Yamamoto Officially Introduced as Dodger appeared first on Metsmerized Online.

Postseason baseball has a way of shining the spotlight on the unheralded—those who happen to be in the right place at the right time.

The Division Series match-up between the Wild Card Mets against the 97-win San Francisco Giants offered up the usual headliners: New York’s duo of Mike Piazza and Edgardo Alfonzo along with San Francisco’s odd couple of Barry Bonds and former Met Jeff Kent, the soon-to-be MVP of the National League.

But the Mets’ four-game victory was made possible thanks to several unlikely stars—each with their own journey to the October stage—and was the difference in New York’s ascension into the League Championship Series. There was 27-year-old rookie Jay Payton and one-hit wonder Bobby Jones who twirled a masterpiece pitching performance in the clincher.

Then there was Benny Agbayani, who wasn’t even supposed to make the Mets’ roster out of spring training and was on the verge of being sent to the minors early in the season. In April, he had requested a trade from the organization. In October, he cemented his name in Mets postseason lore with a walk-off home run to cap a five-hour, 13-inning Game 3 thriller.

Just like it did in a harrowing extra-inning Game 2 win in San Francisco, New York once again strode perilously close to defeat, down 2-1 with two outs in the eighth and Lenny Harris on second.

Luckily, they had a man at the plate who had a penchant for coming through in the clutch. Edgardo Alfonzo had delivered many big hits during last year’s playoffs, and he did it once again—a double to left field that scored Harris and helped send it into extras.

The game lasted into the 13th, more than five hours old, before Agbayani faced Aaron Fultz. The Hawaii native had already established himself as a cult hero in his brief time with the Mets.

Fans embraced his underdog story of making it to the big leagues without resembling the prototypical baseball player physique.

They had pretty much forgiven his gaffe on August 12 against these same Giants, when he momentarily thought an inning was over after making a catch with a runner at third and handed the ball off to a youngster in the stands. He was about to completely eradicate that memory and provide a more lasting one.

Agbayani blasted Fultz’s pitch into the crowded stands in left-center field, flipping his bat and taking a most satisfying stroll around the bases before plunging into a sea of teammates around home plate and then being lifted on their shoulders.

He was more than a cult hero. He was a postseason hero.

”Bobby Valentine told me things have a way of working out. I didn’t understand that,” Agbayani said. “Now I do.”

The post OTD 2000: Benny’s Walk-Off Blast Beats Giants appeared first on Metsmerized Online.

More often than not in the 1990s and early 2000s, the Braves got the better of the Mets. That dominance extended into the 1999 NLCS when Atlanta overcame New York in six games to advance to their fifth World Series trip of the decade.

At Shea Stadium 22 years ago, just when it looked like the end result would be all-too-familiar, the Mets managed to get the Braves’ number. Ten, to be specific…as in the number of runs scored during a ridiculous eighth inning. With a succession of productive at-bats, New York rallied from a seven-run deficit—punctuated by Mike Piazza’s laser beam home run just over the left-field wall.

What took place on that Friday night certainly didn’t have the same significance as Game 6 of the 1986 World Series and not quite the depth of recovery from September 1972 at the Astrodome, but the sensational 11-8 victory is arguably the memorable regular-season comeback.

The tie-breaking three-run bottom-of-the-eighth blast, the across-the-body right fist pump from Piazza as the ball cleared the fence, and the roar generated by 52,831 drowning out the airplanes departing LaGuardia—all of this would not have been possible if not for the excellent at-bats that preceded it.

Trailing 8-1 after seven-and-a-half innings, a hole mostly dug because of poor defense and a lack of control from starter Mike Hampton, the Mets pecked away at Atlanta pitching.

Derek Bell singled to center. After Edgardo Alfonzo flew out, Piazza singled and Bell advanced to third. Robin Ventura brought Bell home with a groundout. Todd Zeile singled, scoring Piazza. Jay Payton singled. Benny Agbayani walked to load the bases. Pinch-hitter Mark Johnson also walked and forced Zeile home. Melvin Mora drew a free pass to score Payton. The Mets had batted around but were still getting on without hitting as Bell walked and Agbayani scored. Alfonzo put the ball in play and singled to left field. Both pinch-runner Joe McEwing and Mora scored.

Now it was tied at eight. By the time Piazza stepped up for the second time in the inning, Shea was on the verge of erupting. The Mets’ slugging catcher, meanwhile, was in danger of seeing his streak of 12 consecutive games with an RBI come to an end.

The first pitch from a beleaguered Terry Mulholland jumped off his bat and rocketed down the left-field line. When it struck the padding above the wall, Mets fans went delirious. The home run not only put New York in front, but it marked the most productive inning (10 runs) in team history up to that point.

The lead and the energy held up as Atlanta went down quietly in the ninth for an unforgettable victory.

The win pulled the Mets to within two games of the division lead, and they gained again with a victory the next night. Atlanta ultimately won the NL East war, but the Mets outlasted the Braves in October in reaching the World Series. And for any retrospective of that special season, June 30, 2000 ranks right at the top.

The post OTD 2000: Eighth Inning Rally Over Braves Capped By Piazza’s Homer appeared first on Metsmerized Online.

The 2000 New York Mets qualified for the postseason as the National League’s wildcard team, in the time when there was only one wildcard entrant per league. Their first round opponent was the San Francisco Giants, who had the best regular season record in all of baseball at 97-65.

The best-of-five series began in San Francisco, where the two teams split the first two games. In Game Two, the Mets blew a ninth-inning lead, but rallied to win in extra innings, with the game ending a controversial John Franco strikeout of Barry Bonds. The series then shifted to Shea Stadium, where manager Bobby Valentine sent Rick Reed to the mound to face the Giants’ Russ Ortiz in Game Three.

The Mets had games three and four at home, and were trying to avoid a return trip to San Francisco for a possible fifth game. Things did not start well for the men from Flushing, as Reed surrendered two runs in the top of the fourth inning on RBI singles by Bobby Estalella and Marvin Benard. The score remained 2-0 until the bottom of the sixth inning.

Mike Bordick opened the Mets’ half of the sixth with a walk. Darryl Hamilton then singled to right field, advancing Bordick to third. Timo Perez then singled, scoring Bordick, and setting the Mets up for more with runners on first and second and no outs. However, the Mets would score no more in the sixth inning, as Edgardo Alfonzo grounded out, moving the runners to second and third. The Giants then intentionally walked Mike Piazza, and brought in Alan Embree to face Robin Ventura with the bases loaded, who hit into an inning-ending double play.

The Mets trailed 2-1 when they came to bat in the bottom of the eighth inning. Against reliever Doug Henry, Mike Bordick was hit by a pitch leading off the inning. Pinch hitter Lenny Harris hit into a force play, and became the runner at first with one out. Perez popped out, bringing Alfonzo up. The Giants went to their closer, Rob Nen. Harris promptly stole second base. Alfonzo then doubled him in, tying the game at two. Piazza struck out to send the game to the ninth inning.

The Giants got their leadoff hitter on in the top of the ninth against Franco, but did not score. The Mets put two runners on base in the bottom of the ninth and failed to score. The game went to extra innings.

The Giants faced Armando Benitez in the top of the tenth, and did not score despite having two runners on base. The Mets went down in order in the tenth, and did the Giants in the eleventh. The Mets loaded the bases in the bottom of the eleventh with two outs, but did not score when Todd Pratt was retired on a fly ball.

Rick White came on to pitch for the Mets in the twelfth inning. He allowed two walks, but held firm, not allowing a run. The Mets had two singles in their half of the inning, but did not push the winning run across. The game advanced to the thirteenth inning.

White again allowed two runners to get on base, this time on two singles. Once again, White was able to keep Dusty Baker‘s squad off the board, ending the inning on a popup by Bonds. With Aaron Fultz on the mound, the Mets came to bat in their half of the thirteenth inning. After a Ventura groundout, Benny Agbayani sent the 56,000 fans in attendance home when he got the barrel to a Fultz pitch. You can see the walk-off home run in the video below.

The Mets now led the series two games to one, and would have a chance to advance to the NLCS the next day with Bobby Jones set to pitch.

The post OTD 2000: Benny Agbayani Walks It Off In Game Three Of NLDS appeared first on Metsmerized Online.

In winning their first National League pennant in 14 years, the 2000 Mets gave their fans a wealth of memories. But on an evening at Shea Stadium, outfielder Benny Agbayani gave one fan more than he should.

With Mike Hampton working on a shutout and protecting a one-run advantage, the San Francisco Giants had runners on second and third with one out in the top of the fourth. Reminder — one out.

Bobby Estalella hit a fly ball in the general direction of Agbayani in left field. Benny drifted over to his right and made the catch. Jeff Kent tagged from third. But thinking his grab ended the inning, Agbayani ran by the stands and handed the ball to a youngster.

He quickly realized his mistake, but it was too late. The gaffe was costly at the time. Kent scored, and so did Ellis Burks — who was able to take two extra bases.

“I looked at the scoreboard and I guess I saw the strike count instead of the outs,” Agbayani said to the New York Times. “I just glanced at it. It could have cost us the game and that would have been especially tough for Mike Hampton, the way he pitched.”

“My teammates kept telling me not to worry about it, that it was already done.”

It was easy to forgive Benny. For one, he had established himself a fan favorite thanks to his unlikely rise to the majors and narrowly avoiding being released earlier in the season. The Mets also had his back in more ways than just words. Although Agbayani compounded his rough night in the field with a bad night at the plate, the other hitters — namely Todd Zeile — picked up their downtrodden teammate. Zeile’s two-run double off Felix Rodriguez in the seventh flipped the contest in favor of New York, which went on to win for the 19th time in its last 25 games and saved Agbayani from further embarrassment.

Benny truly got the last laugh in October when he offered another ball into the stands — not with his hand, but rather with his bat — as a home run in the 13th inning of Game 3 of the National League Division Series defeated the Giants and helped the Mets on their way to the World Series.

The post OTD in 2000: Forgetful Agbayani Loses Track of Outs appeared first on Metsmerized Online.

Mandatory Credit: Sam Navarro-USA TODAY Sports

Growing up in Hawaii, Jordan Yamamoto knew that he’d really need to impress in order to make his dream of pitching in the major leagues happen.

The right-hander took the mentality of not only trying to be the best in Hawaii, but trying to stand out in the entire United States.

The high school Yamamoto attended and was later drafted out of, Saint Louis High School in Honolulu, was well known for churning out quality athletes, including several current NFL players.

One prominent alumnus who provided Mets fans with many great memories was outfielder Benny Agbayani, who Yamamoto frequently texts and joins every December for a baseball clinic in Hawaii.

Yamamoto, 25, speaks highly of how well-rounded the Hawaiian culture is, noting that their community is tight-knit. His penchant for giving back and helping others was visible soon after he signed with the Milwaukee Brewers in the 12th round of the 2014 MLB Draft.

After receiving a bad haircut in Helena, Montana, the former rookie-level for the Brewers, Yamamoto decided that he would try the craft out himself. His teammates became his guinea pigs and were appreciative that Yamamoto took haircutting seriously and started to get very good at it. Yamamoto would not charge any of his teammates for the haircuts, and if he did receive any tips, he says that went right back into buying better styling equipment.

After spending his first four seasons in the Brewers organization, Yamamoto was dealt with three other players to the Miami Marlins for Christian Yelich in the 2018 offseason.

Yamamoto would make his major league debut a year later, tossing seven scoreless innings against the St. Louis Cardinals at home. He followed that up with another seven scoreless innings in his next start, which also came against the Cardinals. According to Elias Sports, Yamamoto became the second pitcher since 1893 to begin his career with two scoreless starts against the same team.

Yamamoto finished his rookie season with a 4-5 record in 15 starts with a 4.46 ERA and 9.4 strikeouts per nine. His sophomore season was a forgettable one, as his ERA ballooned to 18.26 in four games (three starts) over 11.1 innings pitched. It should be noted that Yamamoto dealt with a forearm strain at the end of his 2019 season, and that very well may have carried over into the truncated 2020 season as his average 4-seam fastball velocity was down nearly two miles-per-hour (91.5 mph in 2019; 89.8 mph in 2020).

The Marlins DFA’d Yamamoto late in January 2021 and worked out a trade with the New York Mets less than a week later, with the Mets sending minor league infielder Federico Polanco to Miami. Yamamoto had a solid spring with the Mets, posting a 1.08 ERA in 8.1 innings pitched. He made two appearances for the Mets in May before leaving his second game (first start) against the Marlins on May 23 with right shoulder soreness.

Yamamoto has been rehabbing his shoulder in Port St. Lucie, hoping to contribute to the Mets during a time where their starting pitching depth has been compromised.

I had the privilege of speaking with Yamamoto, where he talked about growing up in Hawaii, being traded to the Mets, and his thoughts on Major League Baseball’s crackdown on foreign substances.

MMO: Who were some of your favorite players growing up?

Yamamoto: It’s going to be very, I guess, ironic for being on the Mets now, but I actually grew up liking the Red Sox. Pitching-wise, that was the era of Jonathan Papelbon, and my favorite catcher was Jason Varitek.

That whole 2007 team when I was in Little League, that was kind of the time that I was growing up and kind of getting more serious about baseball and starting to actually watch players. The Red Sox was the team that I usually watched more than anyone.

MMO: What was growing up in Hawaii like? And what was your earliest memory of the game?

Yamamoto: When I first started playing baseball when I was playing tee-ball and then in Little League, my mom told me that they looked at me when I was playing, and coaches would say this kid’s not playing baseball for a living. They were like, we’ll just let him play and see if he likes it.

When I turned 10, that was when it kind of clicked. I started playing year-round, and that’s when I really started focusing on baseball. That’s when my parents realized that I was pretty decent, and then I played year-round for the rest of my childhood all the way up to high school and everything.

MMO: At what point during your development did you start honing in on pitching? What was the competition like in Hawaii?

Yamamoto: Through high school I never really [pitched], that’s the thing. I always tried to take myself as an athlete, so I was a catcher and pitcher my first three years of high school. And then I realized that my body was taking a toll; trying to pitch on Fridays, catch on Tuesdays, pitch on Fridays, catch on Tuesdays, and not having any in-between time to throw bullpens or anything. My body was taking a toll.

In my senior year, I told my coach I thought it would be better if I was in the outfield, just rolling it out there on the days I didn’t pitch. He said, “Okay, as long as we got the other catcher in tune with what we’re doing.” I kind of helped out the other catcher to get ready to be able to catch all the pitchers.

It’s always going to be good competition, and it’s because we have the mentality that we have over there. It’s different than the States. Up here, the competition is good and the players are good, but down there the mentality is a little different. It’s hey, we’ve got to perform to be able to get our name out there [mentality]. If you’re in the States, you can go and drive and travel to different states, you know, playing different tournaments for a lot cheaper than Hawaii kids can. So it’s kind of like we get a shot and our opportunity; let’s take advantage of it.

We have one, maybe two, tournaments that we go to a year, and that’s only during the summertime. We have to be ready to perform over there to compete with the rest of the kids. It’s kind of one of those things that I try to stress to the kids back home whenever I go back. My dad coaches, and when I go back, I ask, ‘What’s your goal?’ And they say, “We want to be the best in the state.” I’m like, ‘That’s a good goal to have. But at the end of the day, you don’t want to be the best in the state; you want to be the best in the country.’

Hawaii is only so big, and that’s kind of the mindset that I had coming out of Hawaii was that Hawaii was small; you have a million people in the state. And now you have millions and millions of other kids out there playing baseball in the United States, traveling to all these tournaments getting better. So that was my mindset: we’ve got to be able to train to get to play like the kids in the mainland and not so much the kids in Hawaii. Just because you’re the best in Hawaii doesn’t mean you’re the best in the nation. That’s kind of the mindset that we took.

The high school that I went to was very good about that because we are a very athletic high school. I’m sure you already know it’s the same high school as Marcus Mariota, Tua Tagovalio, and Kamalei Correa. We have Rico Garcia with the Giants. We have a lot of kids from our high school who went to the professionals. We also have Benny Agbayani, so a lot of big names came out of there.

Our high school was very athletic-oriented, where the competition and the sports are really good. It’s very hard to make teams. You had competition at every single position; it wasn’t just you’re handed this position. It’s always competition, no matter where you are. It doesn’t matter if you’re a senior; if you can’t compete, you aren’t going to play. That’s kind of what our high school was driven off of. I think that gave me the drive to become a professional athlete, to be able to be the best on the team, the best of the state and one of the top players in the nation.

MMO: You mentioned Benny Agbayani. He’s one of three Hawaiian-born players that had a big impact with the Mets, along with Sid Fernandez and Ron Darling. Have you ever had the chance to meet and interact with any of those three players?

Yamamoto: Yeah, so because big Benny graduated from my high school, when I was a freshman, he came in to talk to everybody who was trying out for baseball. Over the years, we’d text back and forth and we’d talk often. Every December, we have a clinic that goes on. We bring out a bunch of coaches and a lot of the professional baseball players who are playing or have played; they usually come back and help out the kids of the next generation and Benny is always there. We always talk and it’s actually pretty cool.

Fun fact about Sid Fernandez: I actually played with one of his nephews when I was in Little League. I never got to meet him, but my dad was a coach and his nephew was actually on our team.

MMO: That’s so great to hear about Agbayani continuing to give back to his community.

Yamamoto: That’s the thing about the Hawaiian guys: our community is a very tight-knit community. You can ask any of the baseball players who are from Hawaii, that’s just how Hawaii is. It’s very family-oriented. We will do stuff for ourselves and we do stuff for the next generation.

MMO: You were selected by the Milwaukee Brewers in the 12th round of the 2014 MLB Draft. You also had a commitment to go play for the University of Arizona. Was it difficult to forgo that scholarship to sign with the Brewers?

Yamamoto: Oh, yeah, I mean, that was one of my dream schools to play for in Arizona. When I went there, it just felt like home. It felt like one of those things that I could see myself there for four years. But when the draft rolled around and they called my name, and gave me the number, I couldn’t turn that down. My thing was, I wanted to be a professional baseball player; I wanted to be a part of that one percent because who knows what could happen if I went to college, especially Arizona being a very big party school, you know? [Laughs.] So I was like, I’m going to go play professionally.

We used to hang out with some of the guys from Arizona; we’d go to Scottsdale. I’m just not a very big school guy. I just like baseball and baseball alone. I like school, but it was one of those things that I thought that baseball was definitely a way for me to further my life and make my future that I’m building, and that was one of the ways that I could do that.

At the end of the day, I have no regrets. I’ve been on three teams now, but for the most part, I’ve created lifetime memories with some teammates that have become lifetime friendships. It’s definitely a pretty cool opportunity.

Credit: Rhona Wise-USA TODAY Sports

MMO: I remember reading a great article from The Athletic that detailed how you started cutting some of your teammates’ hair in the minor leagues. Can you talk about how that started?

Yamamoto: We were in Helena, Montana. It was not a bad place, but it’s very hard to find barbers. It initially started when I went to get a haircut at a barbershop and they messed my hair up so bad. It was bad! I was like, I wear a hat for a living, so it’s not too bad. I ended up buying my first set of clippers, and my teammates said, “We wear hats for a living, you can practice on us.”

I ended up practicing [on them], and over the years I just got better and better. I’ve been cutting for almost seven years, I still do. So the Mets’ guys with the whole COVID thing, they couldn’t really go out. The Marlins, too, it was the same thing: they couldn’t really go out and get their hair cut. I started cutting for them, and it’s actually been pretty fun.

MMO: And considering how little minor leaguers earn, you’re actually doing them a great service by saving them some money.

Yamamoto: Exactly. And that’s what it came down to. It wasn’t about looking for extra cash to help me. It’s more of, I’ve got a talent and let me use it. In the minor leagues, we’re making $500 every two weeks, really nothing. If I can help out the guys in any way, [I would].

The tips [I got] just went back to buying new gear so that I can cut better. Essentially, it’s [buying] new blades, new razors to cut hair. It was never let me save this money and go buy myself something. It’s always like, hey, what am I going to use [it] for? Can I get the money to buy a new blade this month?

MMO: What are your memories from your major league debut tossing seven shutout innings against the St. Louis Cardinals on June 12, 2019?

Yamamoto: That was definitely a fun one. I think the best thing was just having my family there. It kind of sucks to see some of the guys nowadays make their debuts, at least last year, and their families couldn’t be there. To me, that was the icing on the cake having my family there in person watching me, and not watching on TV. Being able to hug them after and actually have them on the field with me was a great moment. That was the best part of my whole career so far, and also the best part of my debut night.

MMO: You’re a pitcher that relies more on movement and changing speeds rather than fastball velocity. One pitch that I was impressed with in particular was your slider – which created a ton of vertical and horizontal movement. The slider was also your putaway pitch more than a quarter of the time in your rookie season. Can you talk about that pitch and how you utilize it in your arsenal?

Yamamoto: I actually didn’t develop that pitch until my senior year of high school. I learned that pitch as a senior in high school, and when I went to pro ball they told me it’s becoming almost the same as your curveball. They told me to stop it, and for three years in the minor leagues, I didn’t throw it. The only time I started throwing it again was when I came to the Marlins in 2018.

I didn’t throw it from 2014-2017. I was strictly a fastball/curveball guy with an occasional changeup because they said that we had to throw that at least ten percent, and if not, we’d get fined. It was really like a development thing that we had to throw changeups. It definitely worked out and it kind of helped me to kind of reset my slider. I got it back in 2019 in the big leagues, and I’ve been working on it ever since.

MMO: What was your first reaction when you heard you were traded to the Mets?

Yamamoto: It was a good feeling. For me, it’s a business. People are going to get traded, and at least I’m fortunate enough to be traded to a team that wants me and fortunate enough to be able to have another opportunity with another team to further my career. I wasn’t just DFA’d and sent down, so it’s most definitely a good opportunity to have a fresh start with a different team coming off of a 2020 season with a very terrible ERA. It was definitely needed. I think much needed for myself and for my mindset, and it’s been good since.

We’re working with all the trainers here coming back off the IL, and it’s been really good. Positive feedback from the doctors and from the trainers. Everything’s been going really well.

MMO: Speaking of the IL, you were transferred to the 60-day back in May after leaving your May 23rd start against the Marlins with right shoulder soreness. How has your rehab been going, and do you think you’ll be back around late July early August?

Yamamoto: I’m not sure when I’m coming back; that’s all up to the higher-ups. But as of right now, everything has been on track. I’ve been throwing and been feeling really good lately; my shoulder has been feeling really good. It was just one of those sucky situations when you get your call up to come back up to the big leagues and your first start is against your previous team. And then I get hurt in the game. That was kind of a crappy feeling. But at the end of the day, it all works in God’s plan, and whatever He asks of me, I’m going to trust it and run with it.

MMO: Although it was just two games this season, I noticed that you utilized your changeup more than you ever have in your MLB career to date (12.6%). I know during spring training you talked about how Jeremy Hefner was helping you define your changeup. Where are you at with the comfort level of that pitch?

Yamamoto: It’s crazy, I was never able to throw a changeup; it was more like I’m going to try and manipulate the ball to make it move. But in reality, that’s not good. I could never pronate my hands where I can get the changeup moving that a lot of guys have. What I did with Hefner and all the analytics guys was they came up and they showed me a splitter. So that’s kind of what I started using: a splitter instead of a changeup because I don’t have to pronate so much using a splitter. It’s just grip-and-rip and throw as hard as you can and pull down on it. It’s been working well, and I think that that’s one of my better pitches now.

MMO: Many Mets pitchers have lauded the work Jeremy Hefner has done as pitching coach. What are your thoughts on Hefner in the work you’ve done with him?

Yamamoto: Oh, it’s been a blast. Working with Hefner has been fun. He’s there, he listens to you on your concerns, he listens to what you feel. He’ll be like, “If it doesn’t feel right, then we’ll work on something else. If this was good, we’ll work on it.” It’s never just a one-set way, or his way or the highway. It’s always, let’s have a conversation about it. How does it feel? What can we change?

That’s what I kind of like is having that conversation with trainers, pitching coaches, and the coaching staff about anything really. Just being able to have a dialogue to better my career, rather than being a robot and just doing it one way or you’re out of here. So, that’s been good that I’m able to have the conversation, both of us together, have a conversation on what we like, what we don’t like, how we need to do things, how we go about things. It’s been really good.

MMO: Are you the type of player that readily embraces and utilizes the advanced data and technologies that are available to you?

Yamamoto: Yeah. As you said, I’m not a guy who relies on fastball [velocity], I rely on movement. Analytics are big on movement. If I can perfect my movement, being able to be consistent with the movement, it’s only going to make me that much better. Whether that be spin rate, horizontal break, vertical break, vertical ride, just everything and anything that can help me as a pitcher, I’m all in on.

MMO: I’m curious what your thoughts are on the new enforcement of banning foreign substances?

Yamamoto: That’s a good question and definitely a hot topic. At the end of the day, it is what it is, you know? For me, with the whole Sergio Romo and Max Scherzer thing, you can check us; it’s been in the rules that we can’t use that stuff. And at the same time, it’s like people said, the balls have been changing every single year, there have never been three years in a row where the ball is the same since I’ve been up there.

It’s like someone said, too, the balls are always rubbed up differently. You have some clubbies that rub it up a certain way; some rub it up differently. You have different mud use; some people use their hands, some people use gloves. It’s never a set way that the balls are rubbed. Especially in a game when you’re, say, in Miami, where it’s 100 percent humidity, you’re in a 95-degree dome, and you’re running through three jerseys because you’re sweating through them so much. Now your arms are all sweaty, and you have to get a grip on the ball because when the umpire is sweaty and throws a ball out of his bag back to you, his sweat goes on the ball, that turns that dust that’s on it into water and turns it to mud now. Now you have no grip.

A lot of people started using it for that sense of let me get grip on the ball because if not, I’m going to be hitting guys left and right. Especially on off-speed [stuff], it’s not so much the fastball; the fastball is straight. It’s not too bad because we’ve all done that, but now trying to throw a slider with no grip where the ball naturally has a slip out of your hand but not slipping off to the point where it’s leaking out and it’s flying behind the batter. That’s a little different story.

With me, I already have a high spin rate, so to use that stuff on off-speed stuff is only going to make it bounce halfway to home plate, which is not good. And especially now that I developed a splitter, if you have stick on your hand and you try to use a splitter, it’s not going to spin the way it has to because it has to slip off your middle finger. At the end of the day, guys have their preferences, and guys have done what they have done. It’s a rule that MLB enforced, and we can’t do anything about it. It’s been in the rulebook, and now they’re enforcing it. We can’t really be mad about that; it’s always been there.

MMO: You’re certainly not the first one to bring up the inconsistencies in the baseball. Your teammate Pete Alonso also brought that up during a press conference in early June. It seems like many players are taking issue with the year-to-year composition differences in the ball more than pitchers being able to use sticky stuff for grip.

Yamamoto: I forget what pitcher it was when we were at Citi Field; it wasn’t our team, it was a different team. I’m not going to name names. But if it gets to the point where you’re throwing with a packed house of 30,000 fans, you’re throwing and you can hear the ball stick off your fingers, and you can hear the sticky substance every time you throw the ball with a packed house. Now you’re getting to the point of too much. But if he has no grip when he’s throwing his fastball, you’re going to have a lot more situations like Kevin Pillar where you get hit in the face because the pitcher has no sense of awareness of where the ball is going. He’s getting lucky with those in the zone.

If it helps you get a grip, then why not? But if it gets to the point where we can hear it from the dugout and you’re pitching and it’s sticking off your hand, that’s a little much. We’re competitors in this game. We’ve got to find the edge, but the edge is not loading your hand up to the point where people in the stands can hear it coming off your hand. That’s a little much for me.

When I came up in 2019, the balls were like cue balls; they had no seams. All of a sudden, 2020 rolls around, and they want more hitting, so they wind the ball tighter. Then you have this year where they raised the seams. It’s very inconsistent every year, the year to year on what the balls feel like. And to me, it’s like, make the balls all the same. Why not just understand that some of the pitchers are getting better? I’m getting better; the hitters are trying to go for more home runs, so, therefore, their strikeout rates are going to be higher because it’s not like before, back in the day, two-strike battles. Nowadays, its two strikes still hit a home run. At some point we’ve got to understand, as a baseball community, that hitters are trying to hit home runs; hitters are trying to get their slugging percentages up. Teams could care less about your walk and strikeout rates anymore. It’s more of how many home runs [did you hit]? How many RBIs are you putting up on the board? And that’s what gets people paid. Not so much as he struck out 30% of the time, okay, we’re going to give them less money. No, it’s he hit 30 home runs; okay, we’ll pay more even though he’s stuck out 40% of the time.

For me, pitchers are getting better, a lot better, and hitters are trying for home runs. And that’s what the game wants because people want home runs. People don’t like to watch a game where there are zero runs on both sides. They want to see the long balls. They want to see the high-scoring games because those are the fun games to watch; the ones that people are hitting six home runs on one side and five homers on the other side.

MMO: You raise many good points, and I think a lot of that has to do with the way in which analytics has really changed how the game is played and the various strategies behind it.

Yamamoto: The analytics are saying you’ll maybe score one extra run a game if you bunt and hit and run, versus if you swing for the fences, and you have a decent team of six out of the nine guys who can hit 30 home runs a year; you’ll probably score three-four more runs than if you’re bunting guys over. So essentially, the analysts are saying, do this because that’s what guys are saying wins games. That’s what guys are doing. At the end of the day, I’m going to have 50 more RBIs throughout the year, or potentially 15 more home runs at the end of the year. It’s analytics that is taking over the game, and that’s where the sticky stuff comes in, because the analysts are saying your numbers are jumping up because you’re using this stuff. Okay, let’s use this stuff and have your pitches play more and hitters do this because analysts say you can be better off.

That’s where I think the game is going, and that’s where the old-school mentality comes in of letting the kids play. Let them learn how to play, and let them learn to play the game right, as they would say in the old-school way of bunting guys over and hit and runs. At the end of the day, it’s not up to any of the players; it’s up to the coaching staff and the front office on how they want to play the games, how they want to sign guys, and do everything.

If all of a sudden next year we continue this trend of pitchers aren’t using anything and hitters still aren’t hitting, what are you going to do? Move the mound back a foot like you’re trying in certain leagues? Now you’re taking all the credibility of the guys who came before us where the mound has never been moved for 100 years, and guys have made the Hall of Fame hitting .300 in their career. Now it’s going to be you have to hit .450 to be in the Hall of Fame because they moved the mound back farther, and now guys are getting hits four or five out of 10 times rather than two or three out of 10 times, and that’s a big difference in runs. That’s a big difference and a game-changer that you’re just changing the authenticity of baseball.

MMO: Yeah, it’ll be interesting to see what changes MLB implements in the next CBA. I’m sure they’re keeping an eye on the various rule changes they made for each level of the minor leagues to gauge what works and what doesn’t. Something I think MLB really needs to do focus on now is growing the brand of the game and marketing the stars better.

Yamamoto: Exactly. There’s a reason why when they do mic up guys; you read the comments on MLB’s post and it’s we should have this more often! Baseball players are human and people want to find a way to relate to the baseball player. And if they see something in the game, and think that was funny and they find that they can relate to that, that’s fun! People will end up watching.

Find the players like Fernando Tatís, Anthony Rizzo, and Francisco Lindor mic’d up. It’s one thing that people want to hear, which is what they’re saying on a day-to-day basis versus just seeing them on the field and basing their whole personality or their whole persona on how they carry themselves based on their baseball [play] and not what they actually feel in the dugout, what they actually feel on the basepaths, on the field, on the mound, or in the box. Just personalizing people and making them feel and making people understand that we are human too is only going to make the game better.

MMO: Thanks for your time, Jordan. Best of luck in your rehab and with the rest of the season.

Yamamoto: Thank you. I appreciate it.

Follow Jordan Yamamoto on Twitter, @jyamaz50.

The post MMO Exclusive: Right-Handed Pitcher, Jordan Yamamoto appeared first on Metsmerized Online.

The greatest comeback in Mets history? Game 6, 1986 World Series — obviously. The largest deficit ever overcome by a Mets team? That would be September 2, 1972 in Houston — making up eight runs on the Astros.

What took place on a Friday night in June at Shea Stadium 21 years ago doesn’t hold the same significance as the ‘86 Fall Classic and not quite the depth of recovery in ‘72 at the Astrodome, but the 11-8 thriller is arguably the most memorable regular-season comeback — punctuated by Mike Piazza’s laser beam home run just over the left field wall. 

The tie-breaking three-run bottom-of-the-eighth blast, the across-the-body right fist pump from Piazza as the ball cleared the fence, and the roar generated by 52,831 drowning out the airplanes departing LaGuardia — all of this would not have been possible if not for the superb plate discipline that preceded it. 

Trailing 8-1 after seven-and-a-half innings, a hole mostly dug because of poor defense and a lack of control from starter Mike Hampton, the Mets pecked away at Atlanta pitching with this sequence: 

• Derek Bell single to center
• Edgardo Alfonzo flyout
• Piazza single, moving Bell to third
• Robin Ventura RBI groundout, Bell scored. 8-2.
• Todd Zeile single, Piazza scored. 8-3.
• Jay Payton single
• Benny Agbayani walk. Bases loaded.
• A walk to pinch hitter Mark Johnson. Zeile scored. 8-4.
• Melvin Mora walk. Payton scored. 8-5.
• Bell walk. Agbayani scored. 8-6.
• Alfonzo single to left field. Pinch-runner Joe McEwing and Mora scored. Tied at eight.

Shea was poised to erupt. Piazza, who had produced at least one RBI in 12-straight games but hadn’t yet tonight, made sure it did. The first pitch from beleaguered Terry Mulholland jumped off his bat and rocketed down the left field line. When it struck the padding above the wall, Mets fans went delirious. The home run not only put New York on top, but it marked the most prolific inning in team history up to that point.

21 years ago tonight, Mike Piazza capped a 10-run eighth and an unforgettable comeback against the Braves with a laser beam three-run homer down the left-field line, sending Shea Stadium into deliriumpic.twitter.com/uiNuVXLHru

— Brian Wright (@BrianWright86) June 30, 2021

The lead and the energy held up as Atlanta went down quietly in the ninth — an unforgettable 11-8 triumph against a team that so regularly had its number in recent years.

”It’s a big game for us,” Piazza said afterward, according to The New York Times. ”It’s a great win for us. Fortunately for us, we snuck up on them.”

The win pulled the Mets to within two games of the division lead, and they gained again with a victory the next night. Atlanta ultimately won the NL East war, but the Mets outlasted the Braves in October in reaching the World Series. And for any retrospective of that special season, June 30, 2000 ranks right at the top. 

The post OTD in 2000: Piazza Homer Caps Thrilling Comeback Against Braves appeared first on Metsmerized Online.

The Division Series match-up pitting the Mets against the  97-win Giants assumed the usual headliners: New York’s duo of Mike Piazza and Edgardo Alfonzo along with San Francisco’s power odd couple of Barry Bonds and former Met Jeff Kent, the likely MVP of the National League.

Postseason baseball, though, has a way of placing the spotlight on the unheralded — those who happen to be in the right place at the right time.

The Mets’ four-game triumph over the Giants provided a recurring reminder of that theory, as a cluster of unlikely stars — each with their own journey to the October stage — was the difference in New York’s ascension into the League Championship Series.

Take Jay Payton, who spent the better part of five years after being drafted as a first-round pick on and off the disabled list while rehabbing from three separate elbow surgeries to finally make it as a major league rookie in 2000 and then delivering the game-winning hit in Game 2.

Take John Franco, the once longtime closer supplanted by Armando Benitez last September when Franco was sidelined with an injury to the tendon of his finger and had been relegated to set-up man ever since before being called on to close out Game 2 with a dramatic strikeout of Bonds.

Take Benny Agbayani, who was not supposed to make the Mets’ roster out of spring training and was on the verge of being sent to the minors early in the season and had asked to be traded from the organization, cementing his name in Mets postseason lore with his walk-off homer to end a five-hour, 13-inning contest in Game 3.

And take Bobby Jones, a Met since 1993 but left off the playoff roster in 1999 and gave no reason to keep him on the rotation after starting this season, delivering one of the finest pitching performances in the annals of October in the deciding Game 4.

The Mets’ second straight playoff trip started with a stumble.

The offense was muzzled in the opener by Livan Hernandez (the 1997 LCS and World Series MVP) coupled by a stingy Giants bullpen, while a four-run third against Mike Hampton paved the way for a 5-1 road defeat for New York on a Wednesday afternoon at brand-new Pacific Bell Park.

That loss, though, appeared to be nullified by the sharp outing of Al Leiter in Game 2.

Supplied with plenty of big-game experience, Leiter sought to even the best-of-five series as he held a 2-1 lead through eight.

That slim advantage grew larger when Edgardo Alfonzo provided some insurance with a two-run homer in the top of the ninth.

Manager Bobby Valentine sent Leiter out for the bottom half, but quickly got yanked in the wake of a leadoff double from Barry Bonds.

Benitez entered and heart rates around New York soon escalated. Continuing an all-too recurring pattern of postseason failings, Benitez couldn’t protect the lead Leiter had so well preserved.

Two outs from victory and two runners on base, first baseman J.T. Snow sent one high and deep enough to sneak over the 24-foot high wall in right field and stayed to the left of the foul pole.

New York’s momentum had been shattered on Snow’s tying homer. But after Benitez got out of the inning, the Met offense put the pieces back together in the tenth. Darryl Hamilton made a key baserunning decision by stretching his two-out base hit into double.

With a runner in scoring position, Payton entered the picture. He ripped a two-out single up the middle. Hamilton raced home and beat the throw to put New York back on top.

Benitez was still in the game, but not for long.

He gave up a leadoff single from Armando Rios to start the bottom of the tenth.

Now it was Franco’s turn.

He had saved 420 games during his career — 272 of them as a New York Met, more than anyone has for this franchise.

But this save would be his biggest to date.

After a bunt and a fielder’s choice on a terrible baserunning play by Rios trying to get to third base, up stepped Bonds.

The count went full, and Franco went with an inside changeup. Bonds didn’t offer and took a borderline strike three.

To the Mets, it was a brilliant call from home plate umpire Gary Cederstrom and the punctuation on a heart-stopping, must-have contest that showed the best of their character.

And if Game 2 wasn’t enough drama, Game 3 at Shea Stadium offered plenty more. New York once again strode perilously close to defeat, down 2-1 with two outs in the eighth and Lenny Harris on second.

Luckily, they had a man at the plate who had a penchant for coming through in the clutch. Edgardo Alfonzo, who delivered many big hits during last year’s playoffs, did it again — a double to left field that scored Harris and helped send it into extras.

It lasted into the 13th, more than five hours old, before Agbayani faced Aaron Fultz.

The Hawaii native had become a cult hero in his brief time with the Mets.

Fans embraced his underdog story, making it to the big leagues without resembling the prototypical baseball player physique.

They had pretty much forgiven his gaffe on August 12 against these same Giants, when he momentarily thought an inning ended after making a catch with a runner at third and handing the ball off to a youngster in the stands.

Now, Benny was about to completely eradicate that memory and provide a more lasting one.

Agbayani blasted Fultz’s pitch into the crowded stands in left-center field, flipping his bat and taking a most satisfying stroll around the bases before plunging into a sea of teammates around home plate and then being lifted on their shoulders.

He was more than a cult hero. He was a postseason hero.

”Bobby Valentine told me things have a way of working out,” Agbayani said to The New York Times.

”I didn’t understand that. Now I do.”

Valentine recalled another prophetic conversation with Kristi Jones, wife of Bobby, ahead of her husband’s critical outing upcoming in Game 4 with an NLCS berth at stake.

“You won’t be sorry,” she allegedly told him. “He’ll pitch the game of his life.”

Jones had steadily improved since returning from a demotion during the regular season — going 8-2 with a 3.98 ERA during the second half after a 1-3 record over his first eight starts and a dreadful 10.19 ERA in 32⅔ innings.

He was even an All-Star in 1997.

Yet there was no earthly reason to believe a gem was waiting in the wings.

Against the powerful Giants offense, Jones set them down in order through four innings.

Kent led off the fifth by lacing a shot just above the outstretched reach of third baseman Robin Ventura, who had provided early offense in the form of a first-inning two-run homer.

Kent’s double was followed by two walks before Jones escaped the jam.

The New York lead grew to 4-0 and Bobby asserted his dominance even further.

With pinpoint control and changing speeds, San Francisco batters were retired in methodical fashion — rendered helpless by a pitcher who just four months ago didn’t know if he’d be a major leaguer again, let alone a postseason pitcher.

The finishing touch on this masterpiece came against Barry Bonds, a meager 3-for-17 in the series, who lifted the first pitch he saw into center field.

Jay Payton raced over to his right and made the catch.

Jubilant teammates mobbed the pitcher with the common name who had achieved an uncommon feat — what was then just the sixth one-hitter in playoff history.

It was a performance nobody saw coming.

Nobody, except for Kristi Jones.

If avoiding a trip back to the west coast for a deciding fifth game by winning the series didn’t sufficiently boost the Mets’ spirits to the hilt, then this bit of news did: the Cardinals had beaten the Braves in the other Division Series.

The biggest obstacle in their World Series path was cleared.

The post Reliving The 2000 Mets: Unlikely Heroes Help Win NLDS appeared first on Metsmerized Online.

It was deja vu all over again…again.

The modified famous words of the former Mets manager and player Yogi Berra echoed during the team’s series with NL Central-leading St. Louis. The Cardinals walked off not once, not twice, but three times during a three-game set at Busch Stadium, which dispatched New York from its temporary stay in first place and back into a familiar setting behind the Braves.

The Mets followed that disheartening weekend in one Midwest city, with disappointing follow-up in another in Cincinnati. Yet while the Mets lost ground to Atlanta, they maintained a comfortable advantage on the Arizona Diamondbacks in the race for the Wild Card. The margin was 5.5 games entering August 28. And even after a 3-7 stretch, New York’s lead remained five.

Bobby Valentine‘s club hosted the hapless Houston Astros for the final games of August and won twice. Thanks to Atlanta dropping two of three during that same time, the Mets–who were behind by six games on July 25–were now dead even with the Braves at 79-54.

It was Glendon Rusch who helped New York join Atlanta at the top. In the opening game of the series, the lone starter who really struggled during the Mets’ summer surge, proved his worth. Rusch navigated through several stressful innings, but the only runs he surrendered came on solo blasts to Roger Cedeno to lead off the game and Richard Hidalgo in the third.

The offense, namely Edgardo Alfonzo, gave him a nice lead to work with. Fonzie lifted a first-inning homer with Benny Agbayani and Derek Bell aboard. New York added insurance thanks to a balk in the eighth and Turk Wendell completed a two-inning save.

The next night could simply be characterized as a pain in the butt. It was literally that for Al Leiter, who felt a strained muscle in his backside as he prepped for his Tuesday night start. Leiter tried to give it a go anyway and gutted out two scoreless innings before things came apart in the third. The Astros scored four runs — on their way to 11 for the evening. Leiter was done before the fourth inning, but was not expected to miss his turn in the rotation.

Houston’s outburst was tempered by Rick Reed in the rubber game. Reed took a no-hitter into the fifth and only allowed three singles and two walks. His counterpart, Chris Holt, was nearly as effective. Yet he had one slip-up. It came in the opening frame, when he uncorked a wild pitch with Mike Piazza batting. Benny Agbayani scored what turned out to be the only run. The Astros were set down in order by Wendell and Armando Benitez in the eighth and ninth innings.

The Mets had a day off to travel to St. Louis. But they still gained ground on the Braves. In fact, they overtook them. Atlanta fell to the Reds, meaning New York was alone atop the NL East for the first time all season. It wouldn’t last through the weekend.

Among the Mets’ September call-ups was Timo Perez, a speedy outfielder who was in Japan a year ago, replacing the injured Derek Bell. He delivered a two-out single in the ninth inning of a tie game in the opening contest at Busch Stadium. But with Alfonzo batting and Piazza on-deck, Perez made a rookie mistake. He tried to steal second, but Cards catcher Mike Matheny threw him out. Pat Mahomes prolonged his struggles by surrendering a walk-off homer to Jim Edmonds.

But a Braves loss that night kept the Mets in first — for now.

More frustration was in store some 16 hours later. Fernando Vina‘s two-out ninth-inning single off Armando Benitez drove in J. D. Drew for another game-winner. The Cards mobbed Drew and Vina in the immediate aftermath, but Darryl Kile deserved the most adulation. He retired the last 18 Mets he faced and wound up with a complete-game victory.

Mike Hampton had a shutout working in the sixth until Craig Paquette singled to bring home Placido Polanco with the Cards’ first run to tie it at one apiece. Hampton still had a chance to go nine, but a leadoff single by Drew and a sacrifice bunt put the deciding run on third with less than two outs. Benitez came in and got a strikeout before Vina delivered the clutch hit.

Photo by Keith Torrie/NY Daily News Archive

On Sunday, Edmonds offered the Mets a recurring nightmare: another walk-off homer. This time it was a high fastball from Rick White deposited into the left-field bullpen in the eleventh inning to propel St. Louis to a 4-3 win and put an end to New York’s frustrating stay by the arch. The Mets mustered only five hits on the day, one coming on a home run from Bubba Trammell which briefly staved off defeat.

Their cold spell continued in Cincinnati. New York’s offense batted .179 over the first two games. Luckily, the Mets pulled one of those out. A tenth-inning homer by Todd Zeile on September 5th snapped a 2-2 tie and helped put an end to a four-game skid.

And wouldn’t you know it — on the day the Mets finally bust loose, the pitching lets them down. They clobbered Reds starter Rob Bell, with a Matt Franco homer in the first and a Todd Pratt blast in the second. But Bobby Jones nearly gave it all back, relinquishing round-trippers to Ken Griffey Jr. and Sean Casey.

The Mets regained the lead in the fourth, added to it in the seventh, but the bullpen self-destructed in the bottom of the eighth. Wendell, John Franco (coming off injury), and Benitez were scorched for six runs. Just like that, an 8-5 advantage became an 11-8 loss.

By dropping seven of ten, concerns arose about another September slump, which befell this team the previous two seasons. The Mets, though, had a golden opportunity to get well versus their next three opponents, each far below .500: the Phillies, Brewers, and Expos.

The post Reliving the 2000 Mets: A Brief View from the Top appeared first on Metsmerized Online.