Big news from late night/early morning: Jeff Passan of ESPN reported that the San Francisco Giants signed third baseman Matt Chapman to a six-year, $151 million extension. Chapman will be under contract with the Giants through the 2030 season.

Chapman was likely to opt-out of his contract this offseason to become a free agent, but now leaves the expected third basemen market this offseason to Alex Bregman and not much else.

The Mets came into Wednesday night’s matchup looking for a clean three-game sweep of the Boston Red Sox, and they came up big. Jesse Winker started the game with a boom as he hit a first-inning grand slam to put the Mets up 4-0 early. Tylor Megill went four-plus innings while giving up three runs in his start, but the Mets’ bullpen was stupendous, going five innings of shutout ball. The Mets pulled away late as the Red Sox bullpen lost all control, conceding four runs in the eighth inning, ultimately resulting in an 8-3 Mets win. Click here for a full game recap.

The Mets have now won their seventh game in a row, the longest active streak in MLB, and will have Thursday off as they prepare to host the Reds over the weekend. Sean Manaea is slated to open the series on Friday against the 67-73 Cincinnati Reds.

Wild Card Update

The Mets did not gain any ground on the third and final Wild Card spot on Wednesday as the Braves handled business against the Rockies. They remain a half game back.

The Padres and Diamondbacks both won as well. The Mets are 3.5 and 3.0 games behind them, respectively.

Latest Mets News

Kodai Senga, who has been on the IL with a left calf strain, threw 25 pitches off a mound with “noticeably increased intensity,” per Anthony DiComo of MLB.com. DiComo added that Senga mentioned that he was transitioning his focus from leg rehab to getting his arm back in game shape.

Staying on Kodai Senga, Andy Martino of SNY.com reported that the Mets organization is increasingly optimistic that Senga will be able to return as a starting pitcher in 2024.

Mets manager Carlos Mendoza said that the Mets expect to get starting pitcher Paul Blackburn back from the IL during their Blue Jays series early next week.

1969 World Series champion Cleon Jones joined the “Erik Sherman Show” podcast to detail the 1960s Mets’ rise from losers to champions.

Mets outfield prospect Drew Gilbert blasted his sixth home run in his last 13 games for Triple-A Syracuse on Wednesday night.

Mets assistant GM Ian Levin will be leaving the organization at the end of the season after 20 years with the club, per Andy Martino of SNY. 

The Mets continue to honor former chief photographer Marc Levine, who suddenly passed away on July 4. On Wednesday, Jay Horowitz announced that the club dedicated the first base well to Levine.

Noah Syndergaard joined the “Terry Collins Show” podcast to catch up with his old manager and talk about their memorable times in Queens.

Latest MLB News

MLB released the schedule and club assignments for the 2025 Arizona Fall League, by Brendan Samson of MLB.com. Mets prospects will play for the Scottsdale Scorpions, with the season starting on Oct. 7.

The Chicago Cubs placed former All-Star pitcher Justin Steele on the 15-day IL with left elbow tendinitis, retroactive to September 1. The Cubs’ ace southpaw said he vows to return before the end of the season.

The Cubs also placed former Mets RHP Jorge López on the 15-day IL with a right groin strain, retroactive to September 3. 

Japanese star pitcher Yoshinobu Yamamoto will make his return off the IL on Tuesday, according to Dodgers manager Dave Roberts, per Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic. Yamamoto has been on the injured list since June 16 with a right triceps injury.

Cubs pitchers Shōta Imanaga, Nate Pearson, and Porter Hodge combined to throw a no-hitter against the Pittsburgh Pirates on Wednesday night. Imanaga started the game with seven no-hit innings before handing the ball to Pearson and Hodge after throwing 95 pitches.

The Texas Rangers placed star shortstop Corey Seager on the 10-day IL with right hip discomfort.

Elvis Andrus will officialy retire as a Texas Ranger on Friday, per Evan Grant of The Dallas Morning News. Andrus spent 12 of his 15 big league seasons with the Rangers, and will be honored on Friday as he will be throwing out the first pitch as the Angels and Elvis’ first big league manager Ron Washington will return to Texas.

Latest on MMO

Francisco Lindor continues his roaring MVP level pace.

The Mets’ bullpen has been lights out during their winning streak.

A Kodai Senga return continues to look more likely.

On This Date in Mets History

2015: Bartolo Colón makes a jaw-dropping behind-the-back toss to throw out Justin Bour at first base. In this start, the 42-year-old Colón became the oldest Met to pitch a shutout and extended his scoreless inning streak to 25.

1969: Tom Seaver throws a complete game en route to becoming the first Met to win 20 games in a season.

1963: The Mets sign outfielder Ron Swoboda for $35,000. Swoboda would end up being a key piece to the Mets 1969 World Series team; hitting .400 in the World Series while making a miraculous grab in game 4 and driving in the game-winning run in game 5. 

Born on This Date: Pablo Reyes (1993), Chris Young (1983), Matt Watson (1978), Rod Barajas (1975)

The post Morning Briefing: Matt Chapman Signs Six-Year Extension With Giants appeared first on Metsmerized.

The Mets came into Saturday night’s matchup against the Angels with their eyes set on a series-clinching win to kick off their west coast trip. However, the Mets’ offense was stifled for the first six innings as Angels pitcher José Soriano shut them out, putting the Amazin’s in a 2-0 deficit going into the seventh.

Having Soriano in the rearview mirror, the bats came alive as J.D. Martinez followed up a pair of walks and a Francisco Lindor base hit with a grand slam to put the Mets ahead. But, after a questionable replacement of David Peterson after only throwing 82 pitches, Huascar Brazobán gave the lead right back up in the bottom of the frame. Brazobán gave up back-to-back baserunners before conceding a three-run blast to Zach Neto, which would be the decisive blow. The Mets are now 0.5 GB of the third Wild Card spot, which is held by the Arizona Diamondbacks.

The Amazin’s look to bounce back from Saturday night’s 5-4 loss with Josè Quintana (6-6, 3.89 ERA) on the mound, going up against Griffin Canning (3-10, 5.25 ERA) of the Angels at 4:07 p.m. ET on Sunday.

Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports

Latest Mets News

After striking out 11 batters in a row, while striking out 13 total in five innings, the Mets promoted RHP Brandon Sproat to Triple-A Syracuse, per Chase Ford of MiLB Central. To learn more about the promotion, click here.

Reed Garrett has joined the Binghamton Rumble Ponies as he plans to start his rehab assignment. Garrett was placed on the 15-day IL with right elbow inflammation on July 10. Click here for more information on his comeback attempt.

The Mets officially released LHP Jake Diekman, who was recently DFA’d after finishing his Mets tenure with a 5.63 ERA. 

Shintaro Fujinami looked good in Syracuse on Saturday: 2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K, 25 pitches/16 strikes.

Latest MLB News

Atlanta Braves manager Brian Snitker told reporters that Max Fried will be activated off the IL and will pitch for the Braves on Sunday, per Gabriel Burns of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Fried had been on the IL since late last month with forearm neuritis.

The Chicago White Sox released former Phillies and Brewers closer Corey Knebel, per James Fegan of Sox Machine. 

The Los Angeles Angels announced prior to Saturday night’s game that they are placing utility man Luis Rengifo on the 10-day IL with right wrist inflammation. 

The White Sox lost yet again on Saturday. With their 6-2 loss to the Minnesota Twins, they have now lost 19 consecutive games, the longest streak in MLB since the Orioles lost 19 in a row in 2021.

The Detroit Tigers put together comebacks in the ninth, 10th and 11th innings to win on Jim Leyland Day.

The @Tigers score two in the bottom of the 11th to win it! pic.twitter.com/y8v1mB3lWT

— MLB (@MLB) August 4, 2024

Latest on MMO

Metsmerized Online is giving away a Harrison Bader signed card on Twitter/X.

Pete Alonso has been on fire in the second half.

Brandon Sproat is rocketing his way up the Mets system.

On This Date in Mets History

2016: Bartolo Colón becomes the first pitcher to win a Subway Series game as both a Yankee and Met, throwing 6 2/3 innings of one-run ball in the Mets’ 4-1 victory against the Yankees.

2012: Mike Baxter ties the Mets’ franchise record for walks in a game, walking five times against the Padres.

1982: Joel Youngblood makes history, becoming the first player to tally a hit for two different teams in different cities on the same day. Youngblood got a hit for the Mets in Chicago and was then traded to the Montreal Expos that same day. He flew to Philadelphia right away and got a base hit for the Expos.

Birthdays: Steve Bieser (57), Cleon Jones (82)

The post Morning Briefing: Mets Fall Out of Wild Card Spot appeared first on Metsmerized.

10. 1987

Davey Johnson‘s reward for being in the World Series is representing the NL as manager. He had Gary Carter and Darryl Strawberry in his starting lineup and Keith Hernandez off the bench, but it was Sid Fernandez who closed out the extra-inning victory.

Runs were at a premium thanks mainly to the late-afternoon sun at the Oakland Coliseum. The NL finally broke through in the 13th after Tim Raines‘ triple with “El Sid” preserved in the bullpen. Fernandez walked the leadoff batter but found his location from then on.

9. 1969

If the country wasn’t aware of the rapidly improving New York Mets—in second place at 53-39 and five games behind the Chicago Cubs by the time the All-Star Game arrived—it soon would. Three players who contributed to the turnaround were selected for the 40th midsummer classic at Washington D.C.’s RFK Stadium.

Cleon Jones started in left field for his first All-Star appearance and went 2-for-4, Jerry Koosman pitched 1 2/3 scoreless innings, and eventual Cy Young Award winner Tom Seaver was present but was not called on to the mound in what turned out to be a 9-3 NL win.

8. 1964

In its debut season, Shea Stadium had already opened in conjunction with the New York World’s Fair. By July, it had already seen a perfect game (thrown by Philadelphia’s Jim Bunning on June 21), and now it hosted one of the greatest All-Star Games.

Mets fans who had little success to cheer for in the early years latched on to Ron Hunt, a scrappy second baseman elected to start for the National League in his home park. He would go 1-for-3, but more excitement was saved for the finish. Johnny Callison of the Phillies hit a walk-off homer to give the NL a 7-4 win, the last time in the contest’s history to end in such a fashion.

7. 1986

The Mets were the predominant story of ’86, so it was of little surprise that when the All-Star rosters were announced, the Mets had the most participants. At the Astrodome on July 15, the setting for future postseason drama, the Amazin’s had five selectees – Dwight Gooden, Carter, Hernandez, Strawberry, and Fernandez.

The recognition of the Mets’ accomplishments was apparent in the starting lineup. Fans voted in Carter at catcher, Hernandez at first base, and Strawberry in right field. At age 21, Gooden was making his third All-Star appearance in three seasons. He worked a scoreless first and was touched up for two runs in the second. The Hernandez-Carter-Strawberry trio combined to go 1-for-9 with Darryl logging the lone hit against Teddy Higuera in the bottom of the fifth.

6. 1979

The lowly Mets had one participant, but he was very much present even though he didn’t appear until the eighth inning. Nevertheless, Lee Mazzilli‘s cameo at the Kingdome was made worthwhile. Leading off with the NL down 6-5, Mazzilli took a Jim Kern pitch down the left field line that snuck just over the wall. The defensive heroics of MVP Dave Parker kept the score even into the ninth. That’s when the NL, and Mazzilli, took advantage of wild American League pitching.

Joe Morgan drew a one-out walk and moved to second on a balk. Parker was intentionally walked. Ron Cey earned the traditional free pass to load the bases for Maz with two gone. Ron Guidry came in, but his 3-1 pitch drifted outside. Mazzilli had driven in the tying and go-ahead runs. The 7-6 lead was placed into the hands of Bruce Sutter, who closed out the NL’s eighth straight win.

5. 1975

Jon Matlack was often second or third on the hierarchy of Mets pitchers during that era. But not long after Tom Seaver relinquished the lead by giving up a game-tying sixth-inning blast to Carl Yastrzemski, he bailed out this rotation cohort and kept the American League from scoring anymore. Matlack got two strikeouts (mixed in with a caught stealing) in the seventh inning and two more in the eighth.

It was certainly an MVP-caliber performance. Matlack shared the honor on this night at Milwaukee’s County Stadium with Bill Madlock of the Chicago Cubs, who produced the game-winning hit in the top of the eighth and allowed the lefty to get the victory.

4. 2006

Apparently, nobody told him the Home Run Derby was over. David Wright complimented his runner-up finish in the annual long ball contest with a drive off former Met Kenny Rogers, clearing the left-field fence to tie it up at one in the second inning.

Wright was one of six Mets selected to the NL squad in a season when the NL East was already a runaway by the unofficial midway point. Carlos Beltrán doubled in the first inning and later stole third and scored the tie-breaking run. That 2-1 lead held up until Trevor Hoffman let it get away in the ninth inning.

3. 2015
“Hi, I’m Jacob deGrom, and I have the chance with my stuff to just dominate baseball for years to come.”

Never has Joe Buck been so on point with a call. The 27-year-old defending Rookie of the Year wasn’t around long for his All-Star debut. That was of his own doing. DeGrom didn’t just strike out each of the three American League All-Stars he faced in the sixth inning at Cincinnati’s Great American Ballpark. He was nearly immaculate, fanning Stephen Vogt, Jason Kipnis, and finally — OMG! — Jose Iglesias on a mere 10 pitches.

2. 2013

The Mets’ past, present, and future was on display as Citi Field hosted the game for the first time. David Wright was the unofficial ambassador, starting at third base and batting fourth. He caught the ceremonial first pitch from Tom Seaver, who not surprisingly has the most All-Star appearances of any Met.

The actual first pitch also came from a Met. Matt Harvey was the headliner, earning the nod in his first full big-league season. For those in the national audience still unaware of “The Dark Knight,” they got glimpses over 32 pitches. Harvey brushed off early jitters to toss two scoreless innings before the announced crowd of 45,186—the largest in the brief history of Mets’ new stadium. As for Wright, he singled in the seventh, the last of his three at-bats in the game and, as it turned out, his seventh and final All-Star appearance.

1. 1984

For All-Star K’s, no one did it better—in quantity and quality—than Carl Hubbell back in 1934. After Fernando Valenzuela struck out the side in the fourth inning at Candlestick Park, it was time for Dwight Gooden (and history) to make an appearance as one former sensation passed the baton to the current one.

The 19-year-old was the youngest All-Star in history and, in the fifth inning, did what had been doing to hitters thus far in his Rookie of the Year campaign, Gooden overpowered a succession of American League sluggers: Lance Parrish of Detroit, fellow Tiger Chet Lemon, and the Mariners’ Alvin Davis.

Gooden tossed another scoreless frame with future teammate Gary Carter behind the plate.

The post 10 Amazin’ All-Star Game Moments appeared first on Metsmerized.

Early on, the 1997 Manager, MMO writer Jorge Eckert expressed concern with his rotation…grimacing at the matchups

Game 1- Tom Seaver vs. Rick Reed

Game  2- Gary Gentry vs. Bobby Jones

Game 3- Jerry Koosman vs. Dave Mlicki

Game 4- Nolan Ryan vs. Armando Reynoso

The ’69 Manager, Mike Lloyd, a long-time MMO commenter, set his rotation with confidence. Surprisingly, manager Eckert’s concerns were largely unfounded- and the 1997 Mets proved to be more than they showed historically in the series.

Game 1

After an early flourish against Tom Seaver, and an early 4-0 lead, capped by a mammoth bases-clearing double from ’97 slugger Butch Huskey. The ’97 Mets seemed to have Seaver on the brink; Tom Terrific settled down. Rod Gaspar, playing hero with a three-run blast to tie it at 4-4.

The ’69 Mets turned to small ball to combat the power of the vaunted ’97 Mets offense, using sacrifices to get runners in scoring position, good situational hitting, and a suicide squeeze to build a lead and come away with a hard-fought 9-7 victory vs. The ’97 Mets.

McAndrew, Ron Taylor, and Tug McGraw, in relief of Seaver, provided just enough…McAndrew the winner. ’69 Mets lead ’97 Mets 1-0.

Game 2

Game 3 

Series MVP

Outfielder Cleon Jones was the only player in the series with double-figure hits, and he had a whopping 12. Jones is no stranger to success in big series, and he had a .800 OPS during postseason play in his career.

On the losing side, Hundley had a huge series for the 1997 Mets, including four home runs and eight RBIs.

On Deck

The 1969 Mets will now take on the 1988 Mets in the second round of our Mets Madness tournament.

Other Mets Madness series recaps:

• 2019 Mets beat 2000 Mets
• 1998 Mets take the 2015 Mets seven games
• 1973 Mets sweep the 2007 Mets
• 2006 Mets dominated 1985 Mets

The post Mets Madness Series Recap: 1969 Mets Beat 1997 Mets in 7 Games appeared first on Metsmerized.

The slate of postseason games Wednesday contained loads of fireworks as home runs were slugged and tickets were punched. The day started out in Philly, where Bryce Harper and Nick Castellanos both sent two balls out of the park on their way to a 10-2 win over the Braves and a 2-1 series lead.

The Diamondbacks took over the nightcap as they lit Lance Lynn up like a Christmas tree, smashing four home runs in the third inning alone en route to taking down the 100-win Dodgers in a three-game sweep. However, the Houston Astros stole the headlines yet again as they moved on to their seventh consecutive ALCS, knocking off the Twins in four games.

This rendition of the Astros’ dominance will meet an obstacle that they’ve never seen before, as they will take on their in-state rival Texas Rangers in the postseason for the first time ever. The Astros and Rangers’ historic lineups will take most of the attention leading up to their battle, but one of the underlying stories is the meeting of former Mets Max Scherzer and Justin Verlander. Scherzer, who missed most of the last month of play, including the previous two postseason series, is on track to return for Texas in the ALCS. While he will not be built up to go the usual starter length, Scherzer should still be able to give the Rangers some valuable innings throughout the series. Verlander, on the other hand, has been his steady self in his return to Houston, including a scoreless outing as he went six innings in his start in game one against Minnesota. 

Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports

Latest Mets News

Mets star shortstop Francisco Lindor underwent surgery to remove a bone spur from his right elbow on Tuesday, per Metsmerized‘s Mike Mayer. Andy Martino later announced from SNY that Lindor had been dealing with this elbow injury all throughout his 30-30 season, which he first felt in Spring Training. The Mets expect him to be fully healthy by the start of 2024 Spring Training.

Latest MLB News

Jon Morosi of MLB Network reported that Texas Rangers associate manager, Will Venable, has been contacted by multiple MLB teams regarding their managerial openings. The former 9-year major leaguer is highly regarded around the league, but has reportedly told clubs that he is staying with the Texas Rangers. Texas will be playing in their first Championship Series game in over a decade this coming weekend. 

Yuki Matsui, who is a left-handed closer from the Rakuten Eagles of the NPB league in Japan, will be exercising his international free agent rights, per the Yakyu Cosmopolitan. The stud closer holds a 2.43 ERA, 1.107 WHIP and 12 K/9 in his 10-year career and will be looking to pursue an MLB contract this upcoming offseason while he heads into his age 28 season. 

Latest on MMO

Tyler Antonelle found some positives in the Syracuse Mets’ disappointing season. 

Ross Bentley analyzed the Mets organization catcher depth.

With 2023 being the 50th anniversary of the Mets’ 1973 miracle run, Brian Wright looked back at Cleon Jones‘ part in the run.

On This Date in Mets History

2015: The Mets play their first home postseason game at Citi Field, winning the game 13-7 and taking a 2-1 lead in the NLDS over the Dodgers. A Yoenis Céspedes three-run home run in the fourth inning sent the New York faithful into a frenzy as Curtis Granderson led the way for the Mets with five RBIs.

2006: Tom Glavine twirls a gem for the Mets, going seven innings of shutout ball in game one of the NLCS against the Cardinals. Carlos Beltrán‘s two-run sixth inning home run off the right field scoreboard would be all the Mets needed in a 2-0 victory, taking a 1-0 series lead. 

2000: In a 5-5 tie in the ninth inning, Jay Payton puts the Mets ahead with a go-ahead RBI single to give the Mets a 6-5 win and a 2-0 NLCS lead over the St. Louis Cardinals.

1969: The Mets win their first World Series game in franchise history behind a marvelous performance from Jerry Koosman, who went 8 2/3 innings while only giving up a single run. Ed Charles, Jerry Grote, and Al Weis string together base hits in the ninth inning to take a 2-1 lead and even the series against the Orioles at 1-1.

Birthdays: José Valentín (54), Sid Fernandez (61)

The post Morning Briefing: Scherzer and Verlander to Meet in ALCS appeared first on Metsmerized.

It’s impossible to think about the Miracle Mets season and not think about Cleon Jones. The catch in left field to end the World Series of course, but also as the most significant offensive contributor throughout the season.

He had his best year in 1969. As it turned out, so did the Mets. Four years later, Jones struggled to stay healthy. It was almost a lost season both for the individual and the team. But, Jones healed up enough in September. As it turned out, so did the Mets. Jones was a crucial part in New York’s 11th-hour charge to the division title. He batted .278 after September 19,  belted six home runs, and collected 14 RBIs, leading the charge as the Mets emerged from a crowded six-team scramble with the division crown.

Cleon Jones – Photo Courtesy of NewYorkMets.medium.com

Jones had been a part of the franchise dating back to the inaugural season. Drafted on July 5, 1962, the team got looks at Jones in ’63 and ’65, with a significant minor-league stint in between. He gave brief glimpses of what was to come, but not before learning some hard lessons. Jones got himself into a tailspin he couldn’t get out of in 1967. Prolonged slumps, benchings, and public criticism from manager Wes Westrum: a thumbnail sketch of a forgettable year.

Transformative changes were on the horizon for Jones. First, Gil Hodges was brought on as manager that November. A month later, New York acquired Tommie Agee, a fellow Mobile, AL native as well as Cleon’s high school friend and teammate. The trade for Agee to the Mets from the White Sox provided more than just a familiar face in the clubhouse. It moved Jones from center field, a spot with which he was never comfortable, to left field.

A relaxed Cleon started fast in 1969, hitting .410 for April, blasting five homers in May, and posting a June batting average of .341 to catapult the Mets into challenging the Cubs for first place. It made Jones an All-Star starter and, he eventually finished third in the batting race. While the ’69 season was undoubtably Jones’s best, his best two weeks came during the pennant chase of 1973 as he salvaged what was nearly a lost year.

Jones, like much of the Mets roster, couldn’t escape an onslaught of injuries threatening to keep New York out of NL East title contention. Heading into September, Cleon’s bum leg had reduced him to 70 games. His bat and body were almost completely void of power with only five home runs (two on Opening Day) and 12 doubles. Despite the bothersome knee, Jones rediscovered his potent swing.

New York didn’t as much win the East as they survived it. The Mets showed they were the best team—and the luckiest. Never was there a better example than on September 20, when Jones took part in a play that indicated there was still some magic left from ’69.

With two outs and Richie Zisk on first in the top of the 13th against first-place Pittsburgh, Dave Augustine sent one beyond Jones’s reach in left field—destined to land in the Mets bullpen. But this ball had Mets destiny written all over it. The trajectory bounced it squarely off the top of the fence and back toward Jones. An inch farther, it’s a home run. An inch shorter, it’s an awkward ricochet. In either instance, a run scores.

Jones caught it from the rebound, turned, and fired to cutoff man Wayne Garrett while Zisk rounded third and headed home. Garrett threw to catcher Ron Hodges, who laid down the tag on a sliding Zisk.

“We were very fortunate to be able to make a play on that,” he said. “That was the turning point in the Mets winning the championship.”

Jones’s contributions to the Mets as they journeyed again through the NLCS and up to the seventh game of the World Series were timely if not nearly as significant.

His power subsided, but his Game 2 ninth-inning RBI single made way for three additional runs and provided the necessary cushion in a 5-0 victory. A wall-banging double in the bottom of the fifth in Game 5 broke a 2–2 tie in what would become a 7–2 pennant-clinching victory. Clutch hits were harder to come by in the seven-game World Series defeat to Oakland. He went 8-for-28 with three extra-base hits and a Game 2 homer.

The injuries proved too much to overcome afterwards and an unfortunate dismissal from the team in 1975 made for an abrupt ending to a terrific Mets career. Upon his exit, Jones had more hits, more home runs, and more RBIs than any other Met while playing a significant part in two pennant-winning teams and a world championship. It’s clear that no everday player in the first dozen years of this franchise was more impactful.

The post Spirit of ’73: Cleon Jones appeared first on Metsmerized.

In fact, stickball brought refuge to a young Kranepool. As his stickball reputation grew, local gangs treated Kranepool well and insisted he not hang around with them after dark as they didn’t want him to get into trouble and not be able to play on their teams.

Growing up in a single-parent household, Kranepool was drawn to athletics, mainly basketball and baseball. With the guidance and support of his next-door neighbor, Jimmy Schiafo, who acted as a father figure, the left-handed hitter was developing and drawing interest from Major League teams.

The team that showed the most interest in Kranepool’s services was that of the recently-formed New York Mets.

Sixty-one years after a then-17-year-old Kranepool signed a contract with the Mets, the Bronx-native has recently penned an autobiography on his life and playing career called “The Last Miracle: My 18-Year Journey with Amazin’ New York Mets.”

The memoir, published by Triumph Books, focuses on Kranepool’s development as a player, memories of the club’s first World Series championship in 1969, organizational miscues and his life-saving kidney transplant.

Triumph Books

Kranepool, 78, offers frank and transparent views on a myriad of topics, including his displeasure of Yogi Berra’s managerial decisions, resentment toward Gene Mauch for not playing him in his only All-Star Game appearance in 1965 and frustration with many of the Mets’ front office moves in the mid-to-late 1970s.

Over his eighteen-year career, Kranepool played for just one organization, a rarity in today’s game. Kranepool is the franchise leader in games played (1,853), and owns the third-most hits (1,418) and fifth-most RBIs (614). ‘The Krane’ also owns the eighth-most home runs by a player under the age of 20 in Major League Baseball history with 12.

In the latter part of Kranepool’s career, he developed into a dependable bat off the bench. In 1974, Kranepool went 17-for-35 (.486) in pinch-hitting opportunities, setting a single-season record for highest batting average by a pinch hitter.

I had the privilege of speaking with Kranepool over the phone, where he discussed his early development in the Bronx, spending nearly two decades with the Mets and his kidney transplant.

MMO: What prompted you to write the memoir?

Kranepool: I just figured I had a lot of stories to tell. Ralph Kiner is not around, so why not let the fans enjoy them? I participated in all of them since 1962, and there’s nobody here to talk about that stuff.

MMO: A prominent figure throughout your youth was your neighbor, Jimmy Schiafo. You write in the book that he acted as a father figure. How important was his presence in your life and early development as an athlete?

Kranepool: I was brought up without a dad; I lost my father in the war. I needed a replacement and he was my next-door neighbor and took a liking to me.

He had two boys and they were involved in baseball, and one was on my team. He worked us all out, kept us in shape and taught us the fundamentals of baseball. That’s really where I got my start.

MMO: You write that your reputation for baseball started by playing stickball in the Bronx. What memories do you have from playing stickball?

Kranepool: Stickball was the game to play in the Bronx because you had a lot of playgrounds with concrete fields; you didn’t have a lot of playing fields that were being taken care of. We played every day.

Being a guy from the Bronx, we didn’t have a lot of money in our pockets, so we were going out to camps and stuff like that in the summer. We all got together at the playgrounds and worked out every day. We ran there after breakfast and stayed there until lunch. We then ran home to grab a sandwich and came back and played basketball or baseball or whatever you could do on the playground.

It was cheap, inexpensive and a lot of fun for all of us.

MMO: Your first significant injury was when you fractured your elbow on your throwing arm in your second year of Little League. You write that your elbow never healed and you never had surgery to repair it. Did that injury ever bother you later in your career? And do you think you would’ve kept pitching?

Kranepool: I think I could have pitched. I was an outstanding pitcher in Little League and set all kinds of records. I was never the same afterwards, and nobody really knew about it. That’s something you don’t brag about with any type of deficiency you might have. So I played with it.

Did it affect me? It probably did; it probably affected my swing. I was a better player, I think, before that [injury]. But you still play and overcome and enjoy the game of baseball. I played every day and was able to perform, and we enjoyed ourselves.

To this day, it’s not right and never will be.

MMO: Is it true that you taught yourself to throw right handed after that injury?

Kranepool: I did! I caught for a year and a half and I can throw right handed. I’m not as good right handed as I am left handed because I never continued it. But I could throw because I wanted to hit. Certain things you can’t do so you just overcome them and keep trying.

MMO: That reminds me of Billy Wagner learning to throw left handed after breaking his right arm when he was a kid.

Kranepool: Well, that’s what it is. You use the other one and compensate for that. If you keep throwing with the opposite arm you’re going to overcome everything.

I did it for a year and a half, and I had fun doing it. I liked catching because you’re in the action.

MMO: Can you talk about the interest that the New York Mets showed in you throughout your high school career, and the relationship you developed with scout Bubber Jonnard?

Kranepool: Bubber was the scout in the tri-state area, and he followed all the players as they were growing up. When I was in sandlot baseball, I attracted a lot of attention because I was a pretty good hitter, and pitched a little bit but could never throw the same [after injury].

I really attracted the Mets because of my hitting. They followed me during high school and went to all my games.

When I signed, I graduated high school, and two days later the Mets came to my door, sat on my doorsteps, and wanted to talk a contract because you can’t sign until your graduating class is out. They were the first ones in my house, and they sat there all night, and we finally signed a contract.

MMO: I still can’t wrap my head around the fact that you graduated high school, signed a major league contract and then took a plane to the West Coast to meet the Mets just a few days later. Do you remember what was going through your mind at the time as a 17-year-old?

Kranepool: It was excitement for myself signing a contract. It was my goal as a Little Leaguer to start and play in the major leagues and perform. I didn’t expect to go out to the National League and to Los Angeles straight away, but I did.

They packed me up and put me on a plane; the first time I ever flew. Little did I know that opening night out there was Sandy Koufax. He pitched a no-hitter and struck out 13. I told Casey [Stengel], ‘I’m ready for college.’ [Laughs.]

MMO: You sat next to Casey Stengel during games to observe what was happening and get a feel for the major leagues when you arrived. What were some of your early takeaways from sitting next to Stengel?

Kranepool: He was having a good time with himself. He was 71, enjoying baseball, loving life and always discussing the game. He was the first one at the ballpark and the last one to leave.

He put a lot of time in on the team, but we just didn’t have the talent. We had a lot of older guys who were past their prime. Back in those days, 35 was more than your prime, and he knew that he really didn’t have the talent to really perform against the other teams.

Stengel took a lot of pressure off of guys because he kept the press busy writing stories about the Mets, talking about the old Yankees, all kinds of things. It made it easier for the players to perform because losing 100 games was not easy for any team. It’s tough to lose 100 games, and we did it for several years.

MMO: Obviously, the first seven years of the club’s existence were disappointing and underwhelming. And then came 1969. When did you start to notice that things were changing for the better in the organization?

Kranepool: We made a lot of changes in the front office, and of course, we acquired Gil Hodges in 1968. He was a young manager coming over from Washington, and he taught us how to play the game and how to win.

We were better in ’68. I think it was the second time we hadn’t lost 100 games and we thought it was a big improvement. In spring training, he discussed it with us and told us to set some goals for ourselves and taught us how to win, how to play the game and how you should play. A win here or there makes a big difference at the end of a season. So we did perform better.

By the summer of ’69, we started to get to .500. When we got to .500, it was at the stage of the season where we had never been that high in the season.

We started to play really good baseball, and in the second half of the season, we won 60-to-70 percent of our games. We beat every club that we had to and went on to win the pennant. We beat the Cubs by eight or nine games, and they were up eight or nine games most of the year.

MMO: Something you write about in the book is that you wish the club gave you more time to develop, especially when it came to the mental preparation of the game. Looking back, how would you have handled a young Ed Kranepool?

Kranepool: You can’t handle that any differently; they’re in control of your outcome. I would have been better off playing in the minor leagues for a year or two, developing with guys my own age; this way you can perform up to what your ability is.

Every time I went to the minors, I hit over .300 and was one of the outstanding players in the league. I just never developed.

You don’t improve facing Koufax, [Bob] Gibson, [Don] Drysdale, [Juan] Marichal and all of these Hall of Famers. There were so many of them in the National League in the sixties, and if you look at the records, most of those guys made the Hall of Fame. Guys don’t really perform and improve against those types of pitchers.

MMO: Did you feel pressure to succeed right away given all the hype and publicity surrounding your signing?

Kranepool: I did because everyone expected a whole lot more from you. They wanted you to do more because they wanted you to lead them to the pennant. And that’s why they were frustrated: they wanted to win. I don’t blame them, I wanted to win!

Until they surrounded me in the lineup, they could always pitch against you. I was an aggressive hitter, and I wanted to swing. I wasn’t going to walk my way to the major leagues. I would swing at pitches that were out of my strike zone, out of my hitting zone, and I didn’t perform with it.

As I matured and got older and caught up with the league, I started to produce some numbers that the Mets were expecting. But I’d been around so long that the organization said, “Maybe he’s over the hill.”

I was in the league for 17 years and performing. I could have done a lot better late in my career; I hit .300, .320, .290, .280. Those are competitive numbers for the better players in the league. But people still remember that you struggled when you were 17-18 [years old] in the league.

MMO: You were a terrific pinch hitter, as you posted a career .277 batting average in those situations. Can you talk about some of the challenges of pinch-hitting, and the preparation it takes in order to come up late in a game?

Kranepool: Mentally, I wanted to prove the manager wrong. When I wasn’t playing, I should have been playing. They should have had me in the lineup so I would get four at-bats instead of one.

Once I had that job, I prepared myself, and in the middle innings took some extra swings down below in the dugout and got myself ready and had my bat prepared. I knew when I was going to pinch hit; I didn’t pinch hit when the game was not on the line. It was always in a crucial situation where the game was on the line and I knew who was going to pitch, so I was physically ready to pinch hit.

As I got older, I did it so well that I was efficient in it. A team like the Mets, when they’re not playing well, you don’t have that many opportunities for game situations. You’re not going to pinch hit when you’re down 6-0 and you have a couple other options to choose. They’re going to use them, and I never got a chance to play in a lot of games.

It was a situation where I was doing it to show up the manager and work my way back into the lineup. But I did it pretty well.

MMO: From reading your book, you can tell how much respect and appreciation you had for Gil Hodges. From everything I’ve read about Hodges, he really seemed like a manager who was ahead of his time with his methods and how he managed a ball club. In your view, what did Hodges do well as a manager?

Kranepool: Gil learned how to use everybody and had one set of rules. He was a very tough disciplinarian. I had trouble with Gil in the early years, I had some disagreements with him, and we didn’t get along for two or three years. But I fought through it, and he did also.

He worked with me and sent me out to show me that he was in charge, and I went down to the minor leagues and hit over .300 and worked my way back to the majors. M. Donald Grant gave his word that he would get me back to the majors and wouldn’t just strand me in the minors. When I performed, he lived up to his promise and I got along very well with Mr. Grant.

MMO: I loved the anecdote you shared about winning a Kobe bull while barnstorming with the Mets in Japan in 1974. Can you talk about that event, and how you ended up with a bull as a prize?

Kranepool: I won a bull in Japan because I was the best hitter on the ball club. I led the team in home runs and average and played well over there and got an award.

It was quite funny how I ended it in the last game of the year. It was either myself or the first baseman the Giants had, Sadaharu Oh. We had a couple of home runs apiece, and then I hit a home run in the first inning. They moved the bull to one side of the field, and it looked like I was going to get it. Then Oh hit a home run, and they moved the bull back to the third base-side. Towards the seventh or eighth inning, I hit another home run, so I won the bull. I hit about eight home runs in 18 games.

They gave me the award, and it was fun. I didn’t bring it home because it was too expensive; you had to leave it in quarantine for a while. I traded him for a couple of first-class tickets to New York and left the ballclub with a week to go. We had a full week left, but I didn’t choose to stay in Japan.

MMO: You’re very honest and transparent throughout the book, especially with certain individuals like Gene Mauch, Yogi Berra, Joe McDonald and Joe Torre. Can you talk about your openness with some of the displeasure you had for certain individuals?

Kranepool: Whoever’s in charge, if they don’t treat you right, you’re going to treat them the same way they treated you. They didn’t make considerations and didn’t keep their promises, so there’s no way you’re going to like them.

Gene Mauch was a tough manager to play against. He always wanted to win and do anything to win for his ball club, had nothing to do with me, but he was tough on us. You wanted to beat him, and every time we played, you performed a little bit better.

Some of our people were incompetent in our organization. They made deals and trades and got rid of players who should’ve been playing, and other guys they kept. I wanted to win as a young player coming up; I was tired of losing. When they kept making bad moves, I critiqued them and let them know that I didn’t like it.

The only thing I wanted to do was win and win a World Series, and win a couple of them. We should’ve won two, we only won one. We lost the second one, and that was incompetence on the manager’s part. We should’ve been a better ball club then we were. If Gil was alive, we win more pennants, and become better for it.

MMO: One of the many things I learned while reading your book was that you were offered the opportunity to work with Robert Redford for “The Natural.” Can you talk about that?

Kranepool: We did. A lot of guys got opportunities when they were performing there. You had to play and do it in Buffalo. I didn’t choose to go up there because I didn’t know how long I was going to be at minimal pay.

Robert Redford was the star, and we had to teach him how to play baseball, and we worked a little bit with him in New York. But we weren’t going up to Buffalo. I wasn’t going to spend time up there without my family.

MMO: You write about your desire to work in the front office for the Mets after your playing career was through. Was that something you had given a lot of thought to?

Kranepool: I always did. I never wanted to manage, I didn’t want to confront the players on a daily basis; let them perform and do it on the field. I can work from above and around them, and that’s what I wanted to do.

I probably would have done it if Mrs. Payson stayed alive and didn’t give the club to her daughter and pick Joe McDonald to be the general manager. He killed off some minor league teams, traded those players, and then he traded from the major league club, and the Mets went from first to last.

MMO: You write about the process it took for you to find a kidney donor, and the help that Jay Horwitz provided to spread the word. Several years removed from surgery, how are you feeling?

Kranepool: I’m doing great! It’s four years since the surgery and it’s acting well. It did take me a couple of years to do it, and then we finally got one (kidney donor).

We were very lucky to be able to put together a structure, a deal that helped two guys; myself and another gentleman who was a firefighter. He actually got my donor and I got his wife as a donor; she was a perfect match. It worked out well for both.

MMO: When you look back on your career, Ed, what are you most proud of? 

Kranepool: I’m proud of staying long enough in the organization to finally see us win a World Series. That’s the one goal when you start, and I finished with a World Series. Like I said, the biggest disappointment of my career was losing the ’73 World Series in seven games.

The post MMO Exclusive: 1969 World Champion Ed Kranepool appeared first on Metsmerized.

Malcolm Emmons, USA Today

The baseball world lost a former pitcher and dynamic personality on May 6, when former Oakland Athletic, San Francisco Giant, and Kansas City Royal Vida Blue passed away in the East Bay Area of Northern California. He was 73 years old.

Blue made his major league debut in July of 1969, making 12 appearances. He returned in 1970 to make six starts. In his first, he one-hit the Kansas City Royals (Pat Kelly recorded the only Royals hit), winning the game 3-0. He did even better in his second start, tossing a no-hitter against the Minnesota Twins, allowing just one base runner on a walk. That set him up for his outstanding 1971 season.

In 1971, Blue went 24-8 with a 1.82 ERA. He threw eight shutouts that season, striking out 301 batters. He won the rare combination of the Cy Young and MVP awards for his efforts in 1971, at the time joining just the Tigers’ Denny McLain, the Cardinals’ Bob Gibson, and the Dodgers’ Sandy Koufax and Don Newcombe to achieve the feat. Blue started the 1971 All Star game for the American League, at 21 years old.

Blue was not afraid to stand his ground and speak his mind, particularly when it came to A’s owner Charlie Finley. After his stellar 1971 season, Blue and Finley could not agree on a contract, so the pitcher held out and missed some of the 1972 season, appearing in only 25 games. Things got worse for Finley and Blue after the 1976 season, which saw Blue post an 18-13 record with a 2.35 ERA. Once again embroiled in a contract dispute, Blue said of Finley, “I hope the next breath Charlie Finley takes is his last. I hope he falls flat on his face and dies of polio.”

Finley tried to trade Blue twice, only to have the deals voided by commissioner Bowie Kuhn, who invoked the best interests of baseball clause, citing the A’s would be aiding teams (the Yankees in 1976 and Reds in 1977) that were already good, and receiving little in return.

The Mets crossed paths with Blue twice while he was with Oakland, when he started two games of the 1973 World Series (both won by New York). Blue started Game 2, with Oakland already leading the series 1-0. Trailing 2-0 in the game, the Mets got to Blue in the second inning, when Cleon Jones homered, putting the Mets on the board, though they still trailed by a 2-1 score. With Oakland ahead 3-1, Wayne Garrett went yard in the third, and then the Mets scored two off Blue (who left the game, responsible for runners on base) in the sixth on RBIs by Don Hahn and Bud Harrelson. The Mets would win the game in 12 innings.

Blue started Game 5 at Shea Stadium with the series tied a two games apiece. In the bottom of the second inning, John Milner drove in Jones with a single. In the bottom of the sixth, Hahn tripled in Jerry Grote. The Mets led 2-0, and that would be the final score. New York was up three games to two heading to Oakland, but the guys from Flushing lost the next two games and the series.

Blue finished his career with a 209-161 record over 17 seasons. He struck out 2,175 batters, walking 1,185. He posted an ERA+ of 108 for his career, and kept the ball in the park, allowing just over one home run per game. In an era where pitchers did not throw as hard as they do today, Blue’s average fastball was 94 mph, and he recorded pitches as fast as 100 mph. He was predominantly a country hardball pitcher, throwing mostly fastballs, mixing in a changeup and curve. Pete Rose said that Blue threw harder than any left-handed pitcher he ever faced.

Blue, who worked in the San Francisco Giants’ television booth after retiring in 1987,  was involved in charity work, going to Vietnam with Bob Hope at one point to entertain American troops. Blue was suspended for the 1984 season for attempting to purchase cocaine, along with teammates Willie Wilson, Jerry Martin, and Willie Aikens.

RIP to Vida Blue, who brought a live fastball, flair for pitching, and outspoken style to MLB in the early and mid-1970s.

The post Remembering Vida Blue, 1949-2023 appeared first on Metsmerized.

In April 1969, humans were hundreds of thousands of miles away from setting foot on the moon just as the New York Mets seemed far away from a World Series title.

By October 15, both distances had been covered and two feats once thought of as miracles were achieved.

The Mets—cellar dwellers for the better part of their first seven years—headed into Game 5 on the brink of an accomplishment registering as much awe July’s moon landing.

Even 100 regular-season wins and a sweep of the Atlanta Braves in the NLCS  did not convince skeptics that New York was capable of toppling the 109-win Orioles in the World Series.

Despite dropping Game 1 in Baltimore, the magic refused to fade. Three straight wins turned skeptics into believers. And now a win away, the elements bringing the Mets to this juncture — superb starting pitching and timely hitting — carried them to the top.

But fate intervened once more, with the Orioles up 3-0 and poised to take the series back to Baltimore. The first pitch from  Dave McNally  to start the bottom of the sixth dove in on Cleon Jones and rolled toward the Mets’ dugout.

Jones went up the first base line thinking it hit him in the foot before home plate umpire Lou DiMuro called him back. Hodges stoically approached DiMuro and presented what turned out to be indisputable evidence: a ball with a small smudge of shoe polish. DiMuro was convinced. Jones was awarded first base.

Soon to be named MVP, Donn Clendenon stepped in and belted his third homer of the series to pull New York to within a run. Al Weis, emblematic of the unlikely nature of the Mets’ unexpected success, delivered in the seventh with a game-tying home run — the only round-tripper he hit at Shea all year — to finish off a fabulous .455 batting average over the five games. Two doubles and two Oriole errors in the eighth led to a 5-3 Mets’ lead.

It was an advantage the Mets’ superb big-game pitcher would protect. Through three innings, Jerry Koosman had allowed four hits and three runs. He yielded just one hit the rest of the way while his hitters mounted their comeback.

Koosman’s pitch in the top of the ninth to O’s second baseman (and future Mets’ manager) Davey Johnson was sent to deep left field. Jones, on the warning track, knelt as he secured the clinching out almost as if to pay respect to the heavens. It was one of the franchises’ iconic images, as was Koosman jumping into the arms of catcher Jerry Grote as the masses congregated on a Shea Stadium turf about to be torn to shreds.

What had been inconceivable in April was reality in October. One hundred-to-one odds to win it all when the season began, now the Mets were World Champions.

The post OTD 1969: Miracle Mets Capture First World Series appeared first on Metsmerized.

1969 New York Mets

The words on the giant Shea Stadium scoreboard captured the seminal moment: “Look Who’s No. 1.”

The Mets swept a doubleheader from the Montreal Expos and got a solid from the Philadelphia Phillies as they beat the Chicago Cubs. On the board in right-center field, a snapshot of the up-to-date standings with the accompanying headline.

Just a night earlier, the Cubs had left New York humbled. They dropped two in Queens to be on the precipice of being overtaken after having as large as a nine-game edge in mid-June. Now they were hanging on to first place by a thread. The ladder Mets victory was highlighted by a black cat scurrying near the visiting dugout. So if symbols were any indication, the Cubs were doomed.

But a Wednesday night in New York officially confirmed it.

The post OTD 1969: For First Time, Mets Go into First Place appeared first on Metsmerized.