The White Sox locked down the record with a 4-1 loss to the Detroit Tigers on Friday night. Chicago was able to sweep the Los Angeles Angels earlier this week — their first of the season—to delay the inevitable, but ultimately fell to a hot Tigers team that clinched a postseason spot with their victory.

They now have two games left in the season to further cement the record.

Kamil Krzaczynski-USA TODAY Sports

If you have followed the New York Mets for any period of time, you know some of the names from the original 1962 team. The manager was Casey Stengel. “Marvelous” Mark Throneberry was the first baseman. Frank Thomas was the team’s best power hitter with 34 home runs. Richie Ashburn led the team in batting average with a .306 mark. Choo-Choo Coleman (such a great name) was one of the catchers. On the mound, Roger Craig (future manager of the San Francisco Giants) led the team with 10 wins. Al Jackson netted 20 losses, and Yale graduate Ken MacKenzie once heard from Stengel, “treat them like they was the Harvards.”

The 2024 White Sox have some interesting players, such as Andrew Benintendi (19 home runs), Luis Robert Jr. (14 home runs) and All-Star pitcher Garrett Crochet. Former Cleveland legend Grady Sizemore (8-31) took over the managerial duties in August from Pedro Grifol (28-89).

The White Sox started the year off 0-4 before winning their first game against the Atlanta Braves on April 2. The 1962 Mets began their campaign 0-9 before beating the Pittsburgh Pirates 9-1 on April 23. They never had a winning streak of longer than three games. The White Sox’s longest winning streak this season has been four games. They have drawn just over 1.3 million fans to Guaranteed Rate Field, second-to-last in the American League. The 1962 Mets attracted 922,530 fans to the Polo Grounds, ranking No. 8 out of 10 National League teams.

The stories from 1962 are many and varied. One involves Throneberry hitting a triple and being called out for missing first base. Stengel came out to argue, and supposedly the umpire told Casey to calm down, because Throneberry had missed second base as well. Stengel allegedly said that he knew Throneberry did not miss third base, because he was standing on it.

Other notable tidbits from 1962 include Ed Kranepool making his debut at 17-years-old. Future manager Don Zimmer was on the team also, as was catcher Joe Pignatano, future Mets’ pitching coach and gardening guru (he grew tomatoes in the bullpen).

To the White Sox, many Mets’ fans say “thank you” for getting the Orange and Blue out of the record books for the worst season in history. It took 62 years for the record to be broken, let’s see how long the Pale Hose can keep it now.

The post The 1962 Mets No Longer Hold Season Loss Record appeared first on Metsmerized Online.

The Mets were slated to take on Chris Sale and the Atlanta Braves in Game 2 of a pivotal three-game set to decide the fate of both clubs’ postseason hopes on Wednesday night. However, due to Hurricane Helene ripping through the southeast, Games 2 and 3 of the series have been pushed back to a Monday doubleheader if necessary. While many unfortunate factors prevented this series from being completed, it could end up helping the Mets overall.

Now that the Mets will be missing out on two games, they could clinch a postseason spot without playing another game against the Braves. If the Mets, who currently are tied for the second Wild Card spot with the Diamondbacks, lead Arizona by a game after Sunday, they will have clinched a spot in the postseason. The doubleheader could still need to be played in the case that the Braves are still in the hunt for the final spot, but if the Mets hold a one-game lead over Arizona it would take all pressure off the Amazin’s going into that Monday matchup.

Photo by Nick Turchiaro-Imagn Images

Wild Card Update

Neither the Mets or Braves played Wednesday due to Hurricane Helene. However, the Diamondbacks beat the Giants 8-2 and tied themselves with the Mets for the second Wild Card spot while going up a full game on the Braves for the third and final Wild Card spot. 

The Padres lost, meanwhile, 4-3 to the Dodgers. They have a 3.5-game lead on the Mets and trail the Dodgers by three games in the NL West race.

With the Dodgers win last night, and the Phillies clinching a first-round bye, the Mets next opponent, Milwaukee, is officially locked in the No. 3 seed and will have nothing to play for the remainder of the season when it comes to seeding and a potential bye.

Latest Mets News

Francisco Lindor was announced as the Mets’ starting shortstop for Wednesday’s game before the game was postponed. 

Top Mets prospects Jett Williams and Drew Gilbert are two of the eight Mets players who will be playing in the Arizona Fall League. 

Mets manager Carlos Mendoza told reporters that there is a “good chance” Sean Manaea will start on Friday against the Milwaukee Brewers, per Tim Healey of Newsday. This would make Manaea available to pitch in the wild card round. 

Latest MLB News

Yankees pitcher Nestor Cortes said he is shutting down for 7-10 days as he will likely be receiving a PRP injection, per Jorge Castillo of ESPN. Cortes underwent an MRI on his left elbow on Tuesday, his UCL is in tact and will be receiving a second opinion from at least two other doctors; there are hopes he could return if the Yankees make a deep playoff run. 

Yankee Stadium will be hosting Dominican Winter League games in November, a year after Citi Field hosted LIDOM games of their own. Tigres del Licey and Águilas Cibaeñas will face off in two games in the Bronx on November 8 and 9. 

The Chicago Cubs called up top-100 prospect Kevin Alcantara, who registered his first big league hit in his first game. 

Bo Bichette told reporters that he is undergoing surgery on his fractured right middle finger, per Ben Nicholson-Smith of SportsNet. Bichette should be “good to go” for 2025 spring training.

Julio Rodriguez of the Seattle Mariners joined Bobby Witt Jr. as the only two players to ever start their careers with three consecutive 20/20 seasons.

Orioles manager Brandon Hyde told reporters that LHP Grayson Rodriguez will not be available in the postseason and is done for the 2024 season, per Jorge Castillo. Rodriguez has been out since early August with a lat strain. 

The Philadelphia Phillies clinched a first round bye with their win and the Brewers loss on Wednesday night.

The Tampa Bay Rays and Boston Red Sox were officially eliminated from the postseason on Wednesday.

Latest on MMO

The last two games in the Mets-Braves series have been postponed. 

Francisco Lindor was slated to return to the Mets’ lineup on Wednesday. 

A rough third inning derails Luis Severino‘s start against the Braves. 

On This Date in Mets History 

2015: The New York Mets beat the Cincinnati Reds to win the National League East for the first time since 2006.

2012: David Wright records his 1,419th career hit to pass Ed Kranepool for the most hits in franchise history.

2007: Moises Alou hits a solo home run to extend his 30-game franchise-record hitting streak.

Born On This Date: Brooks Pounders (1990), Doug Sisk (1957).

The post Morning Briefing: Mets’ Final Week Gets Disrupted appeared first on Metsmerized Online.

Kranepool was a member of the 1969 Miracle Mets. He hit a home run in Game 3 of the World Series that year, posting a .250 batting average in both the NLCS and World Series.

Later in his career, Kranepool became an elite pinch-hitter. From MLB.com:

[Kranepool was a] .396 over a five-year span from 1974 to ’78. In 1974, he set a record for highest batting average as a pinch-hitter in a single season (minimum 30 at-bats), going 17-for-35 — a surreal .486 clip that still stands to this day. For his career, he had 90 pinch-hits, six of them home runs.

In the 1973 NLCS against the Cincinnati Reds, “Steady Eddie” delivered a two-run single in the bottom of the first inning of deciding Game 5, helping spur the Mets to a series victory and a World Series appearance against the Oakland Athletics.

For his career, the Bronx native posted an average of .261, with an OBP of .316 and a slugging percentage of .377. Kranepool has his name in the Mets’ record books. Besides ranking first in games played with 1,853, he is second in plate appearances (5,997); third in hits (1,418), at-bats (5,436) and total bases (2,047); fourth in doubles (225); fifth in RBIs (614); ninth in walks (454); ninth in runs scored (536); and 11th in triples (25).

The six-foot, three-inch tall first baseman (and occasional outfielder) reflected on being called up to the major leagues at the tender age of 17. From the above-cited MLB.com article:

“It might not have been to my best advantage to get to the Major Leagues so fast,” Kranepool told SABR in that same 2008 interview. On an expansion team, “you have [more] inexperience than on a better ballclub; a kid of 17 isn’t equipped to handle that pressure. If I was on a good ballclub, the pressure to handle that wouldn’t be so great. With the Mets, we were a bad ballclub. They said, ‘Ed’s going to lead them from a bad ballclub to the pennant.’ One player, even a Hall of Famer, can’t do that.”

Kranepool made his only All Star appearance in 1965. His best statistical season was 1971, when he recorded an OPS+ of 124, on the strength of 14 home runs and 20 doubles. He was diagnosed with diabetes in 1979, the last year of his playing career. He had a kidney transplant in 2019, and was well enough to attend the celebration of the 1969 Mets in June.

The Mets inducted the member of the team’s inaugural squad into the team’s Hall of Fame in 1990. Kranepool was on-hand when the Mets brought back Old Timers’ Day in 2022.

Mets owners Steve and Alex Cohen put out a statement on Kranepool’s passing (from the MLB.com article):

“We are incredibly heartbroken to learn of Ed Kranepool’s passing,” said Mets owners Steve and Alex Cohen in a statement. “He was an original Met, who debuted at age 17 in 1962. After starring at James Monroe High School in the Bronx, he would go on to play for his hometown team for the next 18 years…”

Jerry Koosman:

“The best first baseman I ever played with. We knew each other so well and I could tell by his eyes if a runner was going or not. He saved me a lot of stolen bases.”

Art Shamsky:

“Just devastated. I knew Krane for 56 years. We did so many appearances together. We had lunch last week and I told him I would be there next week to see him again. I’m really at a loss for words. I can’t believe he’s the fourth guy from our 1969 team to pass this year — (Jim) McAndrew, (Jerry) Grote, Buddy (Harrelson) and now Eddie.”

Rest in peace, Number Seven. You will be missed by your hometown team, the only organization you played for in the city you loved.

The post Remembering Ed Kranepool, Original Met appeared first on Metsmerized Online.

Tylor Megill allowed just one hit, striking out nine and retiring the last 16 batters he faced over six innings, and the Mets scored two runs on a wild pitch and a passed ball to earn a 3-2 win in their series opener against the Blue Jays. Edwin Dîaz recorded his 17th save of the season, getting Leo Jimenez to fly out to the warning track in right field to end the game.

Meanwhile in Atlanta, Ty France hit an RBI double in the top of the second inning, and Nick Martinez threw seven shutout innings as the Reds downed the Braves, 1-0. Matt Olson collected Atlanta’s only two hits on the night. The Mets now lead the Braves by a game for the final NL Wild Card spot. With the Diamondbacks and Padres both off on Monday, the Mets trail Arizona by a game and San Diego by 1.5 games.

Photo by Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images

Latest Mets News

David Peterson (9-1, 2.75 ERA) will look to keep his hot stretch going against former Met Chris Bassitt (9-13, 4.30 ERA) in the second game of the series this evening. Peterson has worked at least six innings in each of his last six starts. First pitch is scheduled for 7:07 p.m.

Mets Hall of Famer Ed Kranepool passed away on Monday at the age of 79. The Mets’ all-time leader in games played, Kranepool debuted with the team as a 17-year-old in 1962 after he was signed as an amateur free agent out of James Monroe High School in the Bronx. Kranepool was an All-Star in 1965 and a World Series champion in 1969, homering in a Game 3 victory. After his career, Kranepool was an active member of the community, and despite his health issues, was on hand for the team’s 50th anniversary celebration of the 1969 Mets in 2019 and Old Timers Day in 2022.

Carlos Mendoza said that Paul Blackburn was scratched from his start Monday because he experienced lower back discomfort after his rehab start. Blackburn will no longer pitch in the series in Toronto and will get imaging if there’s no improvement.

Before Monday’s game, the Mets acquired utilityman Eddy Alvarez from the Red Sox and designated Pablo Reyes for assignment. One of six athletes to medal at both the Winter and summer Olympics, Alvarez pinch-ran for Francisco Alvarez and scored the game-winning run on Monday.

Mets pitching prospect Jonah Tong was named the Eastern League Pitcher of the Week for his dominant outing in his debut for Double-A Binghamton. Tong tossed six hitless innings, allowing no walks and striking out nine.

In an interview for the Terry Collins Show, Noah Syndergaard said he’d love to pitch for the Mets again someday, speaking highly of Mets fans and the city. Syndergaard missed much of his last two seasons in New York while recovering from Tommy John surgery.

Francisco Lindor is the Mets’ nominee for the Roberto Clemente Award. Among Lindor’s efforts are his campaign to provide free backpacks for local students and a cleanup of Wilderness Beach in Puerto Rico.

Dan Szymborski of Fangraphs wrote about how Lindor is already cementing himself as a future Hall of Famer. Szymborski’s model projects Lindor to finish his career as the sixth-best shortstop of all time in terms of JAWS.

In an interview with Laura Albanese of Newsday, Sean Manaea spoke about how lowering his arm slot has made his fastball more effective. Manaea said that with a lower release point, his fastball is more deceptive, which makes it easier to attack hitters with it.

Latest MLB News

Actor James Earl Jones passed away Monday at the age of 93. Best known for his work as Darth Vader and Mufasa, Jones played Terence Mann in “Field of Dreams” and was Mr. Mertle in “The Sandlot.”

The Rangers are calling up Kumar Rocker for his major league debut, which will take place on Thursday against the Mariners. Rocker has dominated the minor leagues since returning from Tommy John surgery, allowing just three earned runs and striking out 47 batters against four walks in 29 2/3 innings between Double-A and Triple-A.

Latest on MMO

Tyler Antonelle recaps the Mets’ win in their series opener against the Blue Jays.

Andrew Steele-Davis looks at the highs and lows of the series against the Reds in the latest 3 Up, 3 Down.

Johnluke Chaparro breaks down Luis Severino‘s strong start on Sunday.

Matt Lazzaro examines the strong weeks of Mark Vientos and Luis Severino, who are the MMO Players of the Week.

On This Date in Mets History

1969: The Mets sweep a doubleheader against the Expos at Shea Stadium to take over first place in the NL East for the first time in franchise history. In the first game, Jim McAndrew duels with Mike Wegener for 11 innings before Ken Boswell hits a walk-off single in the bottom of the 12th inning to win 3-2. The nightcap doesn’t feature nearly as much drama, with the Mets scoring six runs in the third inning of a 7-1 victory and Nolan Ryan striking out 11 in a complete game.

2008: Jose Reyes swipes two bases to become the Mets’ franchise leader in stolen bases with 283, passing Mookie Wilson. David Wright goes 4-for-4 and finishes a triple shy of the cycle as the Mets outslug the Nationals, 13-10.

2015: Kevin Plawecki and Juan Uribe both drive in three runs, and Bartolo Colon holds the Braves to two runs over 6 2/3 innings as the Mets win their fourth straight game, 7-2. With the win, the Mets now have a 7.5-game lead in the NL East.

Born On This Date: Andrew Brown (1984), Neil Walker (1985), Anthony Swarzak (1985), Phillip Evans (1992).

The post Morning Briefing: Mets Jump Back in Front of Braves appeared first on Metsmerized Online.

Kranepool was an original Met, part of the 1969 Miracle Mets team that brought the first World Championship to Flushing, and an All-Star in 1965. A New York native, he played his entire career with the Mets from 1962-1979, primarily as a first baseman, but spent time in the outfield. A career .261/.316/.377 hitter, Kranepool amassed 1,418 hits in 1,853 games. He is the franchise leader in games played.

In reflecting on time with his former teammate, Cleon Jones noted “I just spoke to Ed last week and we talked about how we were the last two originals who signed with the Mets. The other 1962 guys came from other organizations. Eddie was a big bonus baby and I wasn’t. He never had an ego and was just one of the guys.”

Art Shamsky memorialized Kranepool saying “We had lunch last week and I told him I would be there next week to see him again. I’m really at a loss for words. I can’t believe he’s the fourth guy from our 1969 team to pass this year — McAndrew, Grote, Buddy, and now Eddie.”

May he rest in peace.

Learn more about Kranepool’s story here.

The post Mets Hall of Famer Ed Kranepool Passes Away appeared first on Metsmerized Online.

The Mets placed RHP Drew Smith on the 15-day IL, retroactive to June 24, with a right elbow sprain before Wednesday’s game. Smith left Sunday’s game against the Cubs after coming in for Edwin Díaz ,who was ejected and suspended 10 games for having a foreign substance on his hand. Smith would go on to get two outs prior to leaving the game after being checked by the trainer and showing some discomfort in his throwing arm.

His IL designation came a couple of hours after Carlos Mendoza told the media that he would be getting an MRI after experiencing forearm tightness, per Tim Healey of Newsday. RHP Ty Adcock was recalled from Triple-A Syracuse to take his spot in the bullpen. 

Drew Smith, Photo by Ed Delany of Metmerized

The Mets finished off a sweep of the Subway Series on Wednesday night as the Amazin’ offense exploded yet again. Despite an hour and a half rain delay, the Mets added to their 4-0 lead and didn’t stop. They poured  on against the Yankees’ bullpen, leading to a 12-2 final score.

The Mets have off on Thursday before they host the Houston Astros for a weekend series. The Mets are expected to have José Quintana on the mound (3-5, 4.58 ERA) against Ronel Blanco (8-2, 2.34 ERA) of the Astros for the Friday matchup.

Latest Mets News

Mets catcher Joe Hudson cleared waivers, per Anthony DiComo of MLB.com. The club outrighted him back to Triple-A Syracuse.

Ryan Clifford was named the Mets’ hottest-hitting prospect by MLB.com. Despite having a .211 batting average in June, 11 of his 12 hits have been for extra bases and he boasts a 1.081 OPS this month.

José Iglesias has been pressured by J.D. Martinez and the Mets’ clubhouse to push up the official release of “OMG,” and it will now be available on Friday, per Steve Gelbs of SNY.

Brett Baty continues to tear up Triple-A, hitting two more home runs and raising his OPS to 1.188. He has now homered eight times in 65 at-bats since being sent down.

Jonah Tong threw a gem for High-A Brooklyn on Wednesday: 6 IP, 3 H, 1 ER, 1 BB, 11 SO. He now has a 3.38 ERA on the season.

Luisangel Acuña had his 9th multi-hit game of his last 15 games. He has 26 hits, 12 RBIs and six stolen bases during that span for Triple-A Syracuse.

Latest MLB News

The Houston Astros signed former Mets catcher Omar Narváez to a minor league deal, per Ari Alexander of KPRC 2 Houston. The Mets released Narváez on June 5.

Shohei Ohtani set a Dodgers franchise record by becoming the first player to record an RBI in 10 straight games.

The Astros lose yet another pitcher as J.P. France will be undergoing surgery on his shoulder and will miss the remainder of thr 2024, per his agent Nate Heisler of Klutch Sports. José Urquidy and Cristian Javier are also going to miss the rest of the season due to Tommy John surgery, Luis Garcia and Lance McCullers have missed the first half of the 2024 season, and Justin Verlander has also missed time this season.

MLB announced the participants in the 2024 All-Star Celebrity Softball game, including Pedro Martínez, Tyrese Maxey of the Philadelphia 76ers and former NFL star Terrell Owens. 

Alden Gonzalez of ESPN dives into Trajekt Arc, which is a machine that can replicate every pitch thrown in MLB, down to the mph and RPM. Hitters can use the machine during games and is the latest advancement for batters to use in attempt to keep up with continuous pitch development.

Justin Verlander, who is eligible to come off the IL on Monday, will not accompany the Astros to New York, according to Houston’s manager Joe Espada, per Chandler Rome of The Athletic. He also noted that Verlander is getting better, but still has not played catch yet.

Michael Kay complained about SNY saying the Mets had the best booth in baseball.

Latest on MMO

Brett Baty keeps raking in Triple-A. 

Mark Vientos had his signature Subway Series moment on Tuesday.

Harrison Bader gets revenge against his old squad.

On This Date in Mets History

2008: Carlos Delgado sets a Mets franchise record by driving in nine runs in one game. Delgado hit a two-run double, three-run home run, and a grand slam in a Mets big win over the Yankees.

1962: The Mets sign a 17-year-old first baseman, Ed Kranepool. The original Met would go on to play 18 seasons with the club.

Birthdays: Abraham Almonte (35), Chris Woodward (48), Ricardo Jordan (54), Jeff Conine (58)

The post Morning Briefing: Mets Place Drew Smith On IL appeared first on Metsmerized Online.

While the ’86 Mets won the series in five games, the ’76 Mets put up a fight. Ed Kranepool powered the Mets to victory in Game 4, and if not for a blown save late in the series, the ’76 Mets could have pulled ahead of the World Champ ’86 squad.

Mets’ Mookie Wilson hits a slow grounder up the first base line that gets by Red Sox first basemen Bill Buckner scoring Ray Knight from second to give the Mets the walk-off victory in the bottom of the 10th inning during Game 6 of the World Series at Shea Stadium Oct. 25, 1986.
Mets Vs Red Sox 1986 World Series

Game 1 

Tom wasn’t so terrific in Game 1.

The Franchise struggled against the might of the 1986 lineup and allowed nine earned runs in three innings. He was relieved from that point as the 1976 Mets couldn’t get their offense going against Doc Gooden.

Game 2

The 1976 Mets punched back and recorded their only series victory in Game 2

Both sides started southpaws, with Sid Fernandez taking the mound for the ’86 Mets and Jerry Koosman for the ’76 Mets. Each starter had respectable games, as Fernandez allowed four earned runs in six innings pitched and Koosman with four allowed in 7 1/3 innings pitched.

While Fernandez was solid, the ’86 Mets’ bullpen was not. Randy Myers came in and allowed a bases-clearing double to Jerry Grote in the seventh, which gave the ’76 Mets a 6-2 lead. Then, Roger McDowell followed suit and allowed three earned runs in the top of the ninth. The ’76 Mets finished the night with a 9-4 win.

Game 3

Howard Johnson got the Mets back in the win column in Game 3.

The switch-hitting third baseman went 2-for-5 in Game 3, driving in a run and setting the tone at the top of the lineup. Meanwhile, Gary Carter and Keith Hernandez kept the line moving at the bottom of the order. The two captains both went 3-for-4, taking care of starter Jon Matlack who allowed 11 hits and five runs in six innings.

Bob Ojeda took care of the other side of the ball for the ’86 Mets. He went five innings, scattering five hits and striking out five for a scoreless outing. The lefty then handed the ball to Myers and John Mitchell, who allowed one run in four combined innings.

Game 4

Carter carried the ’86 Mets on his back in Game 4.

The catcher started his terrific night in the top of the fifth inning, driving in Mookie Wilson with an RBI double. The extra-base hit gave the ’86 Mets a 1-0, which they surrendered in the bottom half of the inning when Bruce Boisclair drove in two runs with a double of his own.

The score held at 2-1 going into the top of the ninth. The ’76 Mets turned toward their closer Skip Lockwood and needed only three outs to tie up the series. However, Carter had other plans. The former Expo clubbed a two-run homer to the ’86 Mets a 3-2 lead, and eventual win after Jesse Orosco completed his two-inning save.

Game 5

The ’76 Mets turned to Seaver for Game 5 to keep them in the first round of Mets Madness.

However, like in Game 1, Seaver struggled. The righty allowed eight hits and five runs in six innings pitched, putting his offense in a hole they couldn’t recover from. The bullpen wasn’t any better and Lockwood had another horrific outing, allowing four earned runs in the ninth inning.

Gooden once again was reliable for the ’86 Mets. He struck out five batters across five innings but got an early hook from his manager. The ’86 Mets opted for a bullpen game, throwing five different arms in their 9-1 win in Game 5.

The offense was powered by Wilson and Hernandez, who went 5-for-7 combined with three runs batted in and scored. Wally Backman also had a stellar game and went 3-for-5 with two runs batted in from the eighth spot in the lineup.

MVP

Carter was the MVP for the ’86 Mets in their series against the ’76 Mets.

He went 5-for-8 in Games 3 and 4 combined, which propelled the ’86 Mets to a 3-1 series lead. In fact, if Carter hadn’t clubbed a go-ahead homer in Game 4, the ’76 Mets would have tied the series at 2-2 and thrown Seaver out for Game 5.

While Carter went 0-for-4 in Games 2 and 5, his performances in Games 3 and 4 were enough to award him the most valuable player for the ’86 Mets.

On Deck 

The ’86 Mets will move on to round 2 of Mets Madness, where they face off against the 2022 Mets. Unlike the ’76 Mets, the ’22 Mets have a dangerous and potent lineup. Pete Alonso, Francisco Lindor, Starling Marte, and Brandon Nimmo will be a tough top of the order and will certainly be tough on the ’86 rotation. Their rotation isn’t shabby either, as Jacob deGrom, Max Scherzer, and Chris Bassitt will get their shot at the ’86 lineup.

Here are the previous recaps from round one:

• 2019 Mets beat 2000 Mets
• 1998 Mets take the 2015 Mets seven games
• 1973 Mets sweep the 2007 Mets
• 2006 Mets dominated 1985 Mets
• 1969 Mets win in 7 games
• 2022 Mets win a series

Round one is officially over. Bring on round two.

The post Mets Madness Recap: 1986 Mets Beat 1976 Mets appeared first on Metsmerized Online.

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 Online.

Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports

After David Wright signed his seven-year, $122 million contract, we knew he was going to re-write the New York Mets record books, and he did. If not for spinal stenosis, he would have put all the records well out of reach. Unfortunately, he did get injured, and as a result, he did put the records in play.

Other than Tim Healey of Newsday jokingly referring to Brandon Nimmo putting the hit by pitch record completely out of reach, we have not heard the same of Nimmo when he signed his eight-year, $162 million contract extension on Thursday. However, that is very much in play.

Remember, Nimmo is now in his prime coming off a career year (in terms of WAR), and now, he has eight years to be able to accumulate stats. Here are the Mets records and how far Nimmo trails:

Nimmo trails by a good number in most of these categories, but again, he has eight years to make up the difference. Here is what Nimmo would have to average over his eight seasons to go atop the leaderboard in each of the respective categories:

Well, right off the bat, we can say Jose Reyes‘ team records will remain in tact. While both are leadoff hitters, they are completely different ones. As a result, while Nimmo can steal you a base, and he did lead the league in triples this past season with 7, he’s simply never catching Reyes even if we may eventually view Nimmo as the best leadoff hitter in team history.

We can come close to saying Ed Kranepool‘s one remaining team record will remain in tact. With his injury history, it’s safe to say there is just no way we can reasonably expect Nimmo to play 156 games per season. If he plays 151 like he did this past season, that is a win.

Finally, we can be assured Nimmo will not threaten Darryl Strawberry. Certainly, Pete Alonso may eventually destroy that record, but he is going to have to sign his own extension in the future to do that.

Credit: USA TODAY

While the aforementioned Mets legends are safe, Wright’s position atop the leader-boards is a little tenuous. On the bright side for Wright, Nimmo shouldn’t be in a position to surpass him in RBI. It also looks like Wright’s doubles lead may be safe but is far from secure.

One thing to remember going forward is Major League Baseball has banned the shift. That creates chances for more hits, and Nimmo should be one of many beneficiaries of this change. As a result, we may see him make a real run at Wright’s hits lead. With Nimmo’s ability to draw walks, he should claim that record as well, and with all of his times on base, Wright’s runs scored record may also fall.

In a circuitous way, that brings us to WAR or, put it another way, Wright’s standing as the best position player in Mets history. When Nimmo has played at least 140 games in a season he has surpassed that 4.0 WAR mark. The caveat is he’s only done that twice in his career. However, Nimmo will be a beneficiary of the Mets’ investments in player health, which is something we saw play out with him playing 151 games this past season.

Nimmo averaging a 4.0 WAR over the next eight seasons is very much in play. With some big seasons early in this contract, he may very well surpass Wright. Of course, who will be seen as the best position player in Mets history is usually more subjective than objective. For example, Wright is universally seen as being a better Met than Strawberry even though Strawberry averaged a higher WAR than Wright, had a better higher wRC+ than Wright, and has a World Series ring which Wright doesn’t have.

The key for Nimmo is health. That is something that has eluded him most of his career, and health is the reason why many of Wright’s records are even in reach. In the end, it will be great to see Nimmo try to surpass Wright in all of these categories, and if he does that’s a good thing because it will mean success for him and the Mets.

The post Brandon Nimmo In Position To Challenge Mets Records appeared first on Metsmerized Online.

On September 15, the Mets organization lost one of the toughest, most hard-nosed players it had ever seen, catcher John Stearns. As Joe D. wrote on MMO, for fans for of a certain age, a part of our childhood passed away that day as well.

As Joe pointed out, after the trade of Tom Seaver on June 15, 1977, Mets fans did not have much to hold. To make matters worse, the Yankees were beginning a run of consecutive World Series titles in 1977 and 1978. Like Joe, I used to argue with my Yankee-supporting friends that Stearns was better than Yankees’ catcher Thurman Munson (Stearns was not). After all, the Mets had a catcher who could steal bases!

As the Mets drifted into the abyss of the late 1970s and early 1980s, fans had Stearns, Willie Montanez (for flash purposes), and Lee Mazzilli (for a brief period, Lenny Randle too). Wins were few and far between, but “The Bad Dude” would do whatever he could to give the Mets a victory. One game from the 1978 season stands out to me (and many fans) that epitomizes the grit Stearns had on the field.

The date was June 30, and the 33-45 Mets were in Pittsburgh to take on the Pirates. The Mets were trailing 3-2 going into the ninth inning. The Mets plated four runs in the ninth, highlighted by an Ed Kranepool single on which Stearns scored, and run-scoring hits by Randle, Joel Youngblood, and Steve Henderson.

Dale Murray took the hill in the bottom of the ninth inning, trying to protect a 6-3 lead. Of course, it would not come easily. After one out, both future Met Frank Taveras and Omar Moreno singled. Dave Parker, the Bucs’ gifted right fielder who resembled a middle linebacker, tripled in both runners. Parker stood as the tying run at third base with one out. What happened next epitomized the toughness of John Stearns.

Future Mets coach, the late Bill Robinson, hit a fly ball to medium-depth right field. Youngblood, who had an outstanding throwing arm, camped under the ball, caught it, and unloaded a strike to home plate as Parker barreled down the line to try to tie the game. This was a 230-pound man, who ran very well, coming full speed at Stearns who had to make the play to preserve the win. Stearns did just that, as Parker slammed into him. In an interview on WCBS radio in 2019, Stearns reflected on the play.

“It wasn’t a deep fly ball, and I went oh my God, here we go. I knew Parker was going to tag, he was the tying run. The game was on the line. Here comes Youngblood’s throw, he one-hopped me. It was over about four feet up the first base side. I caught the ball, and without looking, I mean the game was on the line, I dove over onto the plate on both knees. I put the glove out in front of me to make the tag. So I’m straddling the plate on both knees, and I look up and Parker was about four feet from me running full speed.

I had enough time to stick the glove up. He just obliterated me. Knocked me out of the entire circular dirt area around the batter’s area. I ended up 15 feet away from home plate after he hit me. I had the ball. I held the ball up for the umpire. The umpire went ‘you’re outta there!’ The game was over and we had won. Parker was laying on the ground, holding his cheek and moaning. I got lucky. He hit his cheek on the crown of my head. He knocked the crap out of me. He came up with a broken jaw, and we came up with the win.”

That was John Stearns. Parker missed time and then wore the “c” flap after the incident. Stearns just kept battling.

RIP, John. As a Mets coach, you once said of Mike Piazza in the playoffs “the monster is out of the cage!” We’ll miss your leadership, your toughness, and your talent. Most of all, we’ll miss what you gave to a generation of Mets fans who had little else at the time.

This one hurts.

The post More Reflections On The Career of John Stearns appeared first on Metsmerized Online.