Robin Ventura finished his major league career with 18 grand slams. But it’s a hit that only looked like a grand slam which is his signature Mets moment and a unique ending to a 15-inning, five-hour and 46-minute postseason classic. For a team that spent three weeks walking a tightrope, Game 5 of the National League Championship Series against the rival Atlanta Braves was the latest (and...
This was three years in the making. No player in Mets history had more hype surrounding him than Darryl Strawberry. He went 0-for-4 with three strikeouts, two walks, and a stolen base in a 13-inning victory on a Friday night. But the mere fact that the team’s proclaimed savior was officially on a major league diamond was worth celebrating. Even still, the debuts of hot prospects...
This was a no-hitter regardless of how you viewed it or how many pitchers it took. The Mets waited more than 50 years for their first: Johan Santana providing the entirety of the 134 tosses on a Friday night at Citi Field. They waited nearly 10 years for the next one: also on a Friday night, also at Citi Field, but using five pitchers to deliver the 159 needed against the Philadelphia Phillies....
Five-and-two-thirds innings into his outing against the San Diego Padres at Shea Stadium on April 22, 1970, Tom Seaver had faced 22 batters. Two managed hits and nine struck out. For an ordinary pitcher, it would be a great day. For Seaver, who in three seasons had established himself as arguably the best at his position, it was any other day. Seaver would eventually deliver a performance...
His contributions to the Mets are measured in quality, not quantity. Injuries deprived us of knowing whether or not Johan Santana could’ve reached the expectations placed on him when he came to New York 15 years ago. He won two Cy Young Awards with the Minnesota Twins while solidifying himself as the premiere starting pitcher in baseball. The Mets were intent on avenging a late-season...
On January 22, 2001, the Mets’ center fielder from their 1969 championship team, Tommie Agee, suffered a heart attack in Manhattan and passed away hours later. The Magnolia, Alabama native was 58 years old. Agee was traded to the Mets by the Chicago White Sox before the 1968 season, in a deal that also brought Al Weis to Queens. Weis would go on to hit a famous home run in the 1969 World...
It was the first significant move of the Steve Cohen era. Francisco Lindor had been rumored to be a trade candidate that offseason and speculation was that the New York Mets were an ideal fit. But when news broke that the Mets had acquired the superstar shortstop from Cleveland, there was little notice it was going to happen. Nevertheless, the surprise was certainly a pleasant one for Mets fans....
His statistics minus context would have guaranteed him election on the first ballot. A 143 OPS+, a career .308 batting average, six seasons with at least 100 RBIs, plus 427 home runs. Impressive numbers made more so because of where he played on the field. The unofficial title of “Greatest Hitting Catcher” was deservedly given to Mike Piazza as his career concluded and as he...
It took five years, six months, and one day for the Mets to try and atone for their greatest mistake. With the Cincinnati Reds, Tom Seaver compiled a record of 75-46 with an ERA of 3.18 and a 116 ERA+ while also tossing his only no-hitter. No amount of time, five-plus years or five minutes, was sufficient for Mets fans to adjust to seeing their favorite in colors other than orange and blue. In...
By the end of the 1984 season, the New York Mets had crawled out from their cellar-dwelling. They improved by 22 wins from the 1983 season and finished second in the NL East. New York was strong at first base with Keith Hernandez, powerful in the outfield with a young Darryl Strawberry, and potent in the rotation with an even younger Dwight Gooden. The glaring weakness of this team was...
Perhaps the most important trade in Mets’ history wasn’t even for a player. In the story of a franchise, there are a few seminal moments. The acquisition and appointment of Gil Hodges as manager is definitely one of them. He had been a Met, a member of the original 1962 club in the twilight of his playing career. More famously, Hodges was a significant part of the Dodgers’ success in...
Darryl Strawberry is the most hyped player and the best power hitter the Mets ever produced. His arrival to the majors in early May ’83 marked a sign of progress for a franchise searching for hope. After a slow start, Strawberry began to fulfill those enormous expectations and became the third Met to take the National League Rookie of the Year honors, joining Tom Seaver (1967) and Jon...
