Good morning, Mets fans!

Wednesday brought another slate of four Wild Card matchups and made sure there would be no games left to play on Thursday, as all four series ended in two-game sweeps. The Texas Rangers, Minnesota Twins, Arizona Diamondbacks, and Philadelphia Phillies all advanced last night, giving themselves off until Saturday by closing out the series early. While it was a day of exciting matchups including an NL East battle, the Mets front office had their eye on one game in particular, Diamondbacks vs. Brewers.

With Arizona going into Milwaukee and taking two straight, not only is the Brewers’ season finished, but manager Craig Counsell‘s time with the Milwaukee team might be over too. Counsell, who has been at the helm since 2015, is now officially a free agent, and the Mets are allowed to talk to him regarding their open manager position.

After announcing David Stearns as the new president of baseball operations, Buck Showalter‘s job security was immediately in question, and a day before Stearns’ introduction, he was gone. Now that Stearns is in charge, the obvious choice for Mets manager would be Counsell, who was the manager during Stearns’ entire duration in Milwaukee. When asked about his future after last night’s game, Craig wouldn’t comment saying “That ain’t for tonight, man.” However, the Mets will certainly look at Counsell for their opening, and Stearns being in New York makes it a significant possibility. 

Latest Mets News

MLB finally came to a decision yesterday, as they awarded the Mets a win in their suspended game against the Miami Marlins on September 28th. All stats from the unfinished 9th inning, in which the Marlins scored two runs to take a 2-1 lead, will be erased from the record. The Mets will officially end the 2023 season with a 75-87 record.

An article by Mike Puma of the New York Post detailed how Mets GM Billy Eppler and former manager Buck Showalter “butted heads” on Daniel Vogelbach‘s playing time. A source told Puma that Eppler forced Showalter to play the struggling DH and that the manager had an issue with his limited skill set to begin with.

The voice of the Binghamton Rumble Ponies, Jacob Wilkins, will be the play-by-play announcer for a series in each round of this year’s postseason. Wilkins began on Tuesday as he was on the call for the Blue Jays vs. Twins matchup and called the series finale Wednesday.

Latest MLB News

San Diego Padres general manager A.J. Preller addressed the media yesterday in a post-season presser following a disappointing season for his club. Preller answered questions on current manager Bob Melvin‘s job security, to which he responded saying, “Bob is our manager, and he’s going to be our manager going forward.” per Dennis Lin of The Athletic.

The other major questions was regarding the team’s plans with Juan Soto, who will be a free agent next off-season, to which Preller replied that the club’s “first path” is to try and work out an extension. However, he noted, “We’ve never been a group that says no to anything. I wouldn’t read into that. That’s just kind of the way we operate.” when asked about a trade possibility, per AJ Cassavell of MLB.com. 

More news also came out of San Diego as it was announced that star third baseman Manny Machado underwent elbow surgery on Tuesday. The Padres said that Machado had a successful right elbow extensor tendon repair surgery. The timeline for his recovery is approximately four to six months, as they hope he’ll be ready for opening day in 2024.

Before clinching a spot in the NLDS, the Diamondbacks extended the constructor of the playoff team through 2028. D-Backs general manager Mike Hazen, who was originally under contract through 2025, gets a new five-year deal and keeps him in Arizona, where he has been since 2016. Along with Hazen, Arizona also extended assistant GM’s Amiel Sawdeye and Mike Fitzgerald’s contracts, per Nick Piecoro of The Arizona Republic. 

Latest on MMO

Matt Mancuso did a season recap for the Double-A Binghamton Rumble Ponies as their title bid fell just short.

Mike Mayer and Sal Manzo talked about David Stearns introduction as a Met on the MMO weekly podcast.

Who will David Stearns pick as his new manager? Ross Bentley looked at the Mets possible options. 

On This Day in Mets History

1999: The Mets take the first game of the NLDS against Randy Johnson and the Diamondbacks behind a two-home run performance from Edgardo Alfonzo. The two homers, one coming in the first and one in the ninth, contributed to the seven earned runs the Mets put up against the Hall of Fame lefty in his 8 1/3 innings pitched. 

2000: Jay Payton sends a go-ahead base hit into centerfield in the tenth inning, giving the Mets a 5-4 lead. With two outs in the bottom of the inning, Barry Bonds came to the plate as the winning run, but John Franco would freeze Bonds with a called strike three and even the NLDS up at a game a piece.

Birthdays: Rey Sánchez (56), Brent Gaff (65)

The post Morning Briefing: Craig Counsell a Free Agent After Brewers Elimination appeared first on Metsmerized Online.

Dae-Sung Koo

Pitchers at the plate and on the base paths are all but extinct. That’s what makes this moment extra special — even if it was always unique.

There was a time in which even the best left-handed major leaguers found excuses to avoid facing Randy Johnson. Dae-Sung Koo, though, had no fear. Or he didn’t know any better. Whatever the reason, the 35-year-old relief pitcher stepped into the batters’ box from the left side.

The late Tim McCarver on the FOX broadcast said what everyone was thinking: “This is the biggest give-up at-bat.”

An instant after those words were stated, Koo connected. Not just contact, but to deep center field. It went out of the reach of Bernie Williams, landed on the warning track, and bounced off the wall. Koo ended up with a double to the incredible joy of David Wright, among others. Doug Mientkiewicz covered his amusement with a towel. Mike Piazza, realized his wallet was a bit lighter after he told Wright before the swing that he’d donate to charity if Koo managed to get a hit.

Some 55,800 at Shea Stadium and those in the dugouts had witnessed a miracle. But another miracle was in store. José Reyes bunted, seemingly to advance Koo 90 feet. With Yankees’ catcher Jorge Posada lingering from the plate, Koo (wearing a jacket and still having a weighted ball in his pocket, which only adds to the zaniness quotient) broke for home.

Showing baserunning intrepidness not seen in ages, he dove head-first to try and avoid Posada’s tag. Did Posada get him in time? Umpire Chuck Meriwether said no. That’s all that matters.

“I think he made the right call,” Koo said. “If he said ‘Safe,’ then I’m safe.”

Words don’t do it justice. It must be seen to be believed. Even if you’ve seen it, and still don’t believe it, you’ll certainly want to see it again.

It’s significant when any lefty got a hit off Johnson, much less a pitcher.

Koo’s Mets career, and his major league career for that matter, lasted just one season. He made 33 appearances with a 3.91 ERA. But with all due respect, those pitching numbers are otherwise irrelevant. What he did on May 21, 2005, made him an instant Mets legend.

The post OTD 2005: The Adventures Of Dae-Sung Koo appeared first on Metsmerized Online.

The universal designated hitter has rendered pitchers at the plate and, if they’re good enough, on the basepaths virtually extinct. That makes moments like this extra special—not like it wasn’t special before.

There was a time in which even the best left-handed major leagues found excuses to avoid facing Randy Johnson. Dae-Sung Koo, though, had no fear. Or he simply didn’t know any better. Whatever the reason, the 35-year-old Mets relief pitcher stepped into the batters’ box from the left side. He defied conventional wisdom and lightened the wallet of Mike Piazza who allegedly said he’d donate to charity if Koo somehow managed a hit.

Tim McCarver said on the FOX broadcast what we were all thinking:

“This is the biggest give-up at-bat.”

An instant after those words were stated, Koo connected. Not just contact, but to deep center field. It went well out of the reach of Bernie Williams and Koo ended up with a double to the incredible joy of David Wright, among others.

Some 55,800 at Shea Stadium had witnessed a miracle of sorts. But we were only halfway through. José Reyes bunted, seemingly to advance Koo 90 feet. With Yankees catcher Jorge Posada lingering a bit from the plate, Koo (wearing a jacket and still having a weighted ball in his pocket, which only adds to the zaniness quotient) broke for home. Showing baserunning intrepidness not seen in ages, he dove head-first to try and avoid Posada’s tag. Did Posada get him in time? Umpire Chuck Meriwether said no. So we’ll leave it at that.

“I think he made the right call,” Koo said. “If he said ‘Safe,’ then I’m safe.”

Words don’t do it justice. It must be seen to be believed. Even if you’ve seen it, and still don’t believe it, you’ll certainly want to see it again.

It’s significant when any lefty got a hit off Johnson, much less a pitcher.

Koo’s Mets career, and his major league career for that matter, only lasted one season. He made 33 appearances with a 3.91 ERA. But with all due respect, those pitching numbers are otherwise irrelevant. What he did on May 21, 2005 made him an instant and permanent Mets legend. Maybe we’ll see it reenacted at an Old Timers’ Day soon.

The post OTD 2005: The Improbable Adventure of Dae-Sung Koo appeared first on Metsmerized Online.

It’s one of the enduring memories of David Wright. Hitting a drive to deep center field, leaping several times as it drifted toward the warning track, and celebrating after it went beyond the reach of Johnny Damon.

As the ball landed near the wall, it brought in Paul Lo Duca and ensured a thrilling victory in one of the best games in the history of the Subway Series—a series that carried extra significance for the Mets as they enjoyed one of their best regular seasons in recent memory with the emergence of their new face of the franchise.

In the bottom of the ninth with two outs came a match-up of two of the biggest baseball figures in the city—Wright facing future Hall-of-Famer Mariano Rivera.

David got the better of the legendary Yankees closer, a feat accomplished by few.

But at first, the match-up didn’t appear even on paper: 31-year-old Geremi González, a right-hander who two weeks ago was at Class-AAA Norfolk after five unremarkable seasons with three teams, up against left-hander Randy Johnson—another pitcher bound for Cooperstown.

As might have been expected, González found early trouble against a potent batting order. All nine Yankees batted in the first. Five recorded hits. Four of them scored.

But Carlos Beltrán nearly got all of it back on his own. After José Reyes walked and Lo Duca singled to open the bottom of the inning, Beltran parked one over the left-field fence.  Johnson, who uncharacteristically had an ERA close to 5.00, prolonged his struggle.

Robinson Canó added to the Yankee lead in the third with a sacrifice fly, but the Mets scratched their way back to even on the strength of another homer—this one a two-run shot by Xavier Nady.

The score remained tied, 6-6, heading into the ninth. The Mets’ closer, Billy Wagner, did his job—striking out the side—which now left it to the Yankees distinguished ninth-inning performer.

Tasked with facing the top of the Mets’ order, Rivera retired Reyes. But Lo Doca doubled. Beltrán struck out swinging and with first base open, the Yanks had a decision: face Delgado or go after Wright.

The power hitting lefty was intentionally walked in favor of the 23-year-old third baseman.

On a 2-2 pitch, Rivera threw his patented cutter down in the strike zone. The Mets’ future captain delivered the signature moment in his young and bright career.

“To come through in the Subway Series, versus a team like the Yankees, it’s special,” Wright said. “You can say as much as you want that it’s just another game, but there was a lot more energy tonight.”

The post OTD 2006: David Wright’s Subway Series Walk-Off appeared first on Metsmerized Online.

Throughout the years, there have been many Mets players who were on the team for such a short period of time, you’d be hard-pressed to find anything of interest to remind you that they were ever on the team. Mention the names Matt Wise, Lino Urdaneta and Jon Switzer to most Mets fans and they’ll have no clue who you’re talking about, even though all of these players appeared in games for the Mets in the 21st century.

Neither player – they were all pitchers, by the way – spent more than a few months on the major league roster and none of them accomplished anything of note to endear themselves to those fortunate Mets fans who actually saw them play and can vouch that they were not a figment of our collective imaginations.

But every once in a while, there comes a short-term player who saves himself from blue-and-orange obscurity by doing something that no one expected to see him do on a baseball field. Occasionally, that player will accomplish his feat in front of a sellout crowd. And sometimes, that packed house will witness that player cementing his legacy against a Hall of Fame pitcher on a legendary team.

Those who were in attendance at Shea Stadium on May 21, 2005 can confirm that one such player will never be forgotten.

Dae-Sung Koo was a journeyman pitcher before he ever stepped on a mound in the United States. From 1993 to 2000, he pitched in the Korean Baseball Organization, winning the league’s Most Valuable Player Award in 1996 when he notched 18 wins, 24 saves and posted a league-best 1.88 ERA.

He then spent the next four years of his professional career pitching in the Japanese Pacific League before announcing his desire to play in the major leagues.  Koo was courted by both New York teams, but chose the Mets over their crosstown rivals because the Yankees took too much time to make him an offer.

Upon his arrival at the Mets’ spring training facility in Port St. Lucie, Florida, the 35-year-old southpaw immediately let it be known how he wanted to be identified, knowing that his new teammates and fans could have a problem with his name.

“For Americans, my first name is very hard to pronounce,” said Koo through his interpreter. “Over here, I will go by my last name only.  My teammates can call me Koo.”

And thus, the legend of Mr. Koo was born.

Although Mr. Koo was a grizzled veteran with a dozen years of professional baseball experience, he was not a lock to break camp with the Mets in 2005. At Port St. Lucie, Mr. Koo was competing with the likes of Matt Ginter, Scott Stewart and Scott Strickland for a coveted spot in the bullpen. Ginter, Stewart and Strickland did not come north with the team. Mr. Koo did.

Mr. Koo got off to a fast start in the big leagues, allowing no runs in his first six appearances and holding hitters to a .200 batting average and .294 on-base percentage. As with most newcomers to the majors, Mr. Koo had some blemishes during his first few months, allowing three runs to the Washington Nationals in a mop-up role on April 23 and a game-tying three-run homer in an outing against the Chicago Cubs sixteen days later. But even those hiccups didn’t hurt Mr. Koo or the Mets, as the team was victorious in both efforts.

By late May, Mr. Koo had become the team’s top left-handed reliever, as fellow southpaw Mike Matthews (10.80 ERA in six appearances) failed miserably and was designated for assignment before completing his first month in a Mets uniform.  hat made Mr. Koo a valuable asset when the Mets squared off against the Yankees – a team loaded with left-handed hitters and switch hitters – during the Shea Stadium portion of the Subway Series.  But no one could have expected that his bat and legs would be just as important as his arm.

On May 21, the Mets entered the seventh inning of their showdown with the Yankees with a slim 2-0 lead. But after Alex Rodriguez singled off Mets starter Kris Benson to lead off the inning, manager Willie Randolph decided to bring in his lefty specialist to fan the flames. Mr. Koo would have to face Tino Martinez, Jorge Posada and Robinson Cano – all left-handed hitters – with each batter representing the tying run as long as Rodriguez was on base.  Unfortunately for the Yankees, A-Rod wasn’t on base very long.

On a 1-1 pitch from Mr. Koo, Rodriguez took off for second base.  But upon realizing he was going to be thrown out by catcher Mike Piazza, Rodriguez retreated to first base, only to be tagged out by first baseman Doug Mientkiewicz.  Without the added pressure of facing the tying run, Mr. Koo proceeded to strike out Martinez and Posada to end the inning and give his manager an interesting problem.

Mr. Koo pitched quite well in the top half of the seventh, but was due to lead off for the Mets in the bottom half of the inning. Meanwhile, the Yankees still had the lefty-swinging Robinson Cano due to bat first in the eighth inning and the Mets had no other southpaws in the bullpen. Keeping that in mind, Randolph decided to let Mr. Koo bat for himself to lead off the bottom of the seventh against hard-throwing lefty Randy Johnson.

In his short major league career, Mr. Koo had never swung the bat in a game. That’s not to say that he hadn’t had an at-bat in a game.  Just five days earlier, Mr. Koo had his first plate appearance when he strolled up to the plate against the Cincinnati Reds, but kept the bat on his shoulders as he watched three strikes from Todd Coffey go untouched into the catcher’s mitt.

No one will ever confuse Todd Coffey with Randy Johnson.  So no one would have been upset or surprised had Mr. Koo also taken three straight strikes from the flame-throwing Yankee. Well, no one except Mr. Koo, that is.

After Johnson’s first two pitches to Mr. Koo – both of which were taken by the Mets reliever – FOX analyst Tim McCarver opined that Mr. Koo was going to be completely overmatched by the future Hall of Famer, basically saying that the 35-year-old “rookie” might as well just give up against Johnson.

“I’m just going to go out on a limb and say that this is, thus far in this young season, this is the biggest give-up at-bat.”

Before McCarver had even finished his statement, Mr. Koo had already taken the bat off his shoulders for the first time in his short career, taking a hack at Johnson’s third pitch. To everyone’s amazement and amusement, Mr. Koo made solid contact, driving the ball over the head of center fielder Bernie Williams, who was playing as shallow as can be expected against a hitter of Mr. Koo’s caliber.

The ball landed just in front of the center field fence, approximately 400 feet from home plate. Mr. Koo rounded second base and thought about stretching his first major league hit to a triple, but thought better of it, choosing to remain at second base.

With the energetic crowd and his teammates in the dugout all serenading him with a thunderous “KOOOOOOOOO!!!“, Johnson turned away from the unlikely slugger and prepared to face shortstop and leadoff hitter Jose Reyes. On Johnson’s second pitch, Reyes dropped a successful sacrifice bunt, moving Mr. Koo to third base and putting him in position to score on something other than a hit. Except the next batter never got a chance to drive him in, because by the time No. 2 hitter Miguel Cairo stepped up to the plate, Mr. Koo had already crossed it.

When Reyes dropped his bunt, catcher Jorge Posada ran out to field the ball and throw it to first. Johnson, perhaps still disgusted with himself for allowing a hit to a relief pitcher who had never swung the bat in a major league game, forgot to cover the plate. Johnson’s mental fart allowed an astute Mr. Koo to round third and make a break for home. Posada raced back and took first baseman Tino Martinez’s throw about ten feet in front of the plate, then lunged toward a diving Mr. Koo.

With Reyes’s bat resting across the batter’s box, Mr. Koo used a head-first slide as he somehow maneuvered around both Reyes’s lumber and the lumbering Posada before looking up to see that home plate umpire Chuck Meriwether had called him safe. The daring base running by Mr. Koo gave the Mets a 3-0 lead, and gave Mets fans (and Tim McCarver) something they would talk about long after they left Shea Stadium that afternoon.

Following Mr. Koo’s 360-foot Tour de Flushing, the Mets added another run in the seventh on a solo home run by Cairo just moments after Mr. Koo had scampered home. They tacked on three additional runs an inning later to blow the game wide open. By then, Mr. Koo’s day was already done, as he exited to a thunderous ovation from the 55,800 fans in attendance after striking out Robinson Cano in the top of the eighth. The Mets won the game handily, 7-1, leaving the Yankees to wonder about the Koo-tastrophe that had occurred before their stunned eyes.

Prior to May 21, 2005, Randy Johnson had excelled against the Mets, going 6-3 with a 2.32 ERA and 1.09 WHIP in ten regular season starts. But beginning with the game of Mr. Koo’s life, Johnson struggled mightily versus New York’s National League squad. The Big Unit shriveled in his last six starts versus the Mets, going 0-4 with an ungodly 7.90 ERA and 1.75 WHIP.

Johnson’s 6-7 lifetime record against the Mets was the only losing mark he posted against any National League team. The 4.26 ERA he put up in 16 career starts was also his worst against any of the sixteen Senior Circuit squads. (Houston moved to the American League in 2013, four years after Johnson retired.)

As for Mr. Koo, he never batted again for the Mets, appearing exclusively on the mound for each of his final 15 appearances on a major league diamond. Perhaps it was for the best that Mr. Koo never took a bat in his hands again, as two weeks after he completed his memorable day on the mound, at the plate and around the bases, Mr. Koo was placed on the disabled list with a rotator cuff injury that he suffered during his Slide Heard ‘Round The World.

Despite pitching well upon his return from the DL, posting a 1.04 ERA in 11 appearances, Mr. Koo was optioned to AAA-Norfolk in late August and was designated for assignment a month later. He never pitched again in the majors, but that didn’t deter him, as he still pitched in the Australian League at 48 years old and was ejected from a game in 2014.

In 33 appearances with the Mets during his only season with the team in 2005, Mr. Koo did not record a win, loss or save. His 33 career appearances remain the most by any pitcher in franchise history whose name never appeared in the win column, loss column or save column. But just because he had a zero in all three categories doesn’t mean he couldn’t be a hero for one glorious day in 2005.

Dae-Sung Koo was respectfully known as Mr. Koo by his teammates and fans. And although he barely played for the Mets, he earned his respect with an unlikely series of events that made him the talk of the town during a spring weekend in 2005. The Subway Series made household names out of players like Dave Mlicki, Matt Franco and Shawn Estes. It did the same for a journeyman pitcher from South Korea.

When he first came to the Mets, Mr. Koo didn’t expect anyone to know how to pronounce his first name.  But by the end of his short tenure on the team, everyone certainly knew his last name.  Fifty-five thousand Koo-ing fans can vouch for that.

Check out studiousmetsimus.blogspot.com for more articles like this.

The post The Legend of Dae-Sung Koo appeared first on Metsmerized Online.

The Mets had made the postseason for the first time in 11 years, but didn’t make it easy. Over a span of about two weeks, Bobby Valentine’s team went from being comfortably in the postseason to perilously being on the outside — only to stare elimination in the face and overcome it.

New York needed to win two of three final regular-season games just to have a chance at the playoffs. It won all three, which set up a one-game playoff in Cincinnati. The Mets won that, too. Less than 24 hours after claiming the Wild Card, they were in Arizona to take on a franchise in its second year of existence and faced Randy Johnson, coming off the first of his four straight Cy Young seasons. But the Mets — and most significantly their star second baseman — proved able to conquer this challenge, too

Here are some highlights from the Mets’ first postseason game victory since ’88:

• Providing analysis on the ESPN broadcast is the man who claimed MVP in the last postseason series won by the Mets, Ray Knight.
• Despite the short turnaround, Alfonzo did not appear any worse for the wear. At 12:20, just like he did the night before in Cincinnati, Fonzie delivers another homer in the opening inning.
• John Olerud doesn’t have an issue with the powerful left-hander, as he takes the Big Unit deep at 57:33 with Rickey Henderson aboard.
• With the score knotted in the top of the ninth, Johnson loaded the bases and exited with one out. Henderson had a chance to give the Mets the lead, but a fabulous play by Matt Williams at 2:48:37 created a force at home.
• It didn’t take long before that run-saving play was forgotten. Alfonzo added to his October heroics with a long drive at 2:51:30 that barely stayed fair and completely silenced the Arizona crowd.

The post Mets Video Vault: 1999 NLDS Game 1 appeared first on Metsmerized Online.

It was a rainy day sometime in the spring of 2001.

I had a tee ball game behind the local high school before it was cut short due to a swift, strong downpour of rain.

We were almost home before my dad realized he had left his mitt, a thoroughly broken-in, tan Rawlings with a fake George Brett autograph on the palm, at the field.

We turned his 1988 red Jeep Grand Cherokee around, he grabbed it off the top of a pole where he left it, and ran back to the car.

When we got back into the friendly streets of my neighborhood, we stopped at the pharmacy down the street from my house and my parents bought me a couple packs of 2001 Topps.

Even to this day when I see the design, I get a warm, fuzzy feeling.

Back then, baseball cards were my obsession. Being only six-years-old, I didn’t know much about the hobby, or a lot of the players on the card in front of me, but I couldn’t get enough of it nonetheless.

My grandma even brings up to this day how I could tell you the stats of a player on the back of the card without even looking at it — and get it correctly!

That rainy day, I remember pulling a Randy Johnson card and my parents telling me how good he was. So I got home, put it in my card binder, and cherished it.

A couple weeks later, my grandpa took me to the park and tossed me some baseballs, then took me to get a slice of pizza. When we sat down, he pulled out a pack of cards from his pocket and slid it across the table from me.

I didn’t realize it then, but this was an important baseball milestone for me. Not only would I pull a card of someone who wound up being my favorite player of all-time, but it would solidify my love for the game in general in one fell swoop.

The pack was 2000 Fleer Focus (one of my favorite card designs to this day), and the second or third card in was of Mike Piazza.

I stood up and screamed, “I got a Piazza! I got a Piazza!” which elicited some strange looks from the pizza consumers around me.

Over the next seven or eight years, I collected baseball cards and bought them every chance I got. From then-current day to ’80s junk wax, I just loved looking at the pictures and building my hobby. It was a keepsake that told a little story.

Sometime in high school, I just sort of stopped. I became enthralled with the theater and student government and music that I drifted away from my childhood pastime.

And then came last summer. I’d be lying if I said it was an easy one.

We had to put my childhood pet of 15 years down after he got sick quickly. I graduated from college. Had a Lyme Disease scare. A close family friend died. It was a lot to take in.

A lot of days, it was hard to be passionate about anything. I was just going through the motions and didn’t really know what to do with myself.

I don’t know why, but baseball cards entered my mind. I went to YouTube and just typed in something simple like, “opening baseball card packs.” And I was surprised to see that it’s actually a pretty happening hobby still (maybe even more so than when I collected 10 years ago).

I became so invested in these videos, and would watch them whenever I got a chance. It was a little escape.

I slowly learned what the hot products on the market this year were and which ones were coming out. I learned about short print variations, the hot rookies, highly sought after cards. Everything.

It was awesome. When I was a kid, I collected more haphazardly. There was no method to my madness, I just collected anything and everything. But being older, learning about the ins and outs of the hobby, made me a more wise collector.

And collecting again is what I began doing.

If you follow me on Twitter, you’ll notice that I usually share the cards that I pull from packs or purchase on eBay. I usually collect the Mets, but I’m also a sucker for other young studs like Harrison Bader, Juan Soto, and Francisco Mejia.

https://twitter.com/rtpiers/status/1048692288459886592

I even started a YouTube channel where you can watch me crack open packs.

I look back on last summer and am glad it’s over. I’m in a better place now, and the future looks optimistic. But in a way, a good thing from last summer was getting back into the hobby and which in some sense, helped me get on my feet again.

Cards are such a cool thing to keep you connected to the game. It kind of makes me laugh though. Something that was a hobby of mine when I was a six-year-old is something I love again now that I’m 23. But it’s so, so different now than it was then. Not in a bad way, I just appreciate it differently.

Ever wanna talk cards, shoot me a Tweet! I’ll be waiting.

The post What Collecting Baseball Cards Means to Me appeared first on Metsmerized Online.

On May 17, 2019, New York Mets starter Jacob deGrom took the mound to face the lowly Miami Marlins. The reigning Cy Young Award winner had soundly defeated the same Marlins six days earlier, allowing one runs and five hits over seven innings. But in this outing, things were different. DeGrom allowed seven runs on nine hits and lost for the fifth time in six decisions. His record stood at 3-5 with a 3.98 ERA.

“I feel like I was trying to better what I did in 2018,” deGrom said Wednesday in a conference call,  “I think that was something I struggled with to start this year, was kind of dwelling on what happened last year. Kind of not focusing on the task ahead as much as I probably should have.”

He righted the ship over his last 23 starts pitching to a 1.89 ERA. For the season, deGrom finished 11-8 with a 2.43 ERA, 255 strikeouts in 204 innings (tops in the National League) and a 167 ERA+. Wednesday, he was named the NL Cy Young Award winner for the second consecutive year becoming the 21st pitcher in MLB history to win multiple Cy Young Awards and the 11th to win it in consecutive seasons. He becomes the first pitcher in franchise history to win the award in back-to-back seasons.

“It was a dream to play this game and a dream to win one Cy Young,” he said. “To win back to back was a goal. It’s hard to explain. You set these goals, but it almost doesn’t feel real yet.”

Of the 10 pitchers to achieve the feat before him, five of them – Jim Palmer, Pedro Martinez, Sandy Koufax, Greg Maddux and Randy Johnson – are in the Hall of Fame. Roger Clemens’  accomplishments would have him in the Hall of Fame if not for the steroid scandal. Clayton Kershaw and Max Scherzer are well on their way to Cooperstown. Denny McLain is the one starter who was not voted in and it is improbable that Tim Lincecum will receive the necessary votes.

With the win on Wednesday, Mets pitchers have now won 7 Cy Young Awards, tied for second in MLB history. Tom Seaver has three (1969, 1973, 1975), Dwight Gooden (1985), R.A. Dickey (2012) and Jacob deGrom with two ( 2018, 2019) comprise the list of Mets awardees. Only the Los Angeles Dodgers with 12, have more Cy Youngs.

The Mets are one of three teams to have a Cy Young award winner and a 50 home run hitter in the same year. Pete Alonso, who was named Rookie of the Year on Monday, stroked 53 homers for New York, the most in franchise history in a single season. The 1961 New York Yankees had two player hit at least 50 HRs in Mickey Mantle and Roger Maris while Whitey Ford won the Cy Young the same year. In 2001, the Arizona Diamondbacks’ Luis Gonzalez  hit 57 four-baggers and Randy Johnson won the Cy Young. The 2019 Mets now join the list. The first two teams each won the World Series, while the Mets, unfortunately, are the only team in MLB history to have stand-alone ROY and CYA winner in the same year and not make the playoffs.

DeGrom, 31, also is a Rookie of the Year award winner, having copped the distinction in 2014. He now joins Tom Seaver and Justin Verlander as the only multiple CYA winners to have won ROY as well. Verlander’s name was also added to the list on Wednesday as he won his second Cy Young award.

Further illustrating deGrom’s brilliance, he is one of six players ever to post consecutive seasons with at least 250 strikeouts and an ERA below 2.50. The other five (who are all in the Hall of Fame) are: Sandy Koufax (1965 and 1966), Jim Bunning (1966, 1967), Bob Gibson (1968, 1969), Pedro Martinez (1999, 2000) and Randy Johnson (2001, 2002). Only Gibson and Bunning did not win two Cy Young Awards over that span.

DeGrom, a three time All-Star, has 6 years in the majors and has posted two seasons of at least 200.0 IP with an ERA under 2.50 and a WHIP under 1.000. The last three pitchers to accomplish this in their first six years were Clayton Kershaw, Tom Seaver and Juan Marichal.

What about three straight Cy Young Awards?

“I haven’t looked at the three in a row (list),” deGrom said to reporters on Wednesday. “Definitely aware of it. It’s tough explain. While you’re still playing, you’re always trying to get better. Maybe a little in the offseason, reflect a little. Now, starting to focus on 2020 and find a way to get outs . …Definitely aware of guys have done that and two back-to-back Cy Young Award winners. I’m honored to even be mentioned with those guys.”

Since 1956, when the CYA was first presented, there have been two pitchers who have won the award at least three straight years: Greg Maddux and Randy Johnson, each of whom won four straight.

All in all, an impressive start of a career for the Florida native who played shortstop and was a closer before he became a starting pitcher in college. He was undrafted out of high school and was the 272nd pick overall in the 2010 MLB draft taken in the ninth round. Now his name is further etched in the record books as he has become one of the foremost pitchers of his generation. He is a man of steely grit and determination, who seems to pitch better when he is in a jam.

Mets fans will have the luxury of seeing deGrom pitch as a New York Met until at least 2024, as in spring training he signed a five-year, $137.5 million contract extension with an option for the 2024 season.

The post Jacob DeGrom Racking Up Accolades During Historic Run appeared first on Metsmerized Online.

Noah Syndergaard had a very weird start on Monday night in the Mets 7-6 extra inning win over the Phillies. He gave up a five runs in five innings but also managed to get 9 strikeouts and got unlucky at times.

In the first inning, Noah worked around an infield hit in the first inning and struck out Bryce Harper and Andrew McCutchen while doing so. He mostly went with his sinker and slider in that inning. In the second, he worked around a one-out single but also managed to strikeout J.T. Realmuto.

The third inning is when the wheels loosened for Syndergaard. He walked Aaron Nola albeit with the help of a few missed calls. He also gave up a double to Andrew McCutchen. He did manage to strikeout Jean Segura but Harper followed with a RBI single moments later. Despite striking out Rhys Hoskins, he gave up a two-run single to Realmuto.

Here is a photo of his pitch locations from that inning.

(Courtesy of Baseball Savant)

There were about three pitches that could have been called a strike in that inning. The inning and the at-bat to Nola would have ended far differently than it would have.

The fourth was similar too, in that he got the lead but could not hold it. He gave up a single to Cesar Hernandez and a homer to Maikel Franco. He got himself into more trouble by giving up a hit to Nick Williams and Segura (sandwiched between a McCutchen strikeout). Fortunately though, he got Harper to hit into a double play and end the threat.

The fifth inning was pretty quiet all things considered. He struck out Hoskins and worked around a walk to Realmuto by striking out Odubel Hererra.

For the most part, Noah’s pitches were up in the strike zone.

(Courtesy of Baseball Savant)

As I have mentioned before, Noah does not generate a lot of spin on any of his pitches. For him to be great, he needs to locate it very well. He will get a lot of swings and misses regardless of his location due to his velocity but location will be what makes him great.

It was a cold night, he was facing a stacked lineup, and had some calls go against him. I expect him to better next time around when he faces the Cardinals.

Also in this game, Noah got his 600th strikeout. Ryan Spaeder noted some of the guys on the list that he beat to 600. Some of those include Nolan Ryan, Max Scherzer, Clayton Kershaw, Roger Clemens, and Randy Johnson. Yeah it is a different era, I am aware. Still a cool thing none the less.

The post It’s Not Always Syndergaard in Philly appeared first on Metsmerized Online.

Over the past decade, there seems to have been a shift in the MVP voting. While it has traditionally been an awarded given to the best player or a difference maker on a postseason contender, there has been an increasing push to give the award to the best player.

Largely, this is the reason why we have seen Mike Trout win the 2016 AL MVP over Mookie Betts despite the Angels being under .500 and in fourth place in the AL West. It was also the reason Giancarlo Stanton won last year.

Trout was hardly unique in winning the MVP despite playing for a second division team. Alex Rodriguez won the 2003 MVP because not only was he by far the best player in the American League, but there was also no real position player who emerged as a legitimate contender for the award. The other classic example was Andre Dawson winning the 1987 NL MVP. He won because by that generation’s standards 49 homers and 137 RBI were far too much to be ignored.

In addition to under players from under .500 teams winning the MVP, we have also seen pitchers win an MVP. In fact, there have been seven starting pitchers and three relievers to win the award. What is interesting is two of the pitchers who have been named MVP have come in the past decade. The first was Justin Verlander, who won the Cy Young and MVP in 2011. The other was Clayton Kershaw, who won both awards in 2014.

Up until this point, we have not seen a starting pitcher from under .500 team win the MVP award. Perhaps with the historic season he has had, it is time Jacob deGrom becomes that pitcher.

Looking at the league leaders, deGrom leads the National League with a 10.0 WAR. Despite the epic run Christian Yelich was on to close out the season, deGrom’s WAR was 2.4 points higher.

Now, if you go through the past decade of MVP award voting, there has only been one player who has amassed a WAR of at least 10.0. That was Bryce Harper who was the unanimous 2015 NL MVP. As an important side note, Zack Greinke, who had a 9.7 WAR and 1.66 ERA finished seventh. Moreover, the lowest WAR for an MVP award winner was Joey Votto who had a 7.0 WAR in 2010.

Digging a little deeper, no one with a WAR of at least 10.0 has not won the MVP award in the National League since 2001. That year Sammy Sosa and his 10.3 WAR lost to Barry Bonds and his 11.3 WAR. Previous to Sosa losing, the last time a National League player had a WAR of at least 10.0 and did not win the MVP was 1964 when Willie Mays lost to Ken Boyer. To a certain extent, you could make the case a 10.0 WAR is one of those magic thresholds which should merit you the MVP award.

One of the reasons why National Leaguers who have accumulated at least 10.0 WAR have won the MVP is because it is a truly astonishing feat. The National League was founded in 1876. In the 142 year history of the National League, there are just nine position players who have ever amassed a 10.0 WAR: Rogers Hornsby, Barry Bonds, Honus Wagner, Willie Mays, Stan Musial, Joe Morgan, Sammy Sosa, Ernie Banks, and Bryce Harper. All nine of these players have at least one MVP award.

This century, there are just two National League pitchers to have at least a 10.0 WAR – Randy Johnson and deGrom. Johnson didn’t win the MVP the years he amassed over a 10.0 WAR partially because Bonds was putting up historic numbers while posting a higher WAR.

In fact, over the last 50 years, only Dwight Gooden, Bob Gibson, Steve Carlton, Tom Seaver, Phil Niekro, Johnson, and deGrom have a WAR of 10.0 or higher. With the exception of Gooden, each of these pitchers were Hall of Famers. With the exception of Niekro, these were first ballot Hall of Famers.

That’s the level of season deGrom just had. It was not just all-time great, it was Hall of Fame great.

With his 24 consecutive quality starts, he broke the record Bob Gibson and Chris Carpenter shared. He has set a single season Major League record with 29 consecutive starts allowing three earned runs or less. He’s the only pitcher since 1900 to have a season where he has has at least 250 strikeouts, 50 or fewer walks, 10 or fewer home runs allowed, and an ERA under 2.00.

Overall, Jacob deGrom did just have a great season, he just had an all-time great season. In fact, his 2018 season is on the short list for the greatest seasons a pitcher has ever had. Certainly, that’s more than enough for him to win the Cy Young. It should also be enough for him to win the MVP Award.

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