While Brett Baty has struggled in the majors, would the Mets trade him to a division rival? According to Mike Puma of the New York Post, the answer to that question is no.

Puma reported that NL East foes the Miami Marlins were one of multiple teams who enquired about Baty’s availability leading up to last week’s trade deadline. However, the Mets had no intention of doing so.

Gregory Fisher-USA TODAY Sports

Baty has a slash line of .215/282./.325 in 169 career MLB games since his 2022 debut and an OPS+ of 71. However, at Triple-A Syracuse this season, he has a slash line of .260/.360/.497, hitting 11 home runs and driving in 34 runs.

Baty’s been taking reps at second base in recent games, with Puma mentioning the organization sees value in increasing his versatility.

Puma said it’s a possibility that Baty will return to the majors in September when rosters expand.

Latest Mets News

Sean Manaea had another strong outing in a 6-0 win over the Cardinals, an important win in a makeup game with the team directly behind them in the Wild Card.

As of this morning, the Braves, Diamondback and Padres are all tied for the three Wild Card spots. The Mets are 1.5 games behind all three with seven games against the D’backs and Padres at the end of the month.

Luis Severino (7-4, 3.93) will take the mound against Kyle Freeland (3-4, 5.64) as the Mets (59-53) open their series against the Colorado Rockies (41-72) at 8:40 p.m.

Brandon Sproat has been named the Minor League Baseball Pitcher of the Week.

Latest MLB News

The Atlanta Braves recalled pitcher Bryce Elder to the majors and placed pitcher Reynaldo Lopez on the 15-day injured list. Lopez last pitched against the Mets over a week ago.

The Los Angeles Dodgers designated Cavan Biggio for assignment to make room for Freddie Freeman, who returned from the restricted list.

Latest on MMO

Johnluke Chaparro wrote about the Mets’ problems with runners in scoring position.

Sean Manaea and J.D. Martinez are this week’s players of the week.

Andrew Steele-Davis looks at the positives and negatives of the Mets series in Anaheim.

This Day in Mets History

1975: Less than two years after leading the Mets to a National League Pennant, the team cut ties with manager Yogi Berra. Berra had a 292-296 record in more than three seasons as Mets manager and a 56-53 record when he was let go.

Birthdays: Wilmer Flores (33), Victor Zambrano (49)

The post Morning Briefing: Marlins Showed Interest in Brett Baty appeared first on Metsmerized Online.

The passion exuded by redhead Daniel Joseph Staub was not outward. He was a gentle soul with a quiet intensity underneath. He ensured each season, each game, and each at-bat had his utmost attention.

Staub didn’t become the first player to tally at least 500 hits with four clubs by accident. He totaled 11,229 plate appearances over the course of a career that encompassed 2,951 games. The 1973 season was not Staub’s best, but it was the closest he ever got to a World Series title. Despite a key injury during that postseason, he nearly willed his team to the ring.

Staub came to New York from Montreal, where he was embraced, unlike any player in that franchise’s history. “Le Grand Orange” represented the Expos’ early years. However, the locals were forced to deal with the news of a trade to Queens in April 1972. Gil Hodges, shortly before his death, insisted on getting Staub to strengthen a weak Mets offense. The Expos agreed to part with Rusty in exchange for three youngsters.

Just as the trade was devastating to Montreal’s fan base, New York reveled in getting someone of Staub’s caliber—someone who could add spice to a lineup that was getting rather bland.

Staub, who had played well for perennial second-division clubs, fed off the talent around him and the Mets benefited from Rusty’s arrival. New York jumped out by winning 25 of its first 32. Staub’s insertion in the cleanup spot expanded the possibilities of the offense and lessened pressure on Tommie Agee and Cleon Jones. Combined with their usual supply of great pitching, the Mets were six games up on Pittsburgh by May 21.

The good times, though, would end abruptly. Staub, hitting .315 with eight homers and 31 RBIs, was plunked on the right hand by a pitch from soon-to-be teammate George Stone of Atlanta on June 3. Although he tried to fight through the pain, the soreness was too much. X-rays disclosed a fractured hamate bone. It was part of an epidemic that engulfed the Mets, as Agee, Jones, and others were also set back by injuries. When Rusty went on the disabled list, the

Mets were perched in first place. When he came back on September 18, the Mets were 16.5 games out. The start of the 1973 season charted an all-too-familiar and unwelcome pattern. Staub couldn’t shake the injury that derailed his ’72 campaign, while other vital members of the Mets succumbed to similar fates.

He missed only 10 games but couldn’t get the Mets out of last place. With a little more than a month left in the regular season, they were still in the NL East cellar. A grand slam on August 27 against San Diego helped to forge New York’s resurgence.

Staub stayed at the forefront by batting .321 with five homers, 21 RBIs, and 24 runs scored over the final 33 games. He ended on a 15-game hitting streak, going 4-for-5 with two runs scored and an RBI in a 6–4 NL East clincher in Chicago.

His scorching bat kept blazing in the third game of the NLCS. Two home runs in two at-bats gave him three for the series and jump-started the Mets to a 9–2 victory that put them on the precipice of an unlikely pennant. Staub’s offense decidedly won Game 3 and his defense almost won Game 4.

Rusty made an over-the-shoulder grab in the top of the sixth to preserve the Mets’ slim 1–0 lead. In the 11th, Dan Driessen had what appeared to be a tie-breaking extra-base hit, but Staub raced back to the warning track and hauled it in.

This valiant effort, though, came with a price. As Staub secured the catch, he careened into the right-center-field wall. Though he pressed on through the Reds’ 12-inning victory, a separated shoulder made him unavailable for the deciding Game 5.

Staub’s status remained in doubt heading into the World Series. The designated hitter, introduced during that regular season, was not implemented for the Fall Classic. Manager Yogi Berra chose to sacrifice Rusty’s limitations in the field for what he could do at the plate.

Though he toughed it out, Staub’s shoulder pain forced him to throw submarine-style. It had no effect on his hitting, though. Staub batted .423 against Oakland, hitting safely in each of the six games he played. He drove in five of the Mets’ six runs while belting a pair of homers in a Game 4 victory that helped New York draw even with the A’s.

But Staub’s weary body could only take the Mets so far. Despite going 2-for-4 in the seventh game, driving in one of his team’s two runs, New York produced little else in a 5–2 defeat that gave Oakland the title.

Both the Mets and their outfielder regressed in 1974, but Staub rebounded the next year to have his best performance yet—becoming the first player in team history to surpass 100 RBIs in a single season.

A year like 1975 should’ve made him an indispensable piece to a team lacking in run-producing hitters. But team chairman M. Donald Grant had a fondness for bad ideas. Planting seeds of public discontent that would grow in the coming years, he sent Staub to Detroit for a prospect and a washed-up Mickey Lolich.

Staub returned in the early 80s to finish his lengthy career. From there, his popularity and impact in New York only got bigger.

The post Spirit of ’73: Rusty Staub appeared first on Metsmerized Online.

Yogi Berra.

We’re looking back at the 50th anniversary of the Mets’ 1973 National League pennant-winning team by examining the most inspirational figures of that remarkable run. We continue with the leader of this club, a Hall of Fame catcher known for his exceptional play and unique sayings to become a New York baseball legend and an American icon.

By 1973, no baseball fan didn’t know Yogi Berra. It would’ve been hard to think of many living beings who didn’t know of him. Berra was beloved in the Big Apple and beyond for being on countless championship teams with the Yankees, his remarkable play at catcher, and his unique sayings.

Of all the famous quotes he allegedly said, the most notable might be: “it ain’t over ’til it’s over.”

A possibly apocryphal story claims it originated while in the middle of his team’s attempt to move up the National League East ladder a half-century ago.

Berra’s role as Mets’ manager began under tragic circumstances. Gil Hodges succumbed to a heart attack days before the start of the 1972 season. Berra, who served as a coach under Hodges, was reluctant to take the role of a man who led the Mets to the 1969 championship.

After some convincing from his wife Carmen, Yogi took the job. The Mets played at an inspired level, jumping out to a big lead on Pittsburgh before injuries did them in. Rusty Staub, Cleon Jones, and Bud Harrelson (among others) were out for significant parts of the season and the Mets fell out of the race but 10 games over .500.

The following season appeared to be charting a similar course. As the injured list mounted, the Mets’ chances got worse. On July 8, they were 12.5 games back. Despite not having all the resources at his disposal, some felt Berra was to blame for the team’s demise. As late as Aug. 30, the Mets were 61-71 and in last. Luckily, the rest of the NL East wasn’t running away with it.

Finishing 21-8 with a final record of 82-79 proved to be enough to take the division title. But as challenging as leaping over the entire division in September was, an equally daunting task awaited. The Cincinnati Reds made the World Series in 1972 and there was every reason to think they’d return. Berra and the Mets got in the way of those plans.

By taking the NL pennant, Berra became just the second manager to guide a team to the Fall Classic in both leagues, joining Joe McCarthy. Nine years earlier, Yogi managed the Yankees to the World Series. That time, he lost to the Cardinals in seven. This time, he’d lose to the Athletics in seven.

New York gained a split after winning in a wild Game 2 at Oakland Coliseum, which was notable for his argument on an out call at home plate on Harrelson’s attempt to score on a sacrifice fly.

Many feel one decision was costly in determining the Mets’ final fate. Tom Seaver pitched with a sore shoulder as the playoffs began yet performed well in two starts. He was victorious in the deciding fifth game, meaning he would only be available for two World Series appearances. Seaver got the ball for Game 3, went eight innings, and struck out 12 in a no-decision.

The Mets took the next two at Shea and carried a 3-2 edge as the series shifted back to Oakland. With the luxury of a series lead, Berra weighed his options. He could go with his best, Seaver, or his freshest, George Stone—12-3 during the regular season—and preserve “The Franchise” an extra day if Game 7 presented itself. Berra played his ace and paid the price.

Seaver pitched well over seven innings, allowing two runs. His opponent, Catfish Hunter, pitched better—one run over 7 1/3 innings. The result of that day and the next (both in Oakland’s favor) made the decision dubious, forever fostering debate as to whether the alternative would’ve led to a different outcome.

Berra stayed on as manager until August 1975 when he was replaced by Roy McMillan. In three-plus seasons, Berra went 292-296. Yogi could never replicate 1973 and, honestly, it would’ve been hard to.

He often doesn’t get the credit he deserves for this season. Game 6 has plenty to do with it, and perhaps winning with many of Hodges’ players as well. It doesn’t matter who was there before him and the lack of competition his teams faced down the stretch, leading a team from last to the precipice of a title is certainly worth recognizing.

The post Spirit of ’73: Yogi Berra 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.

They’ve shared more than just a city. While the Mets and Yankees rarely engage in trade talks, it’s not unusual for players to spend parts of their careers in Queens and in the Bronx. According to Baseball-Reference, the count has now surpassed 150, but here are some of the most notable plus verdicts on which team they fared better with.

David Cone – Mets (1987-92; 03), Yankees (1995-2000)

Few players have been one of the best at their positions for both current New York clubs. It could be argued that David Cone belongs on the Mets and Yankees’ all-time rotations. The Mets got him in a steal of a trade in March ’87. He didn’t start full-time until the following May but made sure it stuck. Cone won 20 games in ’88 for a division title winner, struggled in his first postseason outing but thrived in the next.

During five-plus years as a Mets starter, Cone topped 200 strikeouts three times and led the NL twice. On the season finale in 1991, he tied the team and league record for a single game with 19. Postseasons were the mark of Cone’s Yankees legacy, as he was a vital part of four championship clubs. Then there was the day he was perfect in 1999.

Better as a: Yankee (stats say Mets, but clutch performances say pinstripes)

Darryl Strawberry – Mets (1983-90), Yankees (1995-99)

He should have never left New York in the first place. Darryl Strawberry returned to the city after troublesome years on the west coast with Los Angeles and San Francisco. While he continued to endure personal issues during his time with the Yankees, he contributed to three more title-winning teams adding to a ring collection that began in ’86.

When Yankee Stadium was under repair, Darryl got the chance to return to his initial major-league residence and connected for his 127th homer in Flushing. The forever home run leader in Shea Stadium history and, for now, the Mets’ all-time home run king, Straw’s seven All-Star appearances are tied for the most among Amazin’ position players.

Better as a: Met

Robinson Canó – Yankees (2005-13), Mets (2019-2022)

While Mets fans couldn’t wait to see Robinson Canó go elsewhere, Yankees fans were thrilled by his arrival in 2005. He finished runner-up for the AL Rookie of the Year and would be named an All-Star five times, hitting 204 homers and slashing .309/.355/.504.

Canó’s sojourn to Seattle saw some decrease in production but a bigger fall in reputation with a PED suspension. The trade to the Mets (along with Edwin Diaz) led to additional scrutiny and another drug ban. Canó’s 168 games in orange and blue proved nothing more than a waste. A slightly above league-average hitter at a 105 OPS+, it certainly wasn’t acceptable considering the amount of money he was paid.

Better as a: Yankee

Carlos Beltrán – Mets (2005-11), Yankees (2014-16)

The greatest center field in Mets history was in the twilight of his career by the time he put on the pinstripes. Carlos Beltrán‘s exploits in Flushing are well-known: a terrific outfield range that led to three Gold Gloves, five All-Star selections, a 129 OPS+, 41 long balls in 2006, and three years of at least 110 RBIs. His high-profile signing was a rare case in which the Mets made money well spent.

All this would’ve made his performance as a Yankee very hard to match, more so considering his age. That being said, his numbers in the Bronx aren’t bad. He hit 19 homers and posted a 119 OPS+ in 2015 at age 38 plus 22 home runs in 99 games the next year (with an All-Star nod) before going to Texas.

Better as a: Met

Yogi Berra – Yankees (1946-63), Mets (1965)

Joe Torre, Willie Randolph, and Dallas Green are among those who have coached and/or managed for both Big Apple teams. Yogi Berra too, and he’s the only one to lead both to a World Series. His Fall Classic performance as a Yankee player is unprecedented: an all-time record 74 hits and 10 rings. The regular seasons were pretty good too: three MVPs and 358 home runs. Often forgotten is Yogi’s brief stint as a Mets player, which occurred in the wake of his initial period as a Yankee manager.

Let go following a World Series loss to the Cardinals, Yogi joined the other side as a coach — but in between had a cameo in the lineup with nine at-bats over four games. Berra stayed on the staff through the Miracle Mets year until he took over the club following Gil Hodges‘ sudden passing.

Better as a: Yankee (was this even a discussion?)

Dwight Gooden – Mets (1984-94), Yankees (1996-97, 2000)

Nobody’s Mets career began more spectacularly. Gooden’s presence and the talents of the team in the mid-1980s turned New York orange and blue. Especially when Dr. K was on the mound, the Mets were the most fascinating and most successful club in town. He was the top rookie in ’84, the top pitcher in ’85, and a World Champion in ’86. Dwight Gooden may not have gotten the most out of his ability, but his ability was better than most who ever pitched for the franchise.

He did everything but get a no-hitter. That came on May 14, 1996 at Yankee Stadium against the Seattle Mariners. He made a final appearance at Shea in a memorable two-stadium doubleheader while getting the win in the process.

Better as a: Met (again, was this even a discussion?)

Orlando Hernández – Yankees (1998-02, 2004), Mets (2006-07)

Like Cone, the success of the Yankees in the late 1990s afforded “El Duque” the opportunity to make many important starts. Rarely did he disappoint. In his first year after escaping Cuba, Hernández allowed one run in 14 October innings. He was the MVP of the ’99 ALCS and didn’t lose a postseason decision until the Mets defeated him in Game 3 of the 2000 World Series. Hernández had a 112 ERA+ over 44 starts in Queens but provided veteran leadership on a team mostly reliant on its lineup. Any chance of pitching in the postseason for the Mets was ruined when he injured his hamstring in late September 2006 after the division title was already secured.

Better as a: Yankee

Curtis Granderson – Yankees (2010-13), Mets (2014-17)

One of a few to play for a New York team one year and play for the other New York team the next. The dimensions at Yankee Stadium were more to the lefty swinger’s liking. Curtis Granderson hit a career-best 41 homers in 2011, only to surpass that with 43 in 2012. He exceeded 100 RBIs in both seasons.

The love for Grandy spread to Citi Field, especially when he helped lead the Mets to the World Series. Notorious for slow starts, Granderson picked it up as the 2015 season went into October. He drove in 13 runs in the playoffs including three World Series homers. He added 30 more long balls in 2016. At his introductory press conference after switching sides in 2013, Granderson declared that “true New Yorkers are Mets fans.” Who’s to argue with him?

Better as a: Yankee (the short porch in right field didn’t hurt)

Al Leiter – Yankees (1987-89; 2005), Mets (1998-04)

He’s now a Mets Hall of Famer and isn’t soon to be seen in Monument Park. Al Leiter began his big-league career with an organization lacking direction. The New Jersey native only got 22 appearances in two-plus seasons and fewer with Toronto. But he won a couple World Series there an another in Florida before getting the chance to play for the team he grew up rooting for. His first year with the Mets, 1998, was his best year. His best performance was the 1999 Wild Card tiebreaker and he had many clutch playoff outings. Leiter left the Mets in the top 10 of many club pitching categories, including a 124 ERA+, and has stayed there. He finished out his career with the Yankees—far more accomplished but clearly not the same he had recently been before.

Better as a: Met

Rickey Henderson – Yankees (1985-89), Mets (1999-00)

He played for enough teams over his lengthy and monumental career that he was bound to end up in New York at least once. Rickey Henderson‘s domination during the 1980s was mainly in Oakland but included a stop in the Bronx. While he didn’t put up the same prodigious stolen base numbers, averaging 75 in four full years was superior by comparison to the rest of the league. He was traded back to the A’s as part of a Yankees mid-season and later bounced to Toronto, San Diego, and Anaheim before landing in Queens.

Now in his early 40s, Henderson didn’t steal bases with the same prowess. But he did have a 117 OPS+ as the leadoff hitter for a ’99 team that reached the postseason for the first time in 11 years before eventually wearing out his welcome.

Better as a: Yankee

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On November 17th, 1964, the Mets signed Yogi Berra to a two-year contract as a player/coach. Berra had managed the Yankees to a World Series appearance in 1964, but was fired after the Bombers lost the series to the St.Louis Cardinals in seven games.

Berra was much more of a coach than a player with the Mets, logging just nine at-bats (he had two hits) in 1965, before hanging up his spikes and glove permanently.

Berra had a storied tenure with the Mets, serving as a coach from 1965 through 1971, being in uniform for the 1969 championship. Before the 1972 season when Gil Hodges passed away suddenly at the end of spring training, Berra was named manager, and guided the Mets to the 1973 World Series.

Berra is remembered by many for his controversial decision to start Tom Seaver on three days’ rest in game six of the 1973 series, a series the Mets would lose in seven games to the Oakland Athletics.

Berra was fired by the Mets on August 5th, 1975. He compiled a record of 298-302 as Mets manager. After his tenure with the Mets, Berra rejoined the Yankees as a coach for the 1976 season. He enjoyed much success in his second tour in the Bronx, being part of pennant-winning teams in 1976 and 1981, and championship teams in 1977 and 1978.

Berra was named manager of the Yankees for the 1984 season, and was fired just 16 games into the 1985 season. At that point, he vowed never to return to Yankee Stadium, a vow he kept for 15 years before mending fences with George Steinbrenner.

Berra was a coach with the Astros from 1985-1989, and was in the dugout during the epic 1986 NLCS with the Mets, a series the Mets won in six games.

Over his playing career spanning 19 years, Berra slashed .285/.348/.482 with 358 home runs, primarily as a catcher.

Yogi Berra was elected to the Hall of Fame in 1972. He passed away on September 22, 2015 in New Jersey at the age of 90.

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The 1973 season was a gift of sorts for the Mets. The story has been well-chronicled. The Mets were in last place on August 30th (61-71), six and one-half games out of first place in a season in which there was no wildcard.

The Mets seemed dead and buried. Remarkably, they began to rise from the ashes, and by September 21st, they were in first place. They took on the mighty Cincinnati Reds in the NLCS, and managed to prevail by a three games to two margin.

Next up were the defending champion Oakland Athletics in the World Series. Though it seemed as if the Mets were playing with house money at this point, they had a chance to record the organization’s second championship in four years in short series against an Athletics teams that profiled as superior.

The A’s were 10th in batting average in MLB (there were 24 teams in MLB at this time), while the Mets were 23rd in a the category. The differential was more pronounced in team home runs, where the A’s were sixth and the Mets came in at 23rd mark once again. In starting pitching, the Mets had the advantage with a starters’ ERA of 3.02, second in MLB, while the A’s were seventh at 3.47. Oakland’s relievers’ ERA of 2.80 was good for third in MLB, while the Mets’ relievers’ ERA of 4.19 was 18th in the game. Advantage Oakland, right?

The series began with a tight game one, in which Oakland held on for a 2-1 win. Jon Matlack made the start for the Mets, and pitched well, going six innings, allowing two runs, none earned, on three hits. Game two in Oakland  went to the Mets in 12 innings by  a 10-7 score. Jerry Koosman started and had a short outing of two and one-third innings, letting up three earned runs on six hits.

Here’s where things got a little more interesting. The scene shifted to Shea Stadium for games three, four, and five. Tom Seaver started game three on October 16th, on five days’ rest after last pitching against the Reds in game five on October 10th. Seaver was expectedly very good, throwing eight innings and allowing two earned runs in a game the Mets would lose in 11 innings.

Matlack started game four on three days’ rest and was brilliant, allowing one run on three hits over eight innings. The Mets won the game by a 6-1 score. Koosman was equally brilliant in game five, tossing six and one-third innings of shutout ball in a game the Mets won 2-0. Now, with a three games to two series lead, the Mets were headed to Oakland to try to cap off their magic carpet ride with a stunning world championship.

Yogi Berra had a decision to make. Matlack and Koosman were certainly not options for game six. Seaver was an option on three days’ rest, which he had not done often in his career. The other option was George Stone, who had registered the save in game two with one inning pitched.

Stone was a starting pitcher, who in 1973 was 12-3 with a 2.80 ERA, with 20 of his 27 appearances coming in a starting role. Berra had given Stone the ball to start game four of the NLCS, a game in which the Mets had a chance to win the series. Stone threw six and two-thirds innings in that game, allowing just one run on three hits. Game four of the NLCS took place on October 9th. Game six of the World Series was set to be played on October 20th, so Stone, with just one inning of relief since October 9th, was fully rested.

Berra chose to start Seaver on (short) three days’ rest, which had a second implication. It meant that if there were a game seven, Matlack would also be asked to start on three days’ rest for a second time in the series, something he had not done regularly in his career.

Here’s the point. Berra chose to set up two starters on short rest (both of whom having pitched eight innings in their last starts) with a championship on the line, rather than using Stone in game six, and having Seaver on full rest for game seven, with an also fully-rested Matlack available out of the bullpen.

Seaver pitched well in game six, tossing seven innings and allowing two runs. The Mets were stymied by Catfish Hunter, Darold Knowles, and Rollie Fingers, scoring just one run and losing 3-1. In game seven, Matlack was roughed up early, letting up four earned runs in two and two-thirds innings. The Mets would lose 5-2 and lose the series four games to three.

Was Matlack’s performance a function of pitching on short rest for the second time in a row? It’s impossible to say with any certainty. Matlack had been outstanding in the post season, shutting the Reds out in game two of the NLCS, then pitching well in two World Series starts.

Perhaps the hard-hitting A’s simply got to him, seeing him for the third time. Also, the Mets scored a total of three runs in the last two games, and it’s very hard to win with that type of offensive output.

Berra’s decision in one that haunts many Mets fans to this day. Let’s face it, world championships have not come in abundance to the guys from Flushing.

Being able to write this post represents one of the best aspects of the most fascinating (in my opinion) game in sports. There are so many decisions that are made in every game, and every off-season. There’s so much to talk about in baseball. A decision made 47 years ago will still inspire discussion among fans who were around for the 1973 season.

How many days until pitchers and catchers?

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It was deja vu all over again…again.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Photo by Keith Torrie/NY Daily News Archive

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

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

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

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

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

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The sights and sounds of baseball are back, though what usually happens in March is happening in July.

The 2020 baseball season is set to begin on July 23rd, almost four months to the day after it was originally was planned to start. It’s not unprecedented for a baseball season to experience a late opening, though nothing of this magnitude has happened in history.  Let’s take a look at past seasons that have not gone off as planned, and where applicable, see how the Mets fared in them.

In 1919, the season began late (April 23rd-25th) and was shortened to 140 games. This was due to the ending of World War I, and many players who had been in the military needed time to return home and settle back into their normal lives. The Mets, of course were not a thing then. The Cincinnati Reds won the World Series in 1919, defeating the Chicago White Sox five games to three.

The next delayed opening was in 1972, when the start of the season was pushed back two weeks due to the first ever players’ strike. MLB attempted to play as many of the affected games as possible, but the season ended with teams having played slightly different numbers of games.

For the Mets, 1972 was especially difficult. Not only was there a strike, but manager Gil Hodges died suddenly during spring training on April 2nd, and coach Yogi Berra assumed the managerial duties. The Mets finished a respectable 83-73, in third place behind the division-winning Pittsburgh Pirates.

The 1990 season saw a lockout during spring training, which postponed Opening Day for a week. All of the impacted games were made up during the season. The 1990 season was a decent one for the Mets, who finished 91-71, in second place behind the Pirates. That year, the Mets changed managers after 42 games, replacing Davey Johnson with Bud Harrelson.

The most recent incidence of a delayed opening to the season was 1995. You remember that one, right?

The 1994 season was halted in August due to a players’ strike, and the remainder of the season and the post season were cancelled. The strike was so filled with acrimony that it spilled into spring training of 1995. A settlement was reached in early April, and the season began on April 25th.

The Mets began that season in Colorado, on a frigid night (the game time temperature was 42 degrees, and when the game ended almost five hours later, the temperature was in the 20s). The Mets and Rockies battled for 14 innings, with a Todd Hundley grand slam being the key hit for the Mets. The Mets took the lead in the top of the 14th, and it seemed all would end well. But then Dante Bichette happened, and if you’re not faint of heart, you can watch his game-ending demolition of a Mike Remlinger pitch at the 6:55 mark of the video below.

The Mets went on to finish the 1995 season with a 69-75 record, in second place in the NL East. The second half of the season created much excitement for Mets fans, as the team played solid baseball, and saw the emergence of Jason Isringhausen, Bill Pulsipher. With a well-hyped Paul Wilson waiting in the wings, there was reason for optimism. That optimism faded quickly in 1996, as “Generation K” did not live up to expectations.

COVID-19 permitting, we are less than three weeks away from a significantly abbreviated 2020 season. The Mets have never qualified for the post season in seasons with delayed openings. In 2020, where everything is going to be significantly different, the Mets will strive for a welcomed, and different outcome.

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Game 2 versus the Oakland A’s was arguably the wildest World Series contest to date — in addition to being the longest. After four hours and 13 minutes full of miscues, errors, and stumbles, the Mets had a victory and took a tied series back to the East Coast.

The patchwork video includes the originally-broadcasted pregame show and an ESPN Classic rebroadcasted version of the play-by-play (featuring commentary from Joe Garagiola and Gary Carter) with original commercials spliced in. NBC’s footage from the final inning has been lost, so we get clips from the highlight film narrated by Curt Gowdy. That said, you get all the important plays:

• Jerry Koosman, normally a reliable big-game pitcher, can’t get out of the third inning. But the Mets pick him up thanks to a Cleon Jones home run at 49:12 and another solo blast from Wayne Garrett at 1:05:45 — both off A’s starter Vida Blue.
• The Mets score four in the top of the sixth — aided by an error at 1:45:00 from reliever Darold Knowles, who threw wildly toward home while in the process of falling over.
• At 2:06:30, is the play by which Willie Mays‘s Mets career is usually defined. After tripping up on the base paths earlier, Willie can’t locate a fly ball amid the sunshine in Oakland.
• Oakland rallies to tie it against Tug McGraw in the ninth, capped by a Gene Tenace single at the 2:16:10 mark.
• The most memorable moment of this afternoon occurs at 2:28:04. Felix Millan hits a fly ball to left field, which is caught by Joe Rudi. Bud Harrelson tries to score from third base. He’s called out by home plate umpire Augie Donatelli (who for some reason made the call while lying flat on his chest), but we all know catcher Ray Fosse missed the tag. A pleading, begging Mays knows it too, as does an adamant group of Mets including Jones and manager Yogi Berra.
• The twelfth inning includes Mays’s final hit (an RBI single up the middle), two errors from the beleaguered Oakland second baseman Mike Andrews, another Willie miscue in center field, and (finally) the final out recorded by George Stone in relief of a weary McGraw.

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