You could say that center fielder Tommie Agee never hit the ground running when the New York Mets acquired him along with Al Weis from the Chicago White Sox for Jack Fisher, Tommy Davis and a pair of minor leaguers.
In fact, after consecutive All Star campaigns for the White Sox, Agee had a dreadful ’68 season for the Mets. It started out by getting beaned by the hard-throwing Bob Gibson in a spring training game against the St. Louis Cardinals and then things only got worse from there. It resulted in a .217′.255/.307 batting line with five home runs and just 17 RBIs in 132 games that season.
However, the Alabama native would weave a much different tale in 1969 and he wasted no time in letting the baseball world know that he was back and he meant “back with a vengeance.”
On April 10, 1969, in a game against the Montreal Expos, Tommie Agee strode to the plate in the second inning and hit a home run into the upper deck in left field at Shea Stadium. It was a mammoth shot that measured an estimated 505 feet from home plate and would remain the longest home run ever hit in the 46-year history of Shea.
Unfortunately. the game was not televised and there is no footage of the majestic blast, only the accounts of the roughly 8.500 fans in attendance and the players who were in absolute awe. Right fielder Rod Gaspar was in the on-deck circle and said, “I’ve never seen a ball hit like that.”
Later in the game, Agee would homer yet again as the Mets defeated the Cards by a score of 4-2. And the next day the Mets marked the spot where the historic home run landed with the date and Agee’s name and uniform number, and it remained a permanent fixture of Shea Stadium until the ballpark’s final days.
The former AL Rookie of the Year would be a catalyst for the New York Mets that season excelling both in the field and at the plate. Agee led the team with 26 home runs, 76 RBI and 97 runs scored that season while batting .271/.342/.464 and posting a 5.4 bWAR. He finished sixth in the MVP voting and was named NL Comeback Player of the Year.
The rest of Agee’s many incredible exploits with the Mets is a matter of history and he’ll always be remembered for his two World Series catches and how he helped to turn the Lovable Losers into Champions of the World.
Sadly, on a cold winter morning in January of 2001, in the shadows of the World Trade Center, Tommie Agee was seen clutching his chest and collapsing onto the frozen New York City sidewalk.
An ambulance was quick to arrive, but attempts by first responders to revive him failed. Tommie Agee was pronounced dead from cardiac arrest at 58 years-old. An iconic New York Met and a 1969 World Series hero was no more.
We miss you Tommie… Thank you for all the memories.
