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Kind of a Drag

updated April 25 at 11:50am with another Mets walk-off bunt (thank you, JB), and a list of pitchers whose first MLB win was a Mets walk-off.

The one walk-off scenario that I've been dreading was the kind the Mets got on Tuesday night, a bunt single to beat the Rockies, giving the team its first walk-off victory of the season.

I must admit to being unprepared to answer the following question.

Have the Mets ever won a game on a walk-off bunt?

Fairly early on in the history of this blog, a reader asked that very question, and my answer was "I don't believe so," but I never did the legwork (and there's a lot that needs to be done) to check it. I did go through This Date in New York Mets History and found no references to any, but that's as far as my research has taken me.

So I put the call out to you, loyal readers, to assist me. If you know that there's been one, please reference it in the comments section and cite source material. Otherwise, I've got a bit of homework to do.

Update: Thankfully, JB from Long Island was able to find one. The details are here and there's also a reference from him in the comments section. Still checking for others...

http://metswalkoffs.blogspot.com/2007/04/in-spiers-rational.html

In the meantime, let me dispense of some quality minutiae...

* Documented walk-off # 342 is the Mets first walk-off win of the season, their first since Carlos Beltran's 2-run HR off Jason Isringhausen on August 22, 2006.

* It is Endy Chavez's third career walk-off RBI and his second with the Mets. The first came on May 31, 2006 in a 1-0 13-inning win over the Diamondbacks. Both of Chavez's walk-off RBI for the Mets came in games that were scoreless through nine innings.

* It is the second time in two seasons that the Mets have tied a game on an extra-inning HR and then gone on to win via walk-off. On May 5, 2006 against the Braves, Cliff Floyd hit a game-tying home run in the 11th inning and the Mets went on to win on David Wright's walk-off hit in the 14th.

* It is the Mets fourth walk-off win against the Rockies and their first walk-off win against the Rockies since May 19, 1997, when John Olerud hit a game-winning two-run home run. That was documented walk-off #260.

* This was the third time in Damion Easley's career that he tied a game with a home run in a situation where his team was down to its final out. The other two pitchers he did it against- Rick Aguilera (1998) and Billy Wagner (2005), the latter of whom he bailed out Tuesday. In all 3 instances, Easley's team went on to win the game.

* The Mets have had a 12-inning walk-off win in each of Willie Randolph's 3 seasons as manager. They had one against the Pirates on May 3, 2006 (Carlos Delgado HR) and had one against the Marlins on September 20, 2005 (Mike Jacobs 1B).

* The list of players to have had at least two walk-off hits for the Mets in games lasting 12 innings or longer is a lengthy one, but it's worth noting that it includes the first man to greet Chavez after his bunt hit- first base coach Howard Johnson.

* The hit was the only hit for the Mets in this game with a runner in scoring position.

* Winning pitcher Joe Smith earned his first MLB win via walk-off. How many Mets have done that? Glad you asked: Smith is #20, by my count, on a list consisting of : Neil Allen, Jim Bethke, Paul Byrd, Mardie Cornejo, Ray Daviault, Dave Eilers, Grant Roberts, Rob Gardner, Kenny Greer, Jeff Innis, Tim Leary, Roger McDowell, Dave Mlicki, Jeff Reardon, Don Shaw, Doug Simons, Joe Smith Pete Walker, Derek Wallace, Hank Webb. The last before Smith whose first MLB win was a Mets walk-off was Grant Robers (September 1, 2001).

I can also tell you that Smith holds the Mets record for most consecutive scoreless appearances (getting at least one out) from the start of his MLB career. Tuesday was #11.

* The Mets have had 3 walk-off wins take place on April 24 (Carlos Beltran's birthday), and the final scores of those games were 1-0 (2000), 2-1 (1990), and 2-1 (2007).

* It is the 4th time in Mets history that the Mets have had a 2-1, 12-inning walk-off win, and the first since beating the Cardinals by that score in that length on June 13, 1988. Mets pre-game studio analyst Lee Mazzilli should remember that game well. He got the winning hit. If 2-1 in 12 sounds familiar, it's because it was also the result of Game 5 of the 1986 NLCS vs Houston, won on a base hit by Gary Carter.

* It was the 42nd time in Mets history that the player with the winning hit finished the game with a line of 1-for-1 with 1 RBI.

True Metkinghams know...The song "Kind of a Drag" reached No. 1 on Billboard's charts on February 18, 1967 (birthdate of former Met, John Valentin). The song preceding it was appropriate for walk-offs ("I'm A Believer" was chanted by more than a few when the count went two strikes on Damion Easley), as was the song that followed it to the top ranking ("Ruby Tuesday," which this one certainly was).

Comments

Binny said…
Well, there's a fairly obvious one: J.C. Martin bunt, Gaspar scores, Mets win Game 4 of 1969 World Series. However, that was not a bunt single, rather a sacrifice and a throwing error. Still, it's worth mentioning, as it was technically a bunt and most certainly a walkoff.
Ben Zimmer said…
Don't know of any Mets walk-off bunts, but they lost a game to the Dodgers on such a bunt on July 22, 1979. Davey Lopes bunted home Steve Yeager in the bottom of the 9th. It actually appeared that Lopes hit the ball twice, popping it up and then hitting it again on the way down, which means it should have been called a foul or an out, depending on whether Lopes stayed in the batting box. Joe Torre called it the "worst call I ever saw." (New York Times, 7/23/79)
Anonymous said…
I was at a game at Shea in 1995. Mets beat the Dodgers 3-2 on a walk off bunt by Bill Speier Scoring the infamous Ryan Thompson. 8/15/1995. I still remember it quite vividly.

Check it out on retrosheet.org. Sorry I can't link to it
metswalkoffs said…
Anonymous...

Great job!!! Please identify yourself.

Ben...

Very nice!!

Student...

That one gets an asterisk!
Anonymous said…
I am J.B. from Long Island. Been a huge Met fan my entire life. I rarely post anywhere, but I knew I was at a bunt walk off win. I even told my wife last night, that i was at a Met game over 10 years ago and they won it on a squeeze bunt. She proceeded to ask what a squeeze bunt is.

Funny thing is, many people will forget the 1995 Mets, but when you attend a walk off win, it is something that you rarely ever forget. To this day whenever Ryan Thompson's name is bought up, or I see jeff kent (obviously he and Thompson traded on a very sad day for met fans for David Cone), I think of being at Shea and him breaking for home, and Speier laying down a beauty, and a very medocre team gave all of us at Shea alot of joy.
metswalkoffs said…
http://metswalkoffs.blogspot.com/2007/04/in-spiers-rational.html

Now, can we find another?

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