Skip to main content

Our Special Bonds: Know Your Rays

I could have written a detailed history of Carlos Beltran's strikeouts, but instead I chose to write in honor of the best team in baseball...

Answers here:

http://metswalkoffs.blogspot.com/2007/07/our-special-bonds-know-your-rays.html

1) 20 pitchers have pitched for both the Mets and Rays. Only one of those 20 had a winning record FOR THE RAYS. Name him.

2) The Mets have employed 4 players who hit 10+ career home runs for the Rays. Here are hints for each one
Player 1- Navidad
Player 2- Shares his initials with those after whom a famous bridge is named
Player 3- If you go to Shea, buy a burger in his honor
Player 4- Currently plays in the state of Texas

3) The Mets won the first meeting with the Rays. The losing pitcher in that game pitched 2 career games for the Mets. Name him.

4) A man who played against the Mets in a postseason broke up Rick Reed's no-hitter in the 7th inning of that game. Name him.

5) The Rays hitting coach is Steve Henderson. Steve Henderson got his first MLB hit against what father of a major leaguer?

6) The Rays version of David Wright, Evan Longoria, played college baseball at Long Beach State. Two former Mets played at Long Beach State. One is also a former Ray. The other scored a very important run in the 1969 World Series. Name them.

7) The Rays all-time saves leader is a former Met. Name him.

8) The Mets made Scott Kazmir their first pick in the 2002 MLB Draft. Only one other player drafted by the Mets that year has made the major leagues. His initials are the same as "Major Leagues." Name him.

9) The Rays all-time single-season batting leader (minimum 300 plate appearances) is a former Met. Is it...

a) Rey Sanchez
b) Miguel Cairo
c) Aaron Ledesma
d) Jason Tyner

10) When the Rays picked their players in the expansion draft, prior to the 1998 season, they plucked Carlos Mendoza from the Mets. Carlos Mendoza played a role in a very significant walk-off win in 1997. What was his "brand new shiny" role?

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Best Games I Know: Phillies (Updated)

  The best wins against the Phillies in Mets history …   May 5, 2022 – Mets 8, Phillies 7 The Mets score 7 runs in the 9 th inning to overcome a 7-1 deficit and win in Philadelphia.   April 29, 2022 – Mets 3, Phillies 0 Tylor Megill and 4 Mets relievers combine on the second no-hitter in franchise history.   September 22, 2016 – Mets 9, Phillies 8 (11) The Mets tie it in the 9 th on a Jose Reyes home run and win it in the 11 th on a 3-run home run by Asdrubal Cabrera.   July 17, 2016 - Mets 5, Phillies 0 Jacob deGrom pitches a one-hitter. Only hit is a single by Zach Eflin in the 5 th inning.   August 24, 2015 – Mets 16, Phillies 7 David Wright homers in his first at-bat in more than 4 months. The Mets hit a team-record 8 home runs.   July 5, 2012 – Mets 6, Phillies 5 The Mets score 2 runs with 2 outs in the bottom of the 9 th to beat Jonathan Papelbon. The winning run scores on David Wright’s bloop down the right field line.   August 13

The best Mets ejections I know

When you think of the Mets and famous ejections, I'm guessing you first think of the famous Bobby Valentine mustache game, when after Valentine got tossed, he returned to the dugout in disguise. You know it. You love it. I remember being amused when I asked Bobby V about it while we were working on Baseball Tonight, how he simply said "It worked. We won the game." (true) But the Bobby V mustache game of June 9, 1999 is one of many, many memorable Mets ejection stories. And now thanks to Retrosheet and the magic of Newspapers.com , we have a convenient means for being able to share them. Ever since Retrosheet's David Smith recently announced that the Retrosheet ejection database was posted online , I've been a kid in a candy store. I've organized the data and done some lookups of media coverage around the games that interested me post. Those newspaper accounts fill in a lot of blanks. Without further ado (and with more work to do), here are some of my findings

Trip(le) Through Time

In their illustrious history, the Mets have had one 'Triple Crown Winner,' so to speak and I'm not talking about the typical meaning of the term. I've gotten some queries recently as to whether a walk-off triple is even possible and I'm here to tell you that it is. There has been one, and only one, in Mets history, though I don't have the full explanation of circumstances that I would like. It took place against the Phillies on September 10, 1970. This was a marathon game that would have fit in perfectly with those having taken place so far this season and allowed the Mets to maintain a temporary hold on first place in an NL East race oft forgotten in team history. It went 14 innings, with a tinge of controversy in a negated Ken Boswell home run, a thrilling play by Bud Harrelson, who stole home in the third inning, and some stellar relief pitching, in the form of five scoreless innings from Danny Frisella, aided by Tim McCarver getting thrown out in a rundown b