Skip to main content

170 Pitches...That's Nothing

So Jerry Manuel has Johan Santana on a 170-pitch count this evening after burning through most of the bullpen last night (Al Reyes, where art thou?)

While throwing that many pitches would necessitate a herculean effort, it would not set a Mets record.

Baseball-Reference.com has a handful of pitch counts from games from the Mets earliest days, and within that exists a game in which a Mets pitcher threw 172 pitches. Newspaper reading indicates that the tally was 215, and while I can't currently reconcile that difference of opinion, I feel comfortable in acknowleding that 170 pitches would not make history.

The Mets game against the Phillies on August 14, 1962 would not be considered historic by my standards, though it would certainly qualify as a doozy, one witnessed by only slightly more than 5,000 fans at the Polo Grounds. The Mets managed only one run over 15 innings despite drawing 12 walks, seven from Phillies starter Dallas Green.

Why the Phillies were frightened enough of the Mets offensive attack to issue four intentional passes is a little puzzling, but the strategy worked. The Mets stranded 14, hit into six double plays, and went 1-for-9 with runners in scoring position.

The story of this one was the staying power of Al Jackson. That phrase has dual meaning, since Jackson, along with Ed Kranepool, are the two remnants of the 1962 team who have frequented Shea Stadium throughout its history.

In this game, Jackson stuck around for all 15 innings. Through the first 14, he pitched a gem, yielding only one run and four hits (only two hits allowed through the first nine innings).

Jackson was deprived a walk-off win in the bottom of the ninth when Gene Woodling grounded into a double play with the bases loaded. He was deprived of a walk-off win when the Mets couldn't get Charlie Neal, who tripled leading off the home 13th, in safely. Joe Pignatano's line drive double play killed that chance.

The Phillies won in the 15th, thanks in part to Marv Throneberry's error (the NY Times described his effort as "stooped, scooped, and missed"), starting the frame. A two-run single by Mel Roach (who hit .190 for the season) was the difference in the game, one of many ultra-frustrating defeats for the home team that season.

Those truly on a Mets pitch count know...Baseball-Reference's second-highest Mets pitch count is listed as 166, for David Cone, in his 1-0 shutout of the Giants on July 17, 1992.

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

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

Minutiae Break: Worst Mets Relievers

It occurs to me after 79 straight walk-off related posts and some fatigue still remaining from Saturday's finish that I did promise to bring Metspective on other issues related to the Flushing 9, so I offer this posting up as a "Minutiae Break." This came about after several discussions related to the offhand Dick Tidrow/Danny Graves remark the other day , the conclusion of which indicated that it would be fun to create a list of the worst Mets relievers of all-time. I don't want to step on the territory of other bloggers, like " Faith and Fear in Flushing ," Mets Guy in Michigan " and " Metstradamus ," so I'll tread carefully here, aided by their influence. Should any friends, family members, or fans of these pitchers visit this site, I mean no harm. I'm just here to have a little fun with this topic. The ground rules are as follows: The pitcher must have had a Mets stint as long as Dick Tidrow's (11 games, 15 2/3 innings), for wh

The 'Duca of Earl (and walk-offs)

If I told you that the Mets had just obtained a guy who is a career .316 hitter with runners in scoring position? How about if I told you that the Mets just traded for a hitter who has consistently ranked among the toughest in baseball to strike out? Or if I mentioned that the Mets just dealt for a player who was selected to the NL All-Star team the last three seasons, with the last honor coming via a vote by his peers? So, although he's on the down side age wise, his throwing arm isn't as good as it used to be, and he doesn't provide much power, there are a lot of good things that Paul Lo Duca brings to the New York Mets. For example: He'll sacrifice his body for the good of the team The Dodgers and Braves squared off on August 23, 2002 and Lo Duca made an impact both on the start and finish of this game. Three pitches after being dusted by Greg Maddux, Lo Duca made him pay with a first-inning home run. The Braves rallied to tie the game, 3-3 in the ninth, but their bu