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To The Moon(man)

A year ago, on the 50th anniversary of NASA, I wrote about the Mets win on the day of the moon landing.

http://www.metswalkoffs.com/2008/07/moon-shots.html

So I need a new hook for today...

There seems to be entertainment in the story of Greg "Moon Man" Minton, so we'll venture in that direction. Turns out, according to his bio on baseball-reference, that Minton earned his nickname after getting sunburned while playing for a minor league team in Phoenix. His manager, Rocky Bridges, said Minton's body had more craters than the Moon.

Moon Man's baseball claim to fame is that he once went 269 innings between allowing home runs. Then, he allowed two within a one-week span while with the Giants. Both came against the Mets.

John Stearns hit the first, and it came with some controversy, in Game 1 of a doubleheader on May 2, 1982. Instead of being a three-run game-tying home run in the eighth, it was a two-run shot that left the Mets a run short (thanks to an ump's disputed call of a fair/foul situation that turned into a Giants DP). The Mets would end up losing by a run, with Minton getting the save by retiring Rusty Staub for the final out.

Minton wouldn't be as fortunate the next time around, on May 9. Again, the game came down to him against Staub, with the score tied and two outs in the home ninth.

The Mets pinch-hitter extraordinaire was not at the level that we became used to during the latter part of his career. He was in an 0-for-16 funk.

The newspapers described Minton's 1-0 pitch as a sinker that didn't sink, and Staub broke out of his slump by hitting one to the moon, for his first home run of the season.

It was Staub's first walk-off hit as a Met since 1974.

True Metmen know...Minton's other claim to fame is that he gave up the last walk-off home run hit by a pitcher. It was hit by Padres lefty Craig Lefferts on April 25, 1986.

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