Mets Walk-Offs And Minutiae

Fistbumps, and lots of them, for David Wright. And I guess we should give one to Pedro Feliciano too. * This was the 137th time in Mets history in which the Mets won a road game by scoring to win in the 9th inning. It was the fourth such win of the season, the first since May 23, 2009, when Omir Santos hit a two-run home run to beat Jonathan Papelbon and the Red Sox. * It's the first time they've won in that fashion in Philadelphia since a 1-0 win on May 23, 2002, on Mark Johnson's ninth-inning double. * It's the seventh time that the Mets came from behind in the 9th inning to win IN THE 9th inning in Philadelphia, the first since September 3, 2001, when they scored five runs in the 9th inning to beat the Phillies, 10-7. * It's the second straight year that the Mets beat the Phillies, 10-9, in Philadelphia. They also won in Philly on July 7, 2008, and July 25, 1990. The latter is best known for being the game in which Bob Murphy yelled "They win the damn thing!

http://www.metswalkoffs.com/2005/09/boswell-that-ends-well.html 40 years ago today, Mets move into first place to stay...

Carlos Beltran is returning just in time. Beltran, who had a walk-off hit for the Brooklyn Cyclones on Saturday, comes with the Mets closing in on 6,000 home runs (4 away!), and with the Mets lacking in one statistical category for the 2009 season. The Mets do not have a walk-off home run. They are one of six teams in baseball without one. They've had a walk-off home run in all but three seasons in their history (1973, 1979, and 1994), and we're closing in on a fourth. Carlos Beltran has five career walk-off home runs. Considering how much David Wright's power has been lacking, how Gary Sheffield figures to be absent the rest of the season, and how the rest of the lineup is basically bereft of walk-off capability, Beltran is our best hope.

I don't know if you got to see Prince Fielder's walk-off home run celebration on Sunday, but I found it terrificly entertaining. If you didn't see it, imagine Fielder stomping on home plate as hard as he could. Rather than swarm him, his teammates all toppled over, as you might see a child do during a game of Ring Around The Rosie. Fielder than raised his arms in triumph, and everyone (at least on the Brewers) got up and had a good laugh. This was clearly a play on the Yankees recent helmet bouquet toss following a walk-off home run, and the variety of things that LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers do during pre-game introductions. I liked it. It didn't interfere with the game. It was funny. It was memorable. It got me to wondering how some of the Mets teams might celebrate a walk-off home run. The 1962 Mets would probably all fall down too, except they'd trip over themselves, accidentally. The 1969 Mets would probably all bow and pray in tribute to the great