Mets Walk-Offs And Minutiae

To read my other post today, please link to http://www.metswalkoffs.com/2008/09/its-your-nieses-birthday.html The wonderful Baseball-Reference allows me to generate such lists as this one. In their illustrious history, the Mets have had 9 previous occasions in which they've started a lefty who was making his major league debut. There's a reason this doesn't happen often. Lack of success might have something to do with it. The lineup includes 1995, Bill Pulsipher: 5 career Mets wins 1994, Jason Jacome: 4 career Mets wins 1988, David West: 1 career Met win 1985, Bill Latham: 1 career Met win 1972, Brent Strom: 0 career Mets wins 1971, Jon Matlack: 82 career Mets wins 1967, Les Rohr: 2 career Mets wins 1966, Dick Rusteck: 1 career Mets win 1965, Rob Gardner: 4 career Mets wins Perhaps it's a good omen that Tuesday's starter is named Jon.

Before Mike Pelfrey, the last Met to throw consecutive complete games was Rick Reed in 2001. The last Met with consecutive complete game wins was Bret Saberhagen in 1995. * The last Met to throw 3 straight complete games was David Cone in 1990. The last Met with 3+ straight complete game WINS was Dwight Gooden in 1988. He had 4 in a row. * The Mets record for consecutive complete games is 8, set by Tom Seaver (1969) and Jerry Koosman (1976) * The Mets record for consecutive starts WITHOUT throwing a complete game is held by Bobby (righthanded) Jones, a 73-game stretch from 1997 to 2000. Oliver Perez's current 60-game streak ranks third, trailing Jones and Jae Seo (61, 2003-2005). * Mike Pelfrey ranks tied for 49th in Mets history with 18 wins. Among those he's tied with: Armando Benitez, Orlando Hernandez, and Masato Yoshii. * Mike Pelfrey now ranks tied for 57th all-time in career complete games by a Mets pitcher, with 2. He's tied with, among others, Anthony Young and Joh...

There is nothing wrong with a three-hit complete game shutout. * The Mets have had 52 of them actually (including postseason), now that Johan Santana threw one on Sunday afternoon. *It was the first three-hit shutout by a Mets starter since Mike Hampton finished off the Cardinals with one in Game 5 of the 2000 NLCS. * It was the first three-hit shutout by a Mets starter in the regular season since Rick Reed put the Mets into a tie for the wild card with one game remaining, beating the Pirates, 7-0 on October 2, 1999. * On September 12, 1969, the Mets beat the Pirates in a doubleheader, 1-0, and 1-0, with the pitcher driving in the winning run in each game. In the opener of the doubleheader, Jerry Koosman pitched a three-hit shutout. * David Cone struck out 19 Phillies in pitching a three-hit shutout on October 6, 1991. * I attended a three-hit shutout by a Mets starter, when Bob Ojeda blanked the Pirates, 1-0, on July 29, 1988, with the lone run coming on Kevin Elster's eighth-inni...

I will admit to being as surprised as Gary Cohen that the answer to Friday's trivia question (Which Pirates pitcher has the most wins against the Mets?) was former Met Bob Friend? As a public service to those who seek better trivia expertise, I offer an updated list for each NL team as to which pitchers have the most wins against the Mets. Most Wins vs Mets Astros - Larry Dierker, 14 Braves- Phil Niekro, 25 Brewers- Ben Sheets, 4 Cardinals- Bob Gibson, 28 Cubs- Greg Maddux and Ferguson Jenkins, 16 Diamondbacks- Randy Johnson, 6 Dodgers- Don Drysdale, 24 Giants- Juan Marichal, 26 Marlins- Dontrelle Willis, 11 Nationals- Steve Rogers, 15 Padres- Bruce Hurst, 9 Phillies- Steve Carlton, 20 Pirates- Bob Friend, 14 Reds- Jim Maloney, 19 Rockies- Steve Reed and Curt Leskanic, 5 Equal opportunity dictates that we do the same for losses Most Losses vs Mets Astros- Larry Dierker, 11 Braves- John Smoltz, 15 Brewers- Chris Capuano, 4 Cardinals- Bob Gibson, 14 Cubs- Rick Reuschel,...

Not all four-inning saves are as easy as the one Brian Stokes had on Wednesday night. Baseball-Reference's Play Index tells us that the Mets have had 33 four-inning saves since the modern save rule came into being in 1969, and 40 such saves if you apply that rule retroactively to 1962. * The 12-0 victory set a Mets record for largest margin of victory in a four-inning save, the first four-inning save by a Mets pitcher since Turk Wendell allowed three runs in recording one in an 8-5 win over the Blue Jays, September 2, 1997. The Mets scored seven runs against the Blue Jays starter that day, the most that Roger Clemens would allow in any start that season. Wendell survived despite yielding a pair of home runs to the same hitter, Jose Cruz Jr. Rey Ordonez, of all people, was the Mets hitting star that day, with a home run and three RBI. * The last four-inning save in which a Mets reliever allowed no runs was by Toby Borland on April 15, 1997, in a 5-0 win over the Dodgers. Of greater ...

In their history, the Mets have been the beneficiary of a go-ahead hit by pitch on 13 occasions. * Damion Easley was the first Mets player to have a go-ahead HBP since Jae Seo got one in the fourth inning, against the Cardinals, on May 20, 2004. * It was the first time that the Mets were recipients of a go-ahead HBP against the Nationals/Expos since none other than Willie Randolph was plunked with the bases loaded in a tie game in the 5th inning on June 9, 1992. * It was tied for the second-latest into a game that the Mets have been beneficiaries of a go-ahead HBP. The only Met to get hit by a pitch later in a game was Darryl Boston, who got a walk-off HBP in the 13th inning against the Cardinals on April 23, 1992. * The only other 8th-inning go-ahead HBP in Mets history was by Ken Boswell against the Braves on May 14, 1969. The HBP came as part of an eight-run inning in which the Mets rallied to beat the Braves, 9-3. Damion Easley was born a little more than six months later. * The Me...

Inspired by the noticing that Rickey Henderson never had a triple for the Mets. An Agent Zero (named after a fictitious movie reference in Seinfeld) is a player who never had a (fill in the blank) for the Mets. For the purposes of these lists, I did include pitchers within the tally. Agent Zeroes Mets History Most Plate Appearances, No Singles 47- Randy Tate 34- Brian Daubach 23- Andy Hassler 22- Sandy Alomar Sr. 21- Mike Remlinger >> Next position player: Ross Jones, 13 Most Plate Appearances, No Doubles 252- Pat Zachry 183- Jeff Duncan 179- Nolan Ryan 162- Roger Craig 118- Glendon Rusch >> Next position player: Dick Stuart, 96 Most Plate Appearances, No Home Runs 798- Alex Trevino 657- Chris Cannizzaro 541- Jon Matlack 457- Al Leiter 455- David Cone 355- Tom Glavine 340- Phil Linz Most Plate Appearances, No RBI 78- Eric Hillman 73- Doug Saunders 63- Ray Burris 62- Anthony Young 58- Charlie Puleo 57- Neil Allen >> Next position player: Harry Chiti, 43 Most Plate Appe...

And we thank Scott "I'm Jewish but my favorite holiday is Christmas" Schoenweis for not taking Friday night off to observe Yom Kippur. And to reward those who endured that particular game, we offer up the following tidbit. This was the third time in Mets history that they scored at least nine or more runs, but the opposing staff yielded one earned run or fewer. The most recent occurrence, I believe I've referenced before: a 16-4 victory over the Astros in the opener of a doubleheader on July 27, 1985 (attended by this blogger, than a puzzled 10-year-old scorekeeper), in which all 16 runs were unearned, thanks to five Astros errors. The other was a 10-inning 11-9 loss to the Braves on June 5, 1963, a game in which the Mets rallied from 9-1 down to tie, only to lose in extra innings.

So I'm headed to Pittsburgh for the Mets 3-game series with the Pirates this week and their 328th game in that city will be my first, unless you count my unpleasant one-inning venture into last year's All-Star Game. Because I wanted to be properly armed minutiae-wise for my travels, I did some studying on Baseball-Reference.com and BaseballMusings on previous Mets voyages to The Steel City, and here's what I've gleaned. * The Mets are 316-350 all-time against the Pirates, with 146 of their victories coming in Pittsburgh. The all-time record is slightly misleading, because if you subtract the first five seasons in Mets history, the club is 295-281 against Pittsburgh. That's pretty good considering they started 1-10, 2-20, 5-30, and 8-40 against the Pirates. * Only two players have had a .400 or better batting average for the Mets against the Pirates (minimum 50 plate appearances). If you guessed that the pair were Rico Brogna (.414) and Dave Gallagher (.409), you...

Getting right to it... Damion Easley's inside-the-park HR was indeed the 24th in Mets history * 10 at home, 14 on the road * 23 different players. The only one with 2 is Darryl Strawberry * Most is: 5 against the Phillies, 4 against the Reds * First was by Gil Hodges, May 16, 1962 against the Cubs at the Polo Grounds * First at Shea was by Ron Hunt, June 5, 1966 against the Dodgers (Game 1 of doubleheader against Sandy Koufax, while trailing 15-2) * There have been 2 inside-the-park HR to come in walk-off wins. May 16, 1962- Gil Hodges vs Cubs (Felix Mantilla walk-off hit) June 11, 2005- Marlon Anderson vs Angels (Cliff Floyd walk-off HR) * Mets who have had a walk-off HR and an inside-the-park HR: Darryl Strawberry, Dave Kingman, Gil Hodges, Howard Johnson, Kevin Elster, Lee Mazzilli and Steve Henderson * Most HR by a Met who never hit an inside-the-park HR, Mike Piazza, 220, Todd Hundley, 124 * Seasons with more than one: 1962, 1979, 1980, 1982, 2006, all with 2

Source: Baseball-Reference.com Play Index * Longest Hit Streaks Mets History David Wright 2006-07 24 Hubie Brooks 1984 24 Mike Piazza 1999 24 John Olerud 1998 23 Mike Vail 1975 23 Cleon Jones 1970 23 * Longest Hit Streaks From Start of His Season, Mets History David Wright 2007 12 Ed Kranepool 1965 12 Johnny Lewis 1965 11 * Longest Multi-Season Hit Streaks Mets History David Wright 2006-07 24 Jose Vizcaino 1995-96 16 Gary Carter 1986-87 16 Rusty Staub 1973-74 16 * The longest hit streak of a multi-hit variety in Mets history is 8 games, by Steve Henderson (1979). Thirteen players have reached 6 games, including Carlos Beltran (2006) and Jose Reyes (2003). * The longest hit streak by a Mets pitcher is held by Jerry Koosman, at 6 games (1974) * The longest hitless streak by a Mets position player is 20 games, by David Wright's good friend, Joe McEwing (2002). * The longest "reached base at least once" streak in Mets history is 47 games, set by John Olerud (1998-99). Jose Vi...

The post counter on my blogger page tells me that this is post #411 and I'll go with that, even though some of them consist of me merely saying "No post today, back tomorrow." With that in mind, my goal today is to be as informative as I was in post #410, which I'd have to rank among my all-time favorites (maybe at 500, we'll do a "best of"). So today, rather than pay tribute to Mets killers, I'm going to borrow an idea from Jerry Seinfeld and do the opposite. It's my little tribute to his tv show (and George's gym teacher, Mr. Heyman) that I'm going to refer to the players I write about today as "Metskilledya." Again, following the Q and A format, with mucho kudos to the Play Index section at Baseball-Reference.com Who holds the record for longest "hitless" streak against the Mets? Well, in order to do this, we have to adjust our criteria to suit what Baseball-Reference can handle, and as a result, there are several a...

I'd been wanting to write something on Mets-killers and streakholders for quite some time and the news of Ryan Howard's accomplishment Monday struck me as a good chance to do so. For those unaware, Howard became the first player since Hank Aaron to homer in 5 consecutive games against the Mets. That's pretty impressive company, perhaps even more so considering that Aaron did it back in 1962-63. So, with the help of those new handy-dandy Retrosheet search engine tools on Baseball-Reference.com , I thought I'd take a look at other noteworthy streakholders against the Mets. To make it an easier read (and perhaps inspire a trivia question or two), we'll offer it up in a Q and A format. Who holds the record for the longest hitting streak against the Mets? Matty Alou, 22 games, spanning from 1971 to 1973. Steve Finley (1995-97) and Gary Templeton (1978-79) rank 2nd with 21-game streaks. Who holds the record for longest hitting streak against the Mets, at Shea Stadium? Lui...

It's a beautiful day for baseball this Monday (more or less) as the game returns to Flushing for the first time this season and we're excited that there's finally a chance for walk-off wins again. That got us to doing some research into what we're calling HOTWOOD. No, that has nothing to do with the Mets bats from their first few games, nor is it the town in Indiana where (name that obscure Met) grew up. HOTWOOD stands for Home Openers That Weren't On Opening Day. And here's what we can tell you about them... * The Mets are 12-9 all-time in HOTWOOD, a good record, but far shy of their 29-17 Opening Day mark. *The Mets have won 5 HOTWOOD in a row, though that comes with an asterisk attached to the 2000 HOTWOOD win. When the Mets opened in Japan in 2000, they were technically the home team on Opening Day, but to call that game the "home opener" would be inappropriate, as it would also be to acknowledge the second "fake" Opening Day" that c...

I've sung the praises of this new Baseball-Reference Play Index tool a few times already, so I'll tell you again how wonderful it is to be able to use it to share some more minutiae with you. People like to speak of the excitement of the multi-homer game. A multi-triple game, like the one Jose Reyes had in another rout on Friday, is as exciting, and a lot more rare. * It was the 3rd multi-triple game of Jose Reyes' career. The two previous ones came in 2005- on May 18 against the Reds and May 26 in Florida against the Marlins. * The 3 multi-triple games are a team record, breaking the mark he previously shared with Doug Flynn (who once had a 3-triple game) and Lance Johnson. * Johnson had 8 multi-triple games, most by any player within the last 50 years, one more than George Brett and two more than Willie Mays. The active leaders are Carl Crawford and Omar Vizquel, who have 5. * Among the other notable players to have had 3 multi-triple games: Joe Morgan, Pete Rose (2 comin...

I'd imagine the Cardinals approval ratings are about as low as our current President, especially after... * This, which was the third time in the history of the Mets-Cardinals rivalry that the Mets scored 10 or more runs and the Cardinals tallied none. The first was a Jon Matlack 13-0 shutout at home on July 1, 1976. The second was an 11-0 Sid Fernandez gem in St. Louis on August 1, 1989. * It was the first time the Mets beat the Cardinals by 10+ since a 13-1 romp on September 7, 1989. * The 2 runs allowed by the Mets in their first three games were the fewest they've surrendered in an opening trio in team history. The previous best was 4, in 1981, a season interrupted by strike. The Mets are 3-0 for the first time since 1994, also a season wiped out by strike. * John Maine became the 2nd Mets starter ever to pitch at least 7 innings, allowing 1 hit or fewer, within his team's first 3 games of the season. The other was the "great" Bruce Berenyi, who matched Maine...

It was about a year ago at this time that we honored the Mets for reaching the 10,000 double plateau. We have no such milestones approaching for double plays, but since they've been the most important thing to come out of the two victories so far, we thought we'd pay homage. * With 7 double plays turned in 2 games, the Mets are on pace to turn 567 for the season. That would shatter the club record of 171, previously set in 1966 and 1983. It would also destroy the major-league record of 217, set by the 1949 Philadelphia Athletics. * The Mets turned 4 DP on Opening Day and 3 in the second game of the season. The record for double plays turned in a game is 5, previously set August 8, 1962 (a 5-2 win vs the Giants), May 24, 1973 against the Dodgers (7-3 19-inning win), June 9, 1983 against the Cubs in Wrigley Field (6-4 11-inning win) and June 5, 1997 at home against the Marlins (a 6-0 regulation victory). * The information is a little more easily accessible on ground-ball double ...

Thanks, in large part, to the new, Baseball-Reference.com PI tool, you can stump your friends with the following trivia... * Six Mets have had 4 hits in an Opening Day game, but none has ever had more. The 6 are Richie Hebner, 1979 Kevin McReynolds, 1988 Darryl Strawberry, 1988 Jeff Kent, 1994 Todd Hundley, 1995 Xavier Nady, 2006 * Two Mets have scored 3 runs in an Opening Day game, but none has ever scored more. The 2 are Jerry Grote, 1969 Brett Butler, 1995 (interestingly, the Mets lost both games) * Two Mets have stolen 2 bases in an Opening Day game, but none has ever had more. The 2 are Mookie Wilson, 1985 Darryl Strawberry, 1989 * Five Mets have homered twice in an Opening Day game, but none has ever had more. The 5 are Cleon Jones, 1973 Darryl Strawberry, 1988 Kevin McReynolds, 1988 Bobby Bonilla, 1992 Robin Ventura, 2001 * Four Mets have had at least 4 RBI in an Opening Day game, but none has ever had more. The 4 are Ron Swoboda, 1968 Richie Hebner, 1979 Todd Hundley, 1995 Rob...

Let's get some of this stuff out of the way now, if you don't mind...we might revisit the topic again, but while it's fresh on my mind, let's make sure you're prepared for Sunday with an initial burst of knowledge. * The Mets are 28-17 on Opening Day all-time, and that's after an 0-8 start, so we're looking at a nice 28-of-37 run.. Their first Opening Day win came in 1970, and their most recent Opening Day win came in 2006. * The Mets have alternated wins and losses in their last 5 Opening Days and not to alarm you, but if the streak continues, they're due to lose on Sunday. * The Mets are 11-9 all-time on the road on Opening Day (counting Tokyo as a neutral site), having lost 4 of their last 6 road Opening Day affairs. * The Mets are 4-2 against the Cardinals in Opening Day games, with the wins coming in their last four Opening Day meetings (1985, 1989, 1992 and 1996). The losses came in their first two Opening Days- 1962 and 1963, by a combined score o...

Thank you for reading... * David Wright's favorite sandwich is one with Turkey, from Subway. He had 3 walk-off hits and a walk-off sacrifice fly for the Mets last season, which earned him a significant enough raise such that he should be able to afford a better bird today. * Turk(ey) Wendell had 7 walk-off wins with the Mets. He also had six walk-off losses for them and one walk-off loss against them. * Happy 52nd birthday to former Cardinals backup catcher Glenn Brummer, the last person to win a game with a walk-off straight steal of home (1982). Also, happy remembrances to the family of Clarence Jonnard, also known as "Bubber." Born on this day in 1897, Bubber was a Mets scout, who signed, among others, Ed Kranepool (6 Mets walk-off hits), Ken Singleton ( a walk-off sacrifice fly) and Mike Jorgensen (3 Mets walk-off hits, including a grand slam) * The last walk-off "turkey" I can remember watching was on the PBA Tour, when Parker Bohn III (I once interviewed ...