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Our Special Bonds: I'm Keith Hernandez (Answers)

Answers to the queries posed here:
http://metswalkoffs.blogspot.com/2007/09/our-special-bonds-im-keith-hernandez.html

1) This may have been referenced on the air, but in case it wasn't: Hernandez's last multi-homer game came against the Braves. The second of the two homers was hit against former Met Charlie Puleo. The first was the only hit Hernandez would have in 3 career AB against Tom Glavine.

2) Keith Hernandez didn't have a great '86 postseason against Mike Scott, but he pounded Scott in regular-season play. He hit .375 against Scott with six home runs, more than he hit against anyone else, though five of those six came against the Mets.

3) The only other Mets with a pair of 5-hit games: Rusty Staub and Mike Piazza. Piazza and Hernandez share the common bond of having had a five-hit game in a Mets loss, though both of Staub's came in wins.

4) Kudos if you had any recollection of this date in Mets history, when Pete Falcone pitched a fine game, allowing one run and three hits in victory over the Cardinals, snapping Hernandez's 15-game hit streak in the process. Hernandez would have one longer streak in his career- a 17-gamer in 1987.

5) Gary Lucas pitched 669 regular-season major-league innings and the only lefty he ever hit was Keith Hernandez. He pitched 2 1/3 postseason innings for the 1986 Angels and hit a lefty with a pitch- Rich Gedman. That was costly because the next batter was Dave Henderson, who hit his famous go-ahead home run off Donnie Moore to put Boston ahead in Game 5 of the ALCS, a game the Red Sox would win in extra innings. It served as the turning point in that series as Boston advanced to face the Mets in the World Series.

6) Opening Day 1990 in Yankee Stadium was Hernandez's first day of a lousy career-ending stint with the Cleveland Indians. There were some familiar faces who shared the field with Hernandez that day. Cleveland's starting catcher was current Met Sandy Alomar Jr. The shortstop with whom Hernandez turned a double play was Rafael Santana and the losing pitcher was fellow '86 Met Jesse Orosco.

7) The Mets are best known draftwise for passing up Reggie Jackson for Steve Chilcott, but rarely is it mentioned that the player selected after the Mets took Rich Puig with their first-round pick in 1971 was Jim Rice. By the way, in the second round of the draft, before it got to the Mets turn, a couple third basemen named George Brett and Mike Schmidt went in back-to-back picks.

8) Keith Hernandez struck out 3 times in a game on 15 different occasions. The first pitcher to get him 3 times was a Met- Tom Seaver- on April 19, 1976.

9) Keith Hernandez hit his only World Series home run against Hall of Famer Don Sutton, in the sixth game of the 1982 World Series. He didn't hit any World Series home runs in 1986 but did have a pretty significant hit against Bruce Hurst in Game 7.

10) There's one pitcher against whom Keith Hernandez went 0-for-10: former 1973 Athletics star Ken Holtzman. There are 3 pitchers against whom he went 0-for-9. The 2 righthanders are Doug Drabek and Cecilio Guante. The lefty is John Franco, who was the pitcher when Hernandez's fly ball to right was dropped by Dave Parker, in the July 22, 1986 game against the Reds best known for the fight between Eric Davis and Ray Knight.

8)

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