Mets Walk-Offs And Minutiae

We interrupt the celebration soon to come with a funny story. It was a few years ago that I found myself amongst other media members in the Minnesota Twins clubhouse at Fenway Park, and following a victory over the Red Sox, I wanted to hear what their manager had to say. Ron Gardenhire's post-game press conferences aren't that different from others that you may have seen or heard on TV, except that this one had one exception. I had been standing still for the better part of the first couple of minutes of questions, than after one particular inquiry and response, I took about a half-step back. Gardenhire noticed. He motioned to the writer who asked the question and said: "Did you just do something, because that guy (pointing to me) has a look on his face like you just farted or something." The mood-lightening worked, as everyone had a good chuckle, and the Q&A continued unimpeded. I did a little research and discovered that Gardenhire has a rep of being a bit of a

I'm sorry, I would have written sooner, and I'd write more now, except that my hands are incessantly and uncontrollably moving in an upwards/downwards slicing motion... I can take this time to tell you... * During Atlanta's reign of NL East dominance, the Mets did defeat the Braves in walk-off fashion on 9 occasions. If you wish to read about any of those that I have previously blogged, check these links... http://metswalkoffs.blogspot.com/2005/09/jerry-and-mets.html http://metswalkoffs.blogspot.com/2006/03/roger-and-out.html http://metswalkoffs.blogspot.com/2005/08/walk-off-most-foul.html http://metswalkoffs.blogspot.com/2006/05/fridays-leftovers.html

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 o

We are on the precipice of a scenario by which this ballclub could become, by process of elimination, champions of the NL East. This is a feat, previously accomplished on four occasions, and it seems likely that this clinching, as we like to call it, will not come in walk-off fashion. That's perfectly acceptable, even here. The Mets have never cinched a division championship in walk-off fashion, though their first such celebration came a day after such an event. The baseball game of September 24, 1969 is well remembered for its conclusion, with Joe Torre hitting into a 6-4-3 double play, assuring the Mets of their first NL East crown. The contest of the previous day isn't as easily recalled, so we'll educate you in this space. The Mets entered September 23 with a magic number of three, and when Bill Stoneman and the Expos topped the Cubs that afternoon, the super-digit was sliced to just two. In order to reduce it to one and guarantee at worst, a tie for the title, the Mets