Skip to main content

Our Special Bonds: Grand Slam Single (Questions)

Happy anniversary to the Grand Slam Single (October 17, 1999), and we'll make this the last of 3 straight days of Mets quizzes, with these questions specifically geared towards that game and series.

If you want to read a remembrance of the game, go here
http://metswalkoffs.blogspot.com/2005/08/walk-off-most-foul.html

Answers here:
http://metswalkoffs.blogspot.com/2006/10/our-special-bonds-grand-slam-single.html

1) Masato Yoshii started and pitched 3 innings, Octavio Dotel relieved and pitched 3 innings, but name the Met whose 3 1/3 inning stint was the longest for the Mets in Game 5 of the 1999 NLCS.

2) Three players for the Braves in that game also played for the Mets at one point in their career. Name the backup catcher, the starting outfielder, and the relief pitcher, the latter of whom was the losing pitcher in Game 4 of this series.

3) Name the (now-disdained) Met who had the team's highest batting average in the series (minimum 10 AB), though he played, but did not bat in Game 5.

4) Someone who pitched in this game finished his career with a 7-0 record at Shea Stadium, the 2nd-best unbeaten mark there, trailing only Larry Jackson's 8-0. Name the pitcher.

5) Name the Mets who had the go-ahead RBI in the 8th and 10th innings of Game 6 of the 1999 NLCS. Each played a key role in extra innings in Game 5 of the series.

6) There was another playoff game played on this date in 1999, an ALCS matchup between the Yankees and Red Sox. The Yankees won, 9-2. Name the former and future Mets who homered in that game for the Yankees.

7) Shawon Dunston's last regular season home run came in 2002 against the Padres. The pitcher against whom he homered pitched for the Mets in 1999, but did not appear in the postseason. He did pitch for the Mets in the following postseason. Name that pitcher.

8) Robin Ventura hit 18 grand slams in the regular season, including two in a game in 1995 against the Texas Rangers. The first of those grand slams was hit against someone who pitched in Game 5 of the 1999 NLCS, albeit not for long. Name the pitcher.

9) Combining the 294 regular season and 3 postseason, Robin Ventura hit 297 career home runs (the grand slam single doesn't count). There is someone who played Game 5 of the 1999 NLCS who finished his career with 297 REGULAR SEASON home runs (he also had 5 in the postseason). Name him.

10) Prior to Ventura's grand slam single, who had the Mets last hit with a runner in scoring position.

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Walk-Offs in Movies, TV, and Other Places

Note: I'm leaving this post up through the end of the week, a) because I don't have time to pump out something new and b)because I was hoping to build a really good list of entertainment industry walk-offs...so if you're looking for something new, check back on Monday or so... Of course, if there's a major trade or move, I'll adjust and try to post something... In the meantime, click on the "Table of Contents" link as well. It has been updated. SPOILER ALERT: Read at your own risk Caught the ending of "A League of Their Own" on one of the movie channels the other day and it got me to thinking that it would be fun to compile a list of walk-offs from movies, television, and other forms of entertainment. Here's the start, and only the start, as I spent about 30 minutes or so thinking it over Help me fill in the blanks by filling out the comments section. "A League of Their Own"-- Racine beats Rockford for the All-American Girls Profess...

The best Mets ejections I know

When you think of the Mets and famous ejections, I'm guessing you first think of the famous Bobby Valentine mustache game, when after Valentine got tossed, he returned to the dugout in disguise. You know it. You love it. I remember being amused when I asked Bobby V about it while we were working on Baseball Tonight, how he simply said "It worked. We won the game." (true) But the Bobby V mustache game of June 9, 1999 is one of many, many memorable Mets ejection stories. And now thanks to Retrosheet and the magic of Newspapers.com , we have a convenient means for being able to share them. Ever since Retrosheet's David Smith recently announced that the Retrosheet ejection database was posted online , I've been a kid in a candy store. I've organized the data and done some lookups of media coverage around the games that interested me post. Those newspaper accounts fill in a lot of blanks. Without further ado (and with more work to do), here are some of my findings ...

The 'Duca of Earl (and walk-offs)

If I told you that the Mets had just obtained a guy who is a career .316 hitter with runners in scoring position? How about if I told you that the Mets just traded for a hitter who has consistently ranked among the toughest in baseball to strike out? Or if I mentioned that the Mets just dealt for a player who was selected to the NL All-Star team the last three seasons, with the last honor coming via a vote by his peers? So, although he's on the down side age wise, his throwing arm isn't as good as it used to be, and he doesn't provide much power, there are a lot of good things that Paul Lo Duca brings to the New York Mets. For example: He'll sacrifice his body for the good of the team The Dodgers and Braves squared off on August 23, 2002 and Lo Duca made an impact both on the start and finish of this game. Three pitches after being dusted by Greg Maddux, Lo Duca made him pay with a first-inning home run. The Braves rallied to tie the game, 3-3 in the ninth, but their bu...