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Showing posts from August 3, 2008

The Game After

The blog Tiger Tales recently studied whether or not a team has a higher success rate than normal in the game following a walk-off win. He came to the conclusion that overall, there is not a significant statistical difference in performance in the following game. So I went through my database and compiled how the Mets did in the game following a walk-off win, disqualifying games that marked the completion of a season or were ties (1 instance of a tie). With Friday's win, the Mets improved to 182-169 in games that followed a walk-off win (including postseason). That's a win percentage of .519. Tiger Tales suggests that you compare that to the team's home win percentage, since in an overwhelming number of instances, your next game following a walk-off win is at home (not 100% sure of that, but seems like a reasonable premise). The Mets overall home win percentage, including postseason, is .514 by my computations. So statistically speaking, it looks like there is no impact. I

Wright Place, Wright Time For a Walk-Off

* Mets Walk-Off Win #354 is the Mets 6th walk-off win of the season, their first since June 11. * That is the first walk-off home run for David Wright in his baseball career, at any level (thanks to Ethan in the Mets PR office for procuring this note for us earlier in the season). * That was Wright's seventh career walk-off RBI, tied for second in Mets history with Rusty Staub. Kevin McReynolds is the all-time Mets leader with 8. It was Wright's second walk-off RBI this season, with both coming in games in which the bullpen blew a win for Johan Santana. * It was the 8th time that the Mets have beaten the Padres with a walk-off home run, the last being by Chris Woodward on July 19, 2005. That one was also a 2-run home run. * 5-3 is an extraordinarily unusual walk-off final score for the Mets. They've had 3 walk-off wins end with a 5-3 score, and all have occurred since the beginnings of this blog. They beat the Angels 5-3 on Cliff Floyd's walk-off home run on June 11, 20

It Makes Me Want To Throw Up...And That's Good

Apparently the Jets have a new quarterback. I'm sure you can find plenty of Brett Favre coverage on the internet today. I harken back to a story I wrote nearly three years ago that you'll enjoy if you haven't previously read it. http://metswalkoffs.blogspot.com/2005/12/heave-ho.html True Metvres know... Brett Favre has 2 walk-off (overtime) touchdown passes in his career. * An 82-yard throw to Greg Jennings to beat the Broncos, October 29, 2007 * A 43-yard pass to Antonio Freeman to beat the Vikings on November 6, 2000 Two seemed like a small number until I looked up Joe Namath on Pro Football Reference and saw that he had only one (November 10, 1974 at Giants), as did Dan Marino. By the way, if Brett Favre scores a TD and Mike Nugent kicks the PAT, isn't that a Favrenugent (think: the German word for "to drive")? And as far as Saturday's pitcher goes, all we are saying is Give Niese A Chance.

The 'Man'zere

Baseball-Reference has pitch data dating back approximately 20 years. They have no other instances of a one-pitch save in Mets history besides the one recorded on Tuesday night. That makes sense. Very little in Mets history is angst-free. The Mets last two one-pitch wins have been of the walk-off variety. Remember Jorge Sosa? He got a one-pitch win against the Phillies on April 10 (Angel Pagan walk-off hit). Aaron Heilman got the last one prior to that, on May 14, 2007, when the Mets beat the Cubs on Carlos Delgado's walk-off walk. There are three other one-pitch wins in their logs. The only other one at Shea Stadium was of the walk-up variety. But we'll give Josias Manzanillo a little more credit for that one. It was July 19, 1994, not too long before the season ended early due to a labor dispute. The Mets and Dodgers clashed at Shea on a day where Todd Hundley hit second and Joe Orsulak batted fifth. Perhaps it should have been the other way around. The Mets trailed 4-2 in th

Didja Ever Notice?: The Other Game

Part of a continuing series of articles related to the events of October 25, 1986. Bill Buckner played in 2,541 games, combining regular season, postseason, and All-Star Games. Two of them ended with him making an error. This is the story of the other one. It took place on July 13, 1985 at the Kingdome in Seattle, and I'm guessing that not many people remember it, since it was fairly inconsequential to the pennant race. Brian Snyder might be the only one. It was a game in which he earned his only big league win, one that snapped his team's six-game losing streak. The pitching matchup was Bruce Hurst against Matt Young, a battle of lefties, and Alvin Davis struck the first blow against Hurst with a second-inning homer to give the Mariners a 1-0 lead. Seattle added to that advantage when future Buckner teammate Spike Owen doubled home a run in the third. Boston answered with a run in the fourth, and then another in the fifth on Dwight Evans' 10th home run of the season. Tied

What Comes Around Goes Around

The last time Billy Wagner blew a save in Houston was against the Brewers on July 1, 2003. He allowed a game-tying home run and a go-ahead hit by pitch in the top of the ninth. In the bottom of the ninth the Astros bailed Wagner out, saving him from defeat. Guess who tied the game with a home run. Geoff Blum. The same Geoff Blum whose game-tying hit gave Wagner a blown save on Saturday. Grr... * Mets Walk-Off loss number 378 was their 7th walk-off loss this season, the first since July 4 against the Phillies. *It was the Mets first walk-off loss against the Astros since July 28, 2005, when Brad Ausmus (whom Wagner couldn't get out on Saturday) whacked a walk-off double to beat the Mets. * It was the first time the Mets lost a game on a walk-off sacrifice fly since July 5, 1998, when Walt Weiss hit one for the Braves in the 11th inning against John Franco. It was the 12th time that the Mets have lost a game on a walk-off sacrifice fly. * It was the first Astros walk-off extra inning