I've been getting a lot of searches from Bing and Google recently.
I'm going to try to answer the questions posed by those people so that if they ever search again, they'll end up finding what they're looking for. Hopefully this will help others out as well. I'll put the newest questions on top.
11/28/2009
What happened in the Mets game on July 27, 1985?
Ooh, I like this one a lot. The Mets beat the Astros in a doubleheader, 16-4, and 7-3. The highlight of the doubleheader is that in Game 1, all 16 of the Mets runs were unearned. (I was there).
What Mets have hit a home run in their first at-bat?
Benny Ayala (1974), Mike Fitzgerald (1983), Kaz Matsui (2004), and Mike Jacobs (2005)
Does a sacrifice count in batting average?
No.
Did Willie Mays hit a home run off Tom Seaver?
In 26 plate appearances against Seaver, he did not.
Did Willie Mays hit a home run against Steve Carlton?
Yes, two of them, in 75 plate appearances. He hit one for the Giants on August 23 1967 and one for the Mets on May 21, 1972.
What's the most doubles in a season by a Met?
44 by Bernard Gilkey in 1996.
What happened in the Knicks-Bulls game on December 25, 1986?
Patrick Ewing hit a walk-off shot at the buzzer to win the game.
Who is Tommy Euler?
Tommy Euler is a pitcher from the video game Hardball. He was lefthanded and threw a screwball that came inside to a right-handed hitter, and then hooked back away from him as it got closer to the plate.
11/16/2009
Did Ed Kranepool ever hit a home run to win a game against the Expos?
Yes, he did. On April 8, 1978. It was a two-run pinch-hit walk-off home run off Stan Bahnsen with two outs in the ninth inning to give the Mets a 6-5 win.
Did Derek Bell have a walk-off hit for the Mets?
Yes, against the Diamondbacks, on May 21, 2000. You can find out more here: http://metswalkoffs.blogspot.com/2006/11/best-games-i-know-mets-vs-diamondbacks.html
Did the Mets once beat the Cubs, 23-10?
Yes. Details here: http://metswalkoffs.blogspot.com/2007/05/best-games-i-know-cubs.html
Who is Marty Wannemacher?
Marty is the fan who caught a record-breaking home run hit by Todd Hundley.
http://metswalkoffs.blogspot.com/2009/09/sixty-count-em-sixty-part-ii.html
Who hit the Mets last home run in 1999?
Depends. In the regular season, it was Ricky Henderson in the 5th inning of the one-game playoff against the Reds. In the playoffs, it was Mike Piazza, in the seventh inning of Game 6 of the NLCS against the Braves.
and on non-baseball issues...
What did the Great Wallenda Do at Candlestick Park?
Walk a tightrope that stretched from one foul pole to the other. The Wallenda familiy has been referenced in quotes within this blog, in regards to the Mets 'walking a tightrope' within certain games, and also in reference to the height of Darryl Strawberry's home run off the roof at Olympic Stadium.
What's really very nice and good?
In Seinfeld, Jerry is describing a potential blind date to George. George asks what kind of body she has. Jerry describes it as "really very nice and good."
What was the ending of the "Penske" Seinfeld episode?
The Penske Board of Directors was indicted, and thus was unable to hire George.
11/14/2009
Why did the 1986 Mets play the Astros on the road to start the playoffs?
There was a time, under the two-division format, that home-field advantage for the LCS alternated divisions by year. In 1986, it was the NL East's turn, but the Astros had a scheduling conflict with the NFL's Oilers, and could not host Game 4. Thus, the Astros were given Games 1,2, 6, and 7, and thus home-field advantage in the series.
Thanks to Greg Prince for steering me to the right answer for this one, via Jerry Izenberg's book on Game 6 of the 1986 NLCS, after I initially answered incorrectly.
Who allowed Todd Hundley's 41st home run in 1996?
That home run was allowed by Greg McMichael. Here's the link to the box score of that game.
http://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/NYN/NYN199609140.shtml
What's the story of Robin Ventura impersonating Mike Piazza?
It happened during a rain delay in a game against the Yankees on June 11, 2000. As Marty Noble of MLB.com describes: "he stuffed padding into his uniform shirt and painted sideburns on his face."
Do you have video of Benny Agbayani hitting the winning home run in the 2000 NLDS?
I don't, and it's not on YouTube either. MLB.com has a lot of classic games archived that you can purchase. I'd try there.
Keep coming back and checking this file, as I'll update it regularly.
Can you tell me about Patrick Ewing's 0.1 second buzzer beater?
I think you're actually referring to the famous Trent Tucker shot from January 15, 1990, referenced here:
http://metswalkoffs.blogspot.com/2006/12/knick-knack.html
Did the Mets play the Cardinals in a doubleheader in 1986?
They actually played two doubleheaders against them in a four-day span. On August 14, they beat the Cardinals 4-3 (on Kevin Mitchell's walk-off hit) and then lost the nightcap, 5-1. On August 17, they split again, losing 2-1 and winning, 9-2 behind spot starter Randy Niemann.
I'm going to try to answer the questions posed by those people so that if they ever search again, they'll end up finding what they're looking for. Hopefully this will help others out as well. I'll put the newest questions on top.
11/28/2009
What happened in the Mets game on July 27, 1985?
Ooh, I like this one a lot. The Mets beat the Astros in a doubleheader, 16-4, and 7-3. The highlight of the doubleheader is that in Game 1, all 16 of the Mets runs were unearned. (I was there).
What Mets have hit a home run in their first at-bat?
Benny Ayala (1974), Mike Fitzgerald (1983), Kaz Matsui (2004), and Mike Jacobs (2005)
Does a sacrifice count in batting average?
No.
Did Willie Mays hit a home run off Tom Seaver?
In 26 plate appearances against Seaver, he did not.
Did Willie Mays hit a home run against Steve Carlton?
Yes, two of them, in 75 plate appearances. He hit one for the Giants on August 23 1967 and one for the Mets on May 21, 1972.
What's the most doubles in a season by a Met?
44 by Bernard Gilkey in 1996.
What happened in the Knicks-Bulls game on December 25, 1986?
Patrick Ewing hit a walk-off shot at the buzzer to win the game.
Who is Tommy Euler?
Tommy Euler is a pitcher from the video game Hardball. He was lefthanded and threw a screwball that came inside to a right-handed hitter, and then hooked back away from him as it got closer to the plate.
11/16/2009
Did Ed Kranepool ever hit a home run to win a game against the Expos?
Yes, he did. On April 8, 1978. It was a two-run pinch-hit walk-off home run off Stan Bahnsen with two outs in the ninth inning to give the Mets a 6-5 win.
Did Derek Bell have a walk-off hit for the Mets?
Yes, against the Diamondbacks, on May 21, 2000. You can find out more here: http://metswalkoffs.blogspot.com/2006/11/best-games-i-know-mets-vs-diamondbacks.html
Did the Mets once beat the Cubs, 23-10?
Yes. Details here: http://metswalkoffs.blogspot.com/2007/05/best-games-i-know-cubs.html
Who is Marty Wannemacher?
Marty is the fan who caught a record-breaking home run hit by Todd Hundley.
http://metswalkoffs.blogspot.com/2009/09/sixty-count-em-sixty-part-ii.html
Who hit the Mets last home run in 1999?
Depends. In the regular season, it was Ricky Henderson in the 5th inning of the one-game playoff against the Reds. In the playoffs, it was Mike Piazza, in the seventh inning of Game 6 of the NLCS against the Braves.
and on non-baseball issues...
What did the Great Wallenda Do at Candlestick Park?
Walk a tightrope that stretched from one foul pole to the other. The Wallenda familiy has been referenced in quotes within this blog, in regards to the Mets 'walking a tightrope' within certain games, and also in reference to the height of Darryl Strawberry's home run off the roof at Olympic Stadium.
What's really very nice and good?
In Seinfeld, Jerry is describing a potential blind date to George. George asks what kind of body she has. Jerry describes it as "really very nice and good."
What was the ending of the "Penske" Seinfeld episode?
The Penske Board of Directors was indicted, and thus was unable to hire George.
11/14/2009
Why did the 1986 Mets play the Astros on the road to start the playoffs?
There was a time, under the two-division format, that home-field advantage for the LCS alternated divisions by year. In 1986, it was the NL East's turn, but the Astros had a scheduling conflict with the NFL's Oilers, and could not host Game 4. Thus, the Astros were given Games 1,2, 6, and 7, and thus home-field advantage in the series.
Thanks to Greg Prince for steering me to the right answer for this one, via Jerry Izenberg's book on Game 6 of the 1986 NLCS, after I initially answered incorrectly.
Who allowed Todd Hundley's 41st home run in 1996?
That home run was allowed by Greg McMichael. Here's the link to the box score of that game.
http://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/NYN/NYN199609140.shtml
What's the story of Robin Ventura impersonating Mike Piazza?
It happened during a rain delay in a game against the Yankees on June 11, 2000. As Marty Noble of MLB.com describes: "he stuffed padding into his uniform shirt and painted sideburns on his face."
Do you have video of Benny Agbayani hitting the winning home run in the 2000 NLDS?
I don't, and it's not on YouTube either. MLB.com has a lot of classic games archived that you can purchase. I'd try there.
Keep coming back and checking this file, as I'll update it regularly.
Can you tell me about Patrick Ewing's 0.1 second buzzer beater?
I think you're actually referring to the famous Trent Tucker shot from January 15, 1990, referenced here:
http://metswalkoffs.blogspot.com/2006/12/knick-knack.html
Did the Mets play the Cardinals in a doubleheader in 1986?
They actually played two doubleheaders against them in a four-day span. On August 14, they beat the Cardinals 4-3 (on Kevin Mitchell's walk-off hit) and then lost the nightcap, 5-1. On August 17, they split again, losing 2-1 and winning, 9-2 behind spot starter Randy Niemann.
Comments
Thanks