Mets Walk-Offs And Minutiae

"When you know something, say what you know. When you don't know something, say that you don't know. That is knowledge." -- Confucius (used as a Stuyvesant High School yearbook quote by my friend, David Cooper) By my count (using Baseball-Reference.com at this late hour), the Mets have played 3,537 regular season and postseason home games to a decision (ties not included). Friday's 14-inning victory, for which I was in attendance, gave them an unofficial count of 334 walk-off wins. That equates to 9.44 percent of all home games being walk-off victories. I don't know how many of them included a Met getting 5 hits. I don't know how many of them included the Mets tying the game in an extra-inning, than winning the game in another extra inning. I don't know if 19 is a Mets walk-off record for men left on base. I do know that David Wright has two walk-off RBI this season I do know that getting three walk-off wins in a week is a pretty impressive feat. I do ...

It was 40 years ago Saturday that Rob Gardner won his first game as a New York Met, which may not seem like a big-deal anniversary kind of thing, but let's first examine what Mr. Gardner had to go through to get that inaugural triumph before stating that. Gardner made his major-league debut on September 1, 1965 and the 20-year old southpaw (who had 37 minor league victories in three seasons) must have been nervous. The first six Astros batters that day reached base, and with the assistance of two errors and Rusty Staub's three-run home run, Gardner's first big league inning concluded with him allowing five runs. Gardner lost that day and lost his next appearance too, though he allowed only two runs in six innings against the defending champion Cardinals. By the time we got to the final days of the season, Gardner had pitched four times and hadn't really done anything special. That was about to change. The Mets were concluding a campaign in which they'd drop 112 gam...

Six years and change is a long time between walk-offs against one particular rival. Consider that the Mets hadn't beaten the Pirates via walk-off since October 3, 1999. That's pretty lengthy. * Since their last walk-off win against the Pirates, the Mets had beaten the following franchises in walk-off fashion...Diamondbacks, Braves, Brewers, Dodgers, Orioles, Expos/Nationals, Giants, Marlins (8 times!), Phillies, Royals, Reds, Cubs, Padres, Cardinals, Tigers, Yankees, Astros, and Angels. The only NL team they hadn't beaten in walk-off fashion since then: the Rockies, whom they last dinged on May 19, 1997. * In between Mets walk-off wins against the Pirates, Carlos Delgado hit 230 home runs, including two that were walk-offs. For more info, see this post from wintertime. http://metswalkoffs.blogspot.com/2005/11/del-gone-o.html Some other extracted minutiae from Wednesday's win (also known as "Unofficially walk-off #333). Feel free to stump your friends, regardless o...

I feel a little like Mulva/Gipple/Bovary/Dolores from Seinfeld right about now, but am greatly appreciative of Gary Cohen's on-air mention on Tuesday night. Yes, he erred ever so slightly on the blog name, but judging from the reaction of friends and family, it was a pretty thrilling mention nonetheless. Speaking of forgotten names, I've got a neat one from past Metsdom for you: Hal Reniff. Remember him? Probably not. He lasted two months with the Mets in 1967 and though the overall numbers aren't particularly memorable, his pitching performance in his first three weeks is unrivaled in team history. Reniff was claimed off waivers by the Mets from the Yankees on June 28 of that season. He toiled for the Bronx Bombers for parts of seven seasons and closed for them regularly in 1963, before the save was considered fashionable or statistical. He was an average pitcher for the most part, and apparently in 1967, when mediocrity reigned in the Bronx, he was deemed no longer useful...

Atlanta was fine, thank you very much, but I'm glad the walk-offs waited until I returned home. By my count, which is by no means flawless, Monday marked only the second time in team history that the Mets won a regular season (the distinction is important) game on a walk-off error by the opposing pitcher. I hope to get official confirmation of this at some point in the near future. The other known occurrence took place on the day prior to Bicentennial, July 3, 1976, in which the Mets were riding an eight-game win streak entering their game against the Cubs. The weather was unpleasant, with rain throughout the contest and that served to the aid of both starters, Tom Seaver and Rick Reuschel. The Cubs struck first on a third-inning RBI single by Jose Cardenal, but the Mets evened things up in the fifth inning on a home run by Wayne Garrett, than took the lead in the seventh on consecutive hits by Garrett, Ed Kranepool and Ron Hodges, with the latter knocking in Garrett with a double....

I'm going to Atlanta for the three Mets/Braves games this weekend as part of an unusually timed vacation, and I'm looking forward to the trip. The one thing that has me a little wary is that on all three occasions in which I've mixed major league baseball games and vacations, I've seen walk-offs. I would hope not to see one these next three days. The first occurrence came on August 23, 1990 when my family visited Toronto on my first and only sojourn outside of the 50 states. A friend of my father's knew a season-ticket holder who provided us with two terrific seats in the SkyDome for a Blue Jays-Red Sox game during the heart of the AL East race between the two squads. We were 10 rows off the field, at most, behind the third base dugout, the perfect view from which to get an awesome photograph of Wade Boggs lining a single. With no rooting interest for either team, my father and I cheered for ex-Met Mookie Wilson and our applause was rewarded. Wilson singled in the g...

If I were going to catalog my Barry Bonds memories, I think the earliest may come from a game relevant given Tuesday's events, particularly Bonds' futile 3-inch vertical try for Xavier Nady's go-ahead home run. In July of 1988 the Mets were locked in a race for the NL East title with the surprising Pittsburgh Pirates, whose squad featured a host of young up-and-comers like Bonds, then a thin leadoff hitter with both pop and speed, and a Bronx-born power hitter named Bobby Bonilla. Pittsburgh came to town on July 29 with a little confidence, trailing in the standings by only two games, and sending talented southpaw John Smiley to the hill against Mets lefty Bob Ojeda. I remember attending this game. I went with my uncle Zachary and my friend David Cooper. Our seats were really good, box seats along the left field line, which gave us a nice vantage point for long fly balls. There weren't too many of those on this particular Friday evening because the two starters got invo...

Moises Alou had 5 RBI against the Mets on Monday night, thus continuing a rather bothersome family trend for which perhaps a dose of Steve Bartman is needed. Moises' father, Felipe Alou, a career .286 hitter, hit .303 in 509 lifetime AB against the Mets. He's also 69-66 against them as a manager. His uncle, Matty Alou (Felipe's brother), a career .307 hitter, hit .333 in 513 lifetime AB against the Mets. His other uncle, Jesus Alou (Felipe and Matty's brother), a career .280 hitter, hit .306 in 396 lifetime AB against the Mets and .265 in 102 AB for them. His cousin, the infamous Mel Rojas, who went 3-2 with 12 saves and a 3.48 ERA against the Mets, and a rather misleading 5-4 with four saves and a horrendous 5.74 ERA. A fellow tried to convince me the other day that Lance Johnson for Brian McRae was a good swap, but he neglected to mention that the actions of Mel Rojas canceled out any benefits from either McRae or Turk Wendell. But since we're here to speak good o...

I can remember a time when Brian Giles was a Met, beating the Padres in extra-inning walk-off fashion, rather than a Padre doing such to the Mets, as he did on Friday night. I'm referring of course to a Brian Giles of a different time (and race) than the one that plays now. That particular middle infielder looked a little like my childhood friend, Daniel Caraballo (or maybe Carabello, whose acquaintance I don't believe I've made in more than 20 years), and unfortunately if that's the best thing I can say about him, it tells you that he was a long way from having the talent of the outfielder who currently goes by that name. The baseball game that took place on September 3, 1983 bore some resemblance to that of the one that occurred this past Friday night. particularly in the quality of relief pitching. Jesse Orosco relieved Mets starter Tom Seaver in the seventh inning and allowed an inherited runner to score, tying the score at three. After that, the game turned into a ...

Good to see that David Wright got a chance to redeem himself in the field a day later... Click on the "Comments " section...if it's not up already, a post will be up in a bit (hopefully), by guest writer Barry Federovitch, about a player who got some nice walk-off redemption, way back when... I have errands to run today...but I'll have something new up in the next couple days.

Had David Wright homered in the bottom of the ninth inning of the Mets loss to Atlanta on Wednesday, it would have been grand redemption for his three miscues from earlier in the game. It would not have been unprecedented for a player to have had such a horrific game in the field only to make up for it with walk-off plate performance. While the Mets were struggling in putting the finishes on their NL East title in 1986, the Braves and Giants had a gathering at Candlestick Park that is highly regarded in walk-off lore. It took place on September 14, 1986 and was basically insignificant, but for this. In the fourth inning, then-Giants third baseman Bob Brenly made four (!) errors, allowing the Braves to send four men plateward for a 4-0 lead. Brenly somehow kept his composure in the field (it helped that only one ball was hit his way in the next three innings) and that carried over in his trips to the plate. In the fifth inning, his home run cut the lead to 4-1. In the seventh inning, Br...

I hum a few bars of "The Mets Stiffo Rap," a tribute to mediocre Mets found here... http://metswalkoffs.blogspot.com/2005/11/minutiae-break-mets-stiffo-rap.html and if that doesn't cure my blowout-loss blues, the Curly Shuffle does the trick just fine http://www.ilovewavs.com/comedy/Music/Misc/The%20Curly%20Shuffle.wav back with a new post on Thursday...

Metsblog visitors can go to http://metswalkoffs.blogspot.com to see the rest of the site. It wasn't a walk-off, but it might as well have been. I'm referring both to Pedro Martinez's most recent victory and to his first one, which, as some of you may recall, took place against the Mets on May 5, 1993. For those who don't, well...that's why we're here. Pedro Martinez was the youngest player in the majors when he made the first of two appearances in September 1992. The Dodgers were the worst team in baseball that season, at 63-99, so there weren't as many paying notice to this highly-touted Dominican dandy, who in 1991 was The Sporting News Minor League Pitcher of the Year, but who dealt with injuries the following season. Martinez pitched two shutout innings in his lone relief appearance, than six in his lone start that season, taking the loss despite allowing only two tallies. When the season ended, he had anterior capsulolabral reconstruction performed on ...

I'm using Monday to update sections of my database, so let's go the "Metscellaneous" route for some quick-hitters... *Here's a link to an article offering a behind-the-scenes look at "Game 6, The Video Game Reenactment." Good stuff. Click here: Re-creating a classic - MLB - Yahoo! Sports *Albert Pujols hit 3 home runs, including a walk-off shot to beat the Reds yesterday. Last guy with three dingers and a walk-off HR in a game was Todd Hollandsworth (2001 Rockies). No Mets player has ever done that. Jim Beauchamp, Ed Charles , Jerry Buchek , Tim Harkness and Rico Brogna each have hit 2 HR in a game for the Mets, including a walk-off shot. * Javy Lopez and the Orioles were denied a home run when he and Miguel Tejada inadvertently crossed paths on the bases, when Tejada thought Darin Erstad had robbed Lopez of a home run. The folks at Retrosheet offer a nice list of basepath passings and "deprived" 'home runs ,' including Robin Ventura...

Elaine: Kramer! Kramer: Oh, hey. Elaine: What are you doing? Kramer: Oh, well, I-I-I'm dominating. Elaine: You never said you were fighting children. Kramer: Well, it's not the size of the opponent, Elaine, it's, uh, the ferocity. Seinfeld episode, original airdate, September 19, 1996. A scene in which Elaine visits Kramer's karate class. The most dangerous team for a pennant contender is a last-place team because it can spoil many a hard-earned victory with a couple of cheap triumphs. We've referenced in print previously how the bottom-feeding Mets have served as super spoilers in seasons in which the end result has been less than impressive. We've seen some pretty good seasons (see 1998) wrecked by the actions of basement-dwellers. One of the nice things about the first eight games for the Mets was their dominance over the teams they should beat, i.e. the "children" of the National League East. Gary Cohen said it on SNY after one of the first few gam...

Part of a continuing series of posts related to Game 6 of the 1986 World Series. I don't remember if it was during the initial viewing or one of the many reruns of the events of October 25, that my dad and I became rather puzzled by the judgement of NBC's broadcast crew. "The Miller Lite Player of the Game (portrayed humorously in the " RBI Baseball Reenactment of Game 6 ") is Marty Barrett," Vin Scully declared with two outs, nobody on, and Gary Carter up in the last of the 10th inning. Scully proceeded to run down Barrett's credentials- three singles, two walks, two RBI, and "handled everything hit his way" (one putout, four assists). Several issues come into play here. One is that the game was not over yet, but that one's so obvious that it goes without saying? The other issue is this: By citing Barrett aren't you slighting the man who, had the Red Sox won, would have had the biggest hit in franchise history? It's not like Dave H...

Last night I posed the question to someone who would know, from having faced him a couple dozen times. What kind of pitcher was Brian Bannister's father? "Floyd? He was nasty..." The Mets found that out firsthand during the 1977 season when the elder Bannister, then a rookie not long removed from being the No. 1 overall draft pick, faced them three times. He was quite nasty on each occasion. On the first, on June 12, he more than held his own against Tom Seaver and carried a 1-0 lead and three-hit shutout into the eighth inning before faltering slightly. The Mets tallied twice, scoring the second run on a wild pitch to send Bannister down to an eventual 3-1 defeat (with Seaver retiring Art Howe for the final out). The story in Houston that day may have been Bannister's tough-luck performance and fifth straight defeat, but there was a much greater story brewing in New York. Seaver was on the verge of being traded. He would be dealt to the Reds three days later. Seaver...

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=8547285560243429315&q=RBI+baseball&pl=true The above is a link to an amazingly done reenactment of the 10th inning of Game 6 of the 1986 WS, using the video game RBI baseball. I suggest you check it out while waiting for my next posting. I'm planning my own version, using sock puppets...

Combing the internet for nuggets about prior David Wright walk-offs proved to be an unsuccessful journey through the information superhighway, but I did make a nice detour on the information Subway. I think the reason that Willie Randolph likes Wright so much is not because of Wright's penchant for superb play, but rather his affinity for a certain deli treat. Years ago, Wright was asked for his pre-game meal preference and he indicated his choice would be a turkey sandwich from his favorite fast-food chain, Subway. Move over Jared the weight-loss wiz and Joe Torre. I think it's time for someone to sign an endorsement deal. That restaurant would be wise to sign Wright while the price is still affordable. They're already in tight with the Mets, as evidenced by the advertisements on the back of this years ticket stubs. It seems likely that Sunday's win provided the first of many walk-off moments for Wright, who in the opening week of the season lived up to the billing of...

In honor of the Mets reaching the 10,000 doubles milestone on Friday, we present the following tidbits... * Ed Kranepool holds the all-time club record for career doubles with 225 (one was a walk-off). Bernard Gilkey set the Mets single-season record for doubles with 44 in 1996. * The Mets have had 25 walk-off doubles ( by my count , I've written about 9 of them ). Of those, 16 have driven in one run, seven have driven in two runs, one has driven in two, and had the other score on an error, and one has driven in three runs. * Among Mets pitchers, Ron Darling had the most career doubles- 20. Darling (1987) and Rick Reed (1997) share the mark for most in a single season. * Choo Choo Coleman went double-less in 277 plate appearances in 1963, the most double-less performance by any Mets player in a season. Pat Zachry had no doubles in 252 career plate appearances for the Mets, the worst double-less performance by a player in his Mets tenure (Jeff Duncan was worst among position p...