Mets Walk-Offs And Minutiae

So word on the street, as I'm rooting for the Rays and piecing together some memories of Shea Stadium, is that Orlando Hudson wants to be a Met. Good for him. Great for us. This is an easy call. Speaking of which, the GM should be on the horn to the instructional league folks telling them to move Daniel Murphy's lesson plan from second base back to left field. Orlando Hudson's best attribute is not his .300 batting average, his .360+ on-base percentage, his ability to bunt the ball farther than Luis Castillo can hit it, nor his three Gold Gloves. The best thing about Orlando Hudson is that he's a guy who can say enough's enough, and the Mets need players like that. Why do I say that? Because Orlando Hudson has proven, through his walk-off history, that he can put an end to lengthy games. Remember the 14-inning Saturday Knight (Brandon's Mets debut) affair against the Cardinals, when Albert Pujols creamed a long home run off Aaron Heilman. It seemed that when Puj...

The Mets PR staff recently e-mailed me a list of those who pulled the numbers from the outfield fence, counting down the last 81 games at Shea Stadium. I hadn't seen that list publicly, and I wanted others to be able to reference it as well, so I am publishing it here... 81 Kathy Shea Anfuso, her son-in-law Victor, and granddaughter, Michelle daughter of Bill Shea 80 Mr. Met 79 Lincoln Mercury representatives – Peter Spina and Kenneth Toscano 78 Mets Fan Club for Kids Member Alex Holmes 77 Citi Representative Michael Freiberg 76 SNY Kids Clubhouse Hosts Gabe Cohen and Caitlin Fichtel 75 Ed Charles and JRF Scholar Elizabeth Gil 74 Broadcaster Howie Rose 73 Ron Hunt, Jack Fisher and Tim Harkness 72 Longtime employee Bob Mandt 71 Jack Lang Day reps (Randy, Brian, Craig and Victoria Lang) 70 Youth Baseball Leader Bob Reid and players from the Bayside Little League 69 Laura Dyer and Amy Stack from DavisVision 68 Harry and Digit from Cyberchase 67 Sarah Drews, representing the CW11 for A...

"I need somebody to hit!" No, those words weren't those from Jerry Manuel to his team during the final weekend of the season. Instead, I choose to quote from the immortal comic strip character Lucy Van Pelt. Charlie Brown went away for an extended period of time and poor Lucy had no one to pick on. That's kind of how I feel about the 2008 Mets. In 2006, I could be mad at Carlos Beltran for not swinging. In 2007, I could be mad at Tom Glavine for not caring. In 2008, who am I supposed to be mad at. It's wasted anger to be upset with Scott Schoeneweis, considering he's dealing with personal issues of a much larger scale, with the premature birth of a child. For that matter, it seems silly to be angry at relievers who were thrust into roles for which they weren't really fully equipped to handle. It's wasted anger to be mad at Jose Reyes or Carlos Beltran, or Carlos Delgado, or David Wright. Their seasons were too good. It's wasted anger to be mad at...

Some commentary on 2008 to come, but while you're waiting, a piece I had been waiting to publish... Shea Stadium was a stat-wrecker to many a good player. Here are a few whose numbers there paled in comparison to those produced elsewhere. Roberto Clemente .262 BA 4 HR 35 RBI 70 Games He hit .317 for his career. Clemente hit .462 at Shea in 1965, but as the Mets pitchers got better, his numbers got worse. From 1969 to 1972, the final four years of his career, Clemente hit .186 at Shea, including .130 in 1969 . Joe Morgan .235 BA 7 HR 33 RBI 97 Games Plus a 2-for-12 in the 1973 NLCS Johnny Bench .229 BA 11 HR 41 RBI 78 Games Bench was a sub-.100 hitter at Shea three times: In 1968, 1969, and 1976. Ozzie Smith .229 BA 0 HR 21 RBI 112 Games Yes, he's not in the Hall of Fame for his hitting, but still...the batting average plummets by 30+ points here. Tony Perez .227 BA 13 HR 45 RBI 106 Games Clearly, this was a Big Red Machine issue... Ken Griffey Jr. .216 BA 4 HR 11 RBI 26 Games P...

Give me a little time to catch up on some stuff (probably a day, maybe a little more) and we'll post some appropriate commentary here.

It was written by an imposter :)

Those who know what "The Penske File" is will appreciate our take on Jerry Manuel's comment after Thursday's Mets win: "I really feel like we're about to take off..." What we think he's going to say, probably sometime in the next 24 hours is... "I'm sorry I gave you the wrong impression. What is was going to say was I really feel like we're about to take off...for the rest of the winter. We expended so much energy getting through the first 145 games, we had nothing left for the last 17. You saw the last of what was left on Thursday. Oh, and our board of directors ..."

As per usual, thanks to Baseball-Reference.com for the ability to dig out some of these nuggets * Walk-off win #356 was the Mets 8th walk-off win of the season, their first since a 5-4 win over the Braves on August 21. * It was the Mets first walk-off win against the Cubs since last May 17 when Carlos Delgado capped a 5-run rally with a 2-run single in a 6-5 win. * Carlos Beltran got his 4th Mets walk-off hit, the first that wasn't a home run. Beltran's last walk-off single came April 13, 2000 for the Royals against the Orioles. * The win came 4 years to the day of another Mets walk-off win against the Cubs. On September 25, 2004, with the Cubs fighting for a playoff spot, Victor Diaz hit a game-tying three-run home run with two outs in the ninth, and Craig Brazell hit a walk-off home run in the 11th to hand the Cubs a crushing, 4-3 loss. * The Mets also had walk-off wins on September 25, 1971 (Bob Aspromonte 15th-inning single), September 25 1984 (Rusty Staub home run), Septem...

I remember, going home from Game 7 of the 2006 NLCS thinking (and likely verbalizing) that the Mets were going to pay the price for Carlos Beltran taking strike three to end their season, for a long time. You can summarize the last two seasons of frustration and angst in that one at-bat by David Wright, with a runner on third and nobody out, with the score tied in the bottom of the ninth inning. Too overanxious to make up for the mistakes of two years ago, Wright made the mistake of swinging on 3-0, and then struck out on a 3-2 pitch that was barely closer to the plate than that of the premier of Bermuda a couple days ago (yes, I'm reusing that line). The Cubs didn't want to face Wright. They were content with the idea of letting either Carlos Delgado or Beltran beat them, and Wright should have known better than to do what he did. There is no one better on the Mets in walk-off situations than David Wright, but his overzealousness on Wednesday, as well as some abysmal at-bats b...

Yesterday we wrote about Merkle's Boner in regards to its lessons in how not to walk-off. Today, in an effort to cheer ourselves up about our current fate, we write about Gardner's Gaffe. I'm referring to Game 4 of the 2000 NLDS, better known as The Bobby Jones Game , which would rank among my all-time favorite events attended at Shea (a list is coming, eventually). The Mets had a 2-games-to-1 lead at the time and the momentum pendulum was swinging totally opposite the direction it's in these days. We didn't know in the bottom of the first inning that Jones was going to pitch a one-hit shutout. But we did know it was going to be a good day for the Mets pretty quickly. Giants starter Mark Gardner, a good friend of Jones from their sharing Fresno, California as a home, got the first two Mets out in the home first inning. Gardner then got ahead of Mike Piazza 0-2 and threw a knee-high fastball near the outside corner of the plate. From my TV viewing today, it looks lik...

Today is the 100th anniversary of Merkle's Boner, otherwise known as the best example of how not to walk-off. Stories on the subject vary, but the basic details were that the Giants and Cubs were playing a key game in New York inthe 1908 pennant race, and the Giants were on the verge of winning. Al Bridwell appeared to single in Moose McCormick with the winning run. However, Fred Merkle, the baserunner on first, did not touch second base, and this was spotted by Johnny Evers. Craziness ensued, with Christy Mathewson attempting to steer Merkle back to second, while Giants pitcher Joe McGinity and Cubs second baseman Johnny Evers wrestled for position. Eventually, with fans having come on to the field, one got ahold of the ball and heaved it into the stands. Eventually police were called in and no decision was rendered as to the status of the game. The next day, the game umpires decided that Merkle was out, and that thus, the game was not over. League officials ruled the game had to ...

"After the Florida-Mets afternoon game on Sept. 28, the Mets plan to bring back 45 former players, including Tom Seaver and Mike Piazza for a celebration called Shea Goodbye. Dave Howard, the Mets’ executive vice president for business, said, “We think most of the names that come to mind will be there.” -- New York Times article from earlier this week Couple of things I'm wondering about: a) 45...that's cute. 1 person for each year of Shea Stadium. Did they stop the invites or turn people away (otherwise known as "The Barry Lyons Treatment" from the 1986 celebration two years ago)? Who got the shaft? b) Given the way things have gone, wouldn't it be wiser to hold the ceremonies before the game, rather than after? Here's a scenario. The Mets blow the wild card on the final day of the season, in a fashion similar to their final game in 2007. You think the crowd's gonna be psyched to say farewell to a building that most consider a dump? c) 45 FORMER PLAY...

Rumor has it that some other ballpark is closing this weekend. Funny thing: If you visit StubHub, you'll see about 300 tickets for sale for some game in the Bronx this Sunday night. You'll also find more than 5,000 tickets for sale for next Sunday's game in Flushing. I think that's pathetic. But since this weekend's ballpark closing is apparently of importance, we'll have to pay tribute in our own special way. Let's count down the 10 best games in that ballpark's history 10. The Last Day of the Yankee Dynasty (May 3, 1965, Mets 2, Yankees 1, Mayor's Trophy Game) The Yankees enjoyed an unprecedented run of success from 1947 to 1964, but their dynasty would crumble in 1965. All the proof needed that these Yankees were in for some trouble that season was the Mayor's Trophy Game of 1965. The Yankees mustered only one run in 10 innings, getting shut out over the first three by some young dude named Tug McGraw. The Mets would win, 2-1 in the 10th when ...

But that's just me. As Gary and the AFLAC duck reminded us, Dwight Gooden holds the Mets single-season record for most consecutive starts without a loss. He had 18 in 1985. Johan Santana ranks second with 15, after Thursday's win. He snapped a tie for second with David Cone and another former Mets lefty, Tom Glavine. Cone's positioning, for 1989, not 1988 as some would have thought is legit. Glavine's inclusion, and I'm sorry to be both biased and rude here, is a joke. Santana's ERA during his 15-start lossless stretch is 2.27. He's had 13 quality starts, one in which he left after five innings with a shutout due to rain, and one bad start (4 innings, 5 runs in Cincinnati on July 17) Glavine's ERAs during his not one, but two streaks of 14 straight lossless starts (one in 2006, one in 2007), were 3.74 and 3.44 Glavine avoided losses in the following starts June 7, 2006 at Dodgers- 5 1/3 innings, 6 runs June 13, 2006 at Phillies- 4 1/3 innings, 4 ...

So Jerry Manuel has Johan Santana on a 170-pitch count this evening after burning through most of the bullpen last night (Al Reyes, where art thou?) While throwing that many pitches would necessitate a herculean effort, it would not set a Mets record. Baseball-Reference.com has a handful of pitch counts from games from the Mets earliest days, and within that exists a game in which a Mets pitcher threw 172 pitches. Newspaper reading indicates that the tally was 215, and while I can't currently reconcile that difference of opinion, I feel comfortable in acknowleding that 170 pitches would not make history. The Mets game against the Phillies on August 14, 1962 would not be considered historic by my standards, though it would certainly qualify as a doozy, one witnessed by only slightly more than 5,000 fans at the Polo Grounds. The Mets managed only one run over 15 innings despite drawing 12 walks, seven from Phillies starter Dallas Green. Why the Phillies were frightened enough of the ...

I made the comment to my father a few weeks ago that Brandon Knight was going to throw the most important pitch of the Mets season. What does that mean? I think it's one of the following... 7 IP, 0 R, 3 H in Pete Walker circa 2001 rescuer form or 3 IP, 7 R, 10 H in Julio Valera circa 1990 meltdown form But I digress, because what I've become reminded of in the last few hours is the seven-game losing streak that dotted the last two weeks of the 1999 season. In that stretch... * The Mets lost games 2-1, 3-2, 4-2, and 3-2 * The Mets hit .215 and slugged .303 * The Mets went 6-for-52 with runners in scoring position * Everyone was pressing because of the collapse of 1998 Seems familiar, eh?

Arrive home at 2:40 AM after a very long day's work, interrupted by many predictable bouts of frustration. I have an e-mail. It's the results of a game in my computer baseball league. I've been in this league a long time. I've had good wins and bad losses. The game of September 16 was a loss. That's nothing new. My team has been slumping. But how we lost bothers me, more than a little. Ryan Howard hit a walk-off home run to beat us. As Charlie Brown once said: "Rats!" As Charlie Brown also once said: "Maybe I should just stay home and lie in bed all day."

My friend Paul (the only person who will get the title of this posting) asked me the other day if I had any interest in going to see a Mets game this week in Washington D.C. I politely declined. Monday, I was glad I did. It's good to know that I'm not the cause of whatever is presently ailing the Mets, unlike in previous seasons. I was at the Thursday/Friday losses in the final week of 2007 I was at Game 7 of the 2006 NLCS I was at the Armando Benitez blown save against the Braves in late September, 2001 I was at Game 5 of the 2000 World Series I was at the Rickey Henderson game-ending DP in Philadelphia the next-to-last weekend in 1999 I was at the Mike Scioscia home run game, Game 4 of the 1988 NLCS I was at the recently mentioned Terry Pendleton HR game in 1987 I was at the Cesar Cedeno HR game in 1985 I was at the Banner Day doubleheader loss to the Cubs in 1984 But I'm proud to say that I was not at either of the giveaway games that took place at Shea this past weekend...

We all got so caught up in the story of it being Chipper Jones last game at Shea. We forgot it was the last one there for Terry Pendleton too. How come they didn't have him and coaching buddy Roger McDowell peel a number off the Shea wall for old-time sake? Somewhere the ghosts of Don Aase and Willie Randolph smirk too.

If Jonathon Niese's siblings have baby boys, are they Niese's nephews? Jonathon Niese... * Became the fourth pitcher in Mets history to throw 8+ shutout innings within his first 2 MLB games. The other 3 pitchers to do that... 1994- Jason Jacome (shut out Dodgers in 2nd MLB start) 1966- Dick Rusteck (shut out Reds in 1st MLB start) 1965- Dick Selma (shut out Braves in 10 IP in 2nd MLB start) *The only other starter in Mets history to win a game in September, within his first 2 MLB games, in the midst of a pennant race (my judgment) is Julio Valera. He allowed five runs in six innings in his debut, a 6-5 win over the Giants on September 1, 1990. * Only 3 Mets starters have pitched 8+ shutout innings in a game this season: Johan Santana, Mike Pelfrey, and Jonathon Niese.