Mets Walk-Offs And Minutiae

The Yankees go out and sign Mark Teixeira. The team you root for has a counter move in mind- Andruw Jones. Same old Mets, eh? But look at it this way, at least you can taunt the Yankee fan you know that if you're gonna go get a player making $18 million+ a year, you have this advantage: Andruw Jones: 6 career walk-off home runs Mark Teixeira: 0 career walk-off home runs There's another issue in play here, and though it's 10 years in the past, I think it's best to avoid it until we're beyond the rumor-mill stage. As my father said: " I dont want to be reminded of it 160 games a year." * The truly Jonesing Mets fan knows that there are 4 surnames which have had multiple Mets with walk-off RBI. Castillo-- Alberto and Luis Hodges-- Gil and Ron Johnson-- Bob, Howard, and Lance Jones-- Cleon, Chris, and Ross So a walk-off RBI by Andruw Jones, the Met, would give the name Jones four different players with a walk-off RBI, the most among any surname.

It used to drive me crazy to hear Fran Healy describe pitches as being "down low." There is no such thing as a pitch being "down high." Healy's use of "down low"was a redundancy, one of several issues that fans had with his broadcast style. There's talk that the Mets are close to signing a pitcher named Lowe, who likes to keep the ball down. In fact, that's the key to his success. And it could play very well in his new home. On page 162 of the The Hardball Times 2009 Baseball Annual, writer Greg Rybarczyk, as intense a historian of home run distances as I am of walk-offs, issues a warning about Citi Field to those fans of the New York Mets. In describing how CitiField's outfield fence distances are significantly greater than the major-league average, Rybarczyk writes: "In spring 2009, baseball fans are going to get a live demonstration of what happens when a team sets out to design a pitcher's park and overdoes it..." That b...

I would like to wish all of my readers a happy Shawnukkah and a Met-ry Chris-miss. Those familiar may recall the celebration of Shawnukkah, but you're probably wondering what a Met-ry Chris-miss is. I offer up this simple definition: A Metry Chris-miss is a Mets victory that ends with a player named Chris striking out to end the game. Ideally, the strikeout is of the swinging variety (a true "Chris-miss") but it does not have to be the case, because the presumption is that the hitter swung and whiffed at least once. By my count, we've had a few such instances. May 23, 2007- Chris Woodward (Mets 3, Braves 0) The truly Metry know... Twas one of 4 Oliver Perez victories against the Braves that season. September 19, 2006- Chris Aguila (Mets 3, Marlins 2) The truly Metry know...Twas the night after clinching, and a two-run eighth-inning rally, capped by Michael Tucker's RBI single, gave the hosts the win. September 2, 2006- Chris Burke (Mets 4, Astros 2) The truly Metr...

It's hard to write walk-off related stories about closers who don't drop throws back from the mound (see the piece below) to lose games, and I don't want to write just any old story about J.J. Putz. Needless to say, I like the acquisition, and here's why, in it's simplest form... Alex Rodriguez career vs J.J. Putz 0-for-7, 2 K David Ortiz career vs J.J. Putz 0-for-7, 5 K Derek Jeter career vs J.J. Putz 1-for-8, 4 K Manny Ramirez vs J.J. Putz 2-for-11, 7 K That's a combined 3-for-33 with 18 strikeouts against four elite hitters with whom we've become quite familiar. I have a feeling Mr. Putz is going to handle New York just fine.

This blog's primary concern regarding the acquisition of Francisco Rodriguez: This is a man who once lost a game via walk-off when he muffed a return throw from the catcher. I'm referencing August 11, 2005, a vital game for the Angels and Athletics at the time, since the two were tied for first place. This was a game in which the Angels had a 4-0 lead after six-and-a-half innings, leaving Angels manager Mike Scioscia comfy enough to pull Paul Byrd (104 pitches) in favor of Brendan Donnelly. The good feelings didn't last long. Former Met Jay Payton started the rally with a home run on Donnelly's first pitch. That should have been a sign that it wasn't Donnelly's day. By the end of the inning, the score was tied, thanks to an Eric Chavez home run. The game remained even into the bottom of the ninth, and Scioscia turned to Scot Shields, keeping his closer Rodriguez, who hadn't pitched for five days, ready if needed. His services were required when the Athletics...

Congratulations to Gil Hodges, the newest member of the Mets Walk-Offs Hall of Fame I realize this is of little consolation to his widow, Joan, and to those who are great supporters of his candidacy to the Baseball Hall of Fame, but I think the timing is right. Hodges got shafted again in the latest Veterans Committee vote, and it seems unlikely that he'll ever get in under the current system, which awards every living Hall of Famer a vote, requiring 75 percent of votes to get inducted. The problem is that Hodges' supporters are old men, like Duke Snider, Yogi Berra and Tom Seaver (yes, he qualifies as old). They don't release each players Hall of Fame ballot, but I'd bet that almost every vote for Hodges came from someone who either played with, for, or against him. And those guys are dying quicker than they're getting elected. Let's be realistic. Unless they have a finer appreciation for the game than I'm giving them credit for, the likes of Rich Gossage, ...

One of the best Mets books I've read is The Amazin' Mets 1962-1969 published earlier this year by the small, specialty publisher McFarland, and I highly recommend it if you're looking for a holiday gift for a Mets fan. The best thing I could say about this book is that I wish I had written it. The author, Connecticut-based finance professional William Ryczek interviewed more than 100 former players from that era, and went well beyond the basic stories that you may know about each season. Each chapter is thoroughly researched, informative, and entertaining. Every season is covered in thorough detail and every bit of Mets minutiae you could hope for is included. The writing style is ideal for a quick, comfortable read. Basically what I'm saying is: Buy the book :) I had the chance to exchange e-mails with the author and got his thoughts on this book and the team. Here's his take: * What made a finance professional, who has previously written about baseball in the 186...

I have no reason to write this post, other than that in a blog by the fine writer, Joe Posnanski, he referenced that Mike Vail's 23-game hitting streak was the longest in the majors in 1975. Some other minutiae about Mets single-season hitting streaks, thanks to Baseball-Reference. * Catcher Jesse Gonder had the longest Mets hitting streak in 1963, a 14-gamer from July 19 to August 4. That was more than double the length of his next-longest hit streak (6 games) for the Mets. * In 1968, the year of the pitcher, no Met had a hit streak longer than Tommie Agee's 12-gamer. This streak was a big deal because, as it came in September, it set the tone for Agee's great 1969 season. Agee hit .189 entering the streak, then .422 over the dozen games it spanned. * The Mets longest hit streak in 1969 was 11 games (Tommie Agee, Cleon Jones). Yes, that's right. The Mets longest hit streak in their championship season was shorter than their longest hit streak in the year of the pitcher...

For a guy who was such an ordinary player, new Mets first base coach Luis Alicea was pretty good at this walk-off thing. Eight times in his 13-season career, Luis Alicea won a game with a walk-off something. That account includes three sacrifice flies and five singles, which is a pretty decent ledger for an MLB tenure. A couple of neat Mets-related twists to his walk-offs. * The first of those 3 walk-off sacrifice flies came against Mike Maddux and the 1993 Mets. Alicea did a nice job battling back from an 0-2 count before smacking a liner to center that plated future Met Todd Zeile with the winning run. * Alicea also had two walk-off RBI against pitchers who pitched for the Mets- Ricky Bottalico in 1996 and Pat Mahomes in 2001. * Among those whom Alicea has driven in via walk-off: current Mets Fernando Tatis (in 1998!) and Carlos Beltran (2001). True Meticea know... Luis Alicea hit .181 against the Mets and .177 at Shea Stadium in his career. His one home run against them was a game-...

For those curious... * The Mets have had 214 walk-off wins under Republican rule, 142 under Democratic rule. But they've had more walk-off wins under Bill Clinton than any other president. Mets Walk-Off Wins By Presidential Administration 65-Bill Clinton 64-Ronald Reagan 61-George W Bush 46-Richard Nixon 31-Lyndon Johnson 28-George HW Bush 26-Jimmy Carter 20-John F. Kennedy 15-Gerald Ford * The first African-American Met with a walk-off hit was Choo Choo Coleman. You can read about it here. http://www.metswalkoffs.com/2005/11/little-engine-that-could.html * The most successful election years for Mets walk-off wins were 1996 and 1988. Mets Walk-Off Wins In A Presidential Election Year 1996-10 1988-10 1984-9 2008- 8 2004- 8 1980- 8 2000- 7 1972- 7 1976- 7 1992- 6 1964- 6 1968- 3

For a guy whose major-league career consisted of 81 at-bats, new third base coach Razor Shines (yes, that's his real name...Razor is a middle name, passed down in his family through multiple generations) sure has a lot of connections to the New York Mets. * Razor made his major-league debut on September 9, 1983, and shall be forever known as "The Guy Whom Frank Howard didn't feel comfy about Tom Seaver pitching to..." Simple version of the story: Razor came up as a pinch-hitter with two men on base and one out. Howard pulled Seaver for Jesse Orosco and Expos skipper Bill Virdon countered with Jim Wohlford, denying Shines his first AB. Orosco struck out both Wohlford and Tim Raines to end the game. That, combined with a Phillies win, knocked the Expos out of first place in the NL East. * Razor's first MLB hit came in a Mets walk-off win, on October 2, 1983, the final game of the season, and the second game of a doubleheader between the Mets and Expos. Shines batted...

Answers in the comments section 1- How many former Mets played for the 2008 Phillies? 2- Name the members of the 1986 Mets who also played for the Phillies at some point in their career. 3-Name the former Met who hit exactly 100 career home runs for the Phillies, most for anyone who played for both the Phillies and Mets. 4- Name the only pitcher to win 40+ games for both the Phillies and Mets. 5- Tug McGraw and this pitcher both pitched for the Mets, and the 1980 Phillies, at some point in their career. Name him. 6- Two infielders who pitched for the Mets also played for the Phillies at some point in their careers. Name them. 7- Name the only player to play for the 1962 Mets and the 1964 Phillies team that choked away the NL pennant. 8- Name the former Met who struck out with the bases loaded and two outs to end GAME 5 of the 1980 World Series. 9- Of those who played for both the Mets and Phillies, who had the most stolen bases FOR THE PHILLIES? 10- Name the members of the 2008 Mets wh...

Favorite Shea memories will have to wait... Headed out of town for a bit... Next posting comes after the World Series ends... If you're wondering who I'm rooting for... http://www.metswalkoffs.com/2008/06/my-fair-weather-friends.html http://www.metswalkoffs.com/2008/05/ray-of-nope.html

You know what else was cool about Kirk Gibson's walk-off home run in Game 1 of the 1988 World Series? He didn't just hit it against Joe The Plumber. He hit it against Hall of Fame relief ace Dennis Eckersley, among the best pitchers in the game. That got me to thinking. The Mets have had walk-off wins against everyone from Juan Acevedo to Pat Zachry. But who's the best pitcher against whom they've ever had a walk-off win? You can vote in the poll on the right. The candidates... Steve Carlton Opening Day 1975 (Joe Torre). Carlton was in a 2-year stretch in which he wasn't quite the pitcher who twice won 20 games previously, but he was in the prime of his career, and won 20 four more times afterwards. Dennis Eckersley April 4, 1996 (Brent Mayne). The Mets got to the 42-year-old version of Eck, who was still pretty good, posting 30 saves, and getting the Cardinals to within one win of the World Series. Bob Gibson September 23, 1969 (Bud Harrelson). Gibson was one year ...

You know what else is neat about Kirk Gibson's walk-off home run (the anniversary of which is today)? He turned loss into win with one swing. I LOVE the come-from-behind walk-off home run. The two best kinds of walk-offs are: a) the come-from-behind walk-off home run (when you think of that, you think of Kirk Gibson and Bobby Thomson) b) the come-from-behind walk-off hit with a close play at the plate (when you think of that, you think of Francisco Cabrera) The first walk-off win in Mets history came via come-from-behind walk-off home run. It was hit by Hobie Landrith. The first Mets walk-off win to come after this blog's existence came via come-from-behind walk-off home run. It was hit by Cliff Floyd. I speak from the experience of having been there for Floyd's home run. You can't get a more exciting moment in a game than that. As it turns out, Kirk Gibson was the master of the come-from-behind walk-off home run. In his 17 seasons in the major leagues, he hit 5 of them...

The most amazing thing about Kirk Gibson's walk-off home run in Game 1 of the 1988 World Series is that he hit it while injured. "Everyone is banged up at this time of year," the announcers tell us, but few were quite as banged up as Gibson, who had a bad left hamstring and a swollen right knee, aggravated by a phenomenal catch in Game 3 of the NLCS at Shea. Gibson played all-out throughout his 17-year career and was frequently hurt. Gibson only played half a season in each of the two years that followed his walk-off home run, and was a shell of the player that won the NL MVP. He only played the equivalent of nearly a full season three times. Gibson hit a LOT of really big home runs in his major league career, and you could argue that total would have been increased significantly if he had stayed healthy. The Mets had their Kirk Gibson moment in the first season of Shea Stadium, and in the last season as well. We told the tale two years ago of one of the most improbable ...

This week, Wednesday specifically, marks the 20th anniversary of the home run that made the term "walk-off" a part of popular baseball culture- Kirk Gibson's dramatic game-ending home run in the ninth inning of Game 1 of the 1988 World Series. Dennis Eckersley introduced the phrase when commenting about allowing the home run, after the game. Because that walk-off is of great significance to the baseball world, because I thought it was a cool moment, and because there are many ways in which I can connect that home run to the Mets, I thought I would pay it proper tribute here. So that will be the topic of discussion in a few essays this week. It is worth noting that Kirk Gibson hit two home runs in the ninth inning of games during the 1988 season. If a lesson had been learned from that first one, the second might not have occurred. I'm referring to the game between the Mets and Dodgers of May 31, 1988, one of the better victories of the season, but one that came at a s...

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...