A Homegrown Pitcher Who Hasn't Really Grown

Mike Pelfrey turns 28 today.  He's about to enter his prime for a pitcher in the major leagues.  But does that mean he's about to blossom the way we thought he was doing during the first few months of the 2010 season?

Since making his debut for the Mets in 2006, Pelfrey has won 50 games in six seasons.  Those 50 victories put him in 15th place on the Mets' all-time leaderboard, just one win behind former Met Bobby Ojeda.  Going by that, it would appear that Big Pelf is one of the best pitchers the Mets have ever had and certainly one of the best who came up through the team's minor league system.

But one look at the career numbers of these all-time Mets greats shows that Pelfrey might be in the same classroom as they are, but he's not learning the same lessons.

Of the 15 pitchers to win 50 or more games for the Mets, Pelfrey is the seventh player originally drafted by the Mets, joining the likes of Tom Seaver, Dwight Gooden, Jerry Koosman, Jon Matlack, Bobby Jones and Craig Swan.  Two other members of the 50-win club were originally drafted by other teams, but won their first 50 games in the majors as members of the New York Mets.

Ron Darling was drafted by the Texas Rangers in 1981 but made his major league debut in 1983 for the Mets.  Long-time teammate Sid Fernandez actually pitched in two games for the Los Angeles Dodgers in 1983, but finished with an 0-1 record in Dodger blue.  He was credited with his first victory in the major leagues as a member of the Mets in 1984.

Let's take a look at the nine players who won their first 50 games in the big leagues as members of the New York Mets to see if we notice something interesting about the most recent 50-game winner.  We'll consider the player's age and number of appearances (including starts) it took for that player to reach the 50-win plateau.

• Tom Seaver: 24 yrs, 9 mos, 9 days.  Won 50th game in 100th appearance (99 starts)
• Dwight Gooden: 21 yrs, 7 mos, 13 days.  Won 50th game in 82nd appearance (82 starts)
• Jerry Koosman: 28 yrs, 4 mos, 16 days.  Won 50th game in 112th appearance (105 starts)
• Ron Darling: 26 yrs, 11 mos, 9 days.  Won 50th game in 131st appearance (130 starts)
• Sid Fernandez: 25 yrs, 10 mos, 2 days.  Won 50th game in 124th appearance (122 starts)
• Jon Matlack: 25 yrs, 4 mos, 24 days.  Won 50th game in 122nd appearance (119 starts)
• Bobby Jones: 27 yrs, 6 mos, 28 days.  Won 50th game in 121st appearance (121 starts)
• Craig Swan: 31 yrs, 6 mos, 13 days.  Won 50th game in 174th appearance (149 starts)
• Mike Pelfrey: 27 yrs, 7 mos, 10 days.  Won 50th game in 144th appearance (140 starts)

Only Jerry Koosman and Craig Swan were older than Pelfrey at the time of their 50th victories.  And only Swan had made more starts and total appearances than Pelfrey when he recorded his 50th win.  However, Koosman did not become a regular in the Mets' rotation until he was 25 and Swan pitched the majority of his career with some of the worst Mets teams since the days of their infancy.

By the time he was 25, Pelfrey had already made 49 starts in the major leagues.  Also, as bad as the Mets have been over the past three seasons, they still managed to win at least 70 games every year.  Meanwhile, in his 12 years in Flushing, Craig Swan pitched for eight different Mets teams that finished at least 20 games below .500.  That includes the strike-shortened 1981 season, when the Mets finished with a 41-62 record.

Mike Pelfrey was expected to become a mainstay in the Mets' rotation when the team promoted him to the major leagues in 2006.  That part has become true, as Pelfrey has become one of the 15 winningest pitchers in franchise history.  But if not for Craig Swan, Pelfrey would have taken longer than any Met to reach that win total, and even so, it only took Swan nine more starts on some pretty bad teams to win No. 50.

The Mets have produced many homegrown pitchers who have had tremendous success in the major leagues.  Unfortunately, Mike Pelfrey has yet to become one of them.  It'll take a lot more growth for this homegrown pitcher to move to join Seaver, Gooden and Koosman at the head of the Mets' pitching class.

Mets Teammates Who Played Together The Longest

Within the next two weeks, longtime Yankees catcher Jorge Posada will announce his retirement from baseball.  The 40-year-old Posada will hang up his catchers' gear after 15 full seasons (17 overall) in Yankee pinstripes.  With Posada's retirement, that will leave Derek Jeter and Mariano Rivera as the only Yankee teammates to be together since the days of Buck Showalter.  Jeter and Rivera made their major league debuts six days apart during the 1995 season and will be entering their 18th season as Yankee teammates in 2012.

Only one pair of teammates played together longer than Jeter and Rivera.  From 1977 to 1995, Lou Whitaker and Alan Trammell were double play partners in Detroit.  Their 19 seasons as teammates surpassed the previous record of 18 years set by George Brett and Frank White when they played together in Kansas City from 1973 to 1990.

It's rare for an athlete to play for a single team over his entire career, especially if his career is lengthy.  It's even rarer for teammates to stay together for an extended period of time.  Lou Whitaker and Alan Trammell played an unprecedented 19 seasons together.  No individual player, let alone a set of teammates, has ever been a Met for that long, as Ed Kranepool's 18 seasons with New York has remained the franchise record for over three decades.

This brings up an interesting question.  If no individual Met has played more than 18 seasons with the team, which pair of Mets were teammates the longest?  Surely, one of the dynamic duo had to be Kranepool, right?  We've gone through mounds of paperwork (and by paperwork, I mean baseball-reference.com) and came up with the teammates who played together the longest in orange and blue.  These pairs of Metropolitans played all or parts of twelve (or more) seasons together.  Here they are:

• Ed Kranepool and Cleon Jones (12 seasons; 1963, 1965-75)
• Bud Harrelson and Jerry Grote (12 seasons; 1966-77)
• Ed Kranepool and Jerry Grote (12 seasons; 1966-77)
• Ed Kranepool and Jerry Koosman (12 seasons; 1967-78)
• Ron Hodges and Craig Swan (12 seasons; 1973-84)
• Ed Kranepool and Bud Harrelson (13 seasons; 1965-77)

Ed Kranepool was everyone's teammate so long ago that color film hadn't been invented yet.

That was kind of boring, wasn't it?  Other than the Hodges/Swan combo that most Mets fans might have overlooked, the other pairs of teammates all played in the same era of Mets baseball.

The more interesting question might be which teammates played the longest since the '80s began?  That list is probably one you wouldn't be able to recite off the top of your head.  In fact, we uncovered only one pair of teammates that played at least ten seasons together since the Reagan administration and another nine that played a minimum of eight seasons with each other.  Time to go through those mounds of paperwork again...

• Darryl Strawberry and Ron Darling (8 seasons; 1983-90)
• Sid Fernandez and Ron Darling (8 seasons; 1984-91)
• Dwight Gooden and Ron Darling (8 seasons; 1984-91)
• John Franco and Bobby Jones (8 seasons; 1993-2000)
  
• Jose Reyes and David Wright (8 seasons; 2004-11)
• Mookie Wilson and Wally Backman (9 seasons; 1980-88)
  
• Sid Fernandez and Howard Johnson (9 seasons; 1985-93)
• Dwight Gooden and Howard Johnson (9 seasons; 1985-93)
• John Franco and Todd Hundley (9 seasons; 1990-98)
• Dwight Gooden and Sid Fernandez (10 seasons; 1984-93)

(Editor's note:  John Franco missed the 2002 season with an injury.  That eliminates a pairing of Franco and Edgardo Alfonzo as eight-year teammates, as Fonzie was with the Mets from 1995 to 2002, thereby only making him Franco's teammate for seven years.  Ya gotta believe... in semantics!) 

We know Sid Fernandez wore No. 50.  But he wore No. 10 in this photo to commemorate the number of seasons he was Dwight Gooden's teammate with the Mets.  We wouldn't lie to you about that.

With Jose Reyes now waiting for the latest fire sale in Miami, David Wright and Mike Pelfrey have become the current longest running duo on 126th and Roosevelt, having played all or parts of six seasons together.  Since neither player is guaranteed to return after the 2012 season, it may be a while before the Mets have a pair of teammates play at least eight seasons together, let alone the number of seasons that players like Ed Kranepool, Jerry Grote, Bud Harrelson and others from the early days of the franchise played together.

The business of baseball has changed quite a bit since the Mets were the little team that could.  Keeping a team intact for an extended period of time has become more difficult than spelling Mientkiewicz after downing a few Coronas.

Where have you gone, Eddie Kranepool?  The Mets don't have the same look to me...

Gary, Keith & Ron To Be Replaced (For Two Innings)

The beloved team of Gary Cohen, Keith Hernandez and Ron Darling will be replaced in the SNY booth tonight. Before you start calling for Fred Wilpon's head (save it for the day he fails to open his wallet to re-sign Jose Reyes), let me specify that the SNY crew will only be replaced for two innings. And who will be in the booth for those two innings?

None other than Bob Costas and Al Michaels.

Legendary broadcasters Costas and Michaels will be covering the Mets-Giants game for the MLB Network. Then during the fourth and fifth innings, they will switch with Gary Cohen and Ron Darling (Keith doesn't do games from his hometown) and will provide SNY viewers with the play-by-play and analysis. They will then move over to the San Francisco TV booth and call the game for their local channel in the sixth and seventh innings.

It will be the first time Al Michaels broadcasts a major league baseball game since 1995, as well as the his first pairing with Bob Costas in the booth.

However, some movie enthusiasts might disagree with that last statement. After all, the two did team up in the broadcast booth for several scenes in the movie "BASEketball" (see clip below), where they got, how shall we say this, a little too excited to be working together.



Don't forget to tune in tonight at 10:15PM (8:15PM Mountain Time, in case you live somewhere near South Park, Colorado), as the Mets play the first of three games against the defending World Champion San Francisco Giants at AT&T Park.

With Gary Cohen and Ron Darling passing the SNY baton to Bob Costas and Al Michaels for two innings, you never know what could happen. But you do know that you're going to be fully entertained and informed by two of the greatest sports broadcasters of our generation. That's reason enough to get excited. Right, Mr. Costas?

M.U.M.'s The Word (Most Underrated Mets): Sid Fernandez

When you think of the best trades in Mets history, a few of them immediately come to mind. Who can forget the 1983 trade that brought Keith Hernandez to the Mets for Neil Allen and Rick Ownbey? How about the deal that netted Gary Carter from Montreal prior to the 1985 season for Hubie Brooks and a bevy of not-ready-for-prime-time prospects? More recently, there was the 1998 deal in which the Mets traded three minor leaguers (including Mookie Wilson's stepson) for Mike Piazza.

However, one trade that doesn't always make the list of "best trades ever" was a deal pulled off by Frank Cashen in December of 1983. The trade between the NL West champion Dodgers and the NL East cellar dweller Mets hardly registered a blip on the baseball radar when it occurred, but when all was said and done, the exchange of utility man Bob Bailor and pitcher Carlos Diaz for infielder Ross Jones and Charles Sidney Fernandez became one of the biggest steals in franchise history.

Whether in color or in black and white, Sid Fernandez was one of the best pitchers in franchise history.

The 1983 Mets finished the season in last place with a 68-94 record. Although the team didn't do well in the standings, it did plant the seeds for improvement in 1984. With the promotion of rookie sensation Darryl Strawberry in May and the trade for first baseman Keith Hernandez in June, two key pieces of the offense were in place. Now it was time to upgrade the pitching staff.

The starting rotation at the end of the 1983 season featured Tom Seaver, Mike Torrez, Ed Lynch and two young pitchers who had been acquired from the Texas Rangers for fan-favorite Lee Mazzilli. Those two pitchers were Walt Terrell and Ron Darling.

Terrell was a hard luck pitcher for the Mets, starting 56 games in his three years with the team, but only winning 19 of them despite a 3.53 ERA. Darling, on the other hand, became a mainstay in the Mets' rotation for the remainder of the 1980s.

The Mets still needed starting pitchers once the 1984 season began. They fully expected Tom Seaver to be part of their 1984 rotation, but he was left unprotected in the free-agent compensation draft and was claimed by the Chicago White Sox. Also, Mike Torrez was reaching the end of his career. After making his major league debut during the same season that Seaver broke in (1967), Torrez lost a career-high 17 games in 1983. But he was still a Met in 1984, hanging on by a thread to his spot in the starting rotation.

The Mets filled one of their rotation spots with rookie phenom Dwight Gooden. They decided to go with another promising prospect, Tim Leary, to fill the role of fifth starter. That experiment ended in early May, after Leary faced 19 Reds batters and allowed 11 of them to reach base (six hits, five walks). A month later, Mike Torrez was released by the Mets, after going 1-5 with a 5.02 ERA in eight starts. That opened up a spot in the rotation, a spot that was filled by Sid Fernandez.

Sid Fernandez had been one of the Dodgers' top minor league prospects. In three minor league seasons from 1981-1983, El Sid went 32-11 and was virtually unhittable. In 60 starts, he struck out 560 batters in 401.2 innings, while allowing only 268 hits. After he was traded to the Mets prior to the 1984 season, he continued to confound batters at Tidewater, allowing only 69 hits in 105.2 innings over 17 starts. Soon after Torrez's release, the Mets called up Sid Fernandez and he was immediately inserted into the starting rotation, making his Mets debut on July 16, 1984.

Fernandez had an Amazin' start to his Mets career, winning his first three starts. He had a good, but not great, half season for the Mets in 1984, finishing the year with a 6-6 record and a 3.50 ERA. He also only struck out 62 batters and allowed 74 hits over 90 innings with the Mets. The dominant Sid Fernandez from the minor leagues had been reduced to a mediocre major league pitcher. That would not last very long.

Although Sid Fernandez finished the 1985 season with a 9-9 record, don't let his .500 winning percentage fool you. He was one of the most dominant pitchers in the major leagues that year. In 26 starts, spanning 170.1 innings, Sid struck out 180 batters. However, what was more incredible was the 108 hits he allowed.

Sid Fernandez gave up five hits or less in 21 of his 26 starts. Only once in those 26 starts did he give up more than four runs in a game, and when he did so against the Reds on July 22, he struck out 13 batters in the same game.

Unfortunately, the Mets wasted many of Sid's great performances in 1985, scoring three runs or less in half of his starts. Despite his lack of run support, Sid's mark of 5.7 hits per nine innings was the best in the major leagues in 1985. In fact, at the time, it was the sixth lowest mark in major league history, not much higher than Nolan Ryan's 5.3 H/9IP when he set the major league record in his first season with the Angels in 1972.

Sid Fernandez was here to stay in the big leagues. However, the Mets had fallen short in their quest to reach the postseason in 1984 and 1985. Fernandez needed to step up in a big way in 1986 if the Mets were finally going to play October baseball. He responded with his best season yet.

According to Davey Johnson, the Mets were not only going to win the division in 1986; they were going to dominate. One player who was particularly dominant in 1986 was Sid Fernandez. Prior to the All-Star Break, Sid was having a Cy Young Award-caliber season. In 16 starts leading up to the Midsummer Classic, Fernandez rolled to a 12-2 record and a 2.67 ERA. In 118 innings, he struck out 103 batters and gave up only 74 hits. Opposing batters hit only .180 against him. For his efforts, Sid was picked for the first time to represent the National League in the All-Star Game.

If Sid Fernandez wore #50 in honor of his home state of Hawaii, was he wearing #10 in this picture to honor his time at Tidewater? (Virginia was the 10th state to join the union.)

Sid Fernandez finished the 1986 season with a career-high 16 wins (against six losses) and 200 strikeouts. It was on to the NLCS against the Houston Astros, where Sid drew the unenviable task of facing the man with the right scuff, Mike Scott, in Game 4. Scott won his second game of the series against the Mets in Game 4, but Fernandez pitched very well for the Mets, allowing three runs on three hits in six innings of work. The Mets eventually won the NLCS in six games and moved on to the World Series against the Boston Red Sox. It was there that Sid Fernandez had perhaps the most important pitching performance of his career.

Despite his good outing in Game 4 of the NLCS, Sid was relegated to the bullpen for the World Series, as the Mets went to three starters (Ron Darling, Dwight Gooden, Bob Ojeda) against the Red Sox. His first World Series appearance did not go very well, as he faced four batters in Game 2 and gave up one run on three hits. However, the Red Sox already had a comfortable lead at the time, so Sid's performance did not affect the game's outcome.

In Game 5, Dwight Gooden started for the Mets and was hit hard, giving up four runs (three earned) on nine hits and two walks. The Mets were down 4-0 when Gooden was removed from the game for Sid Fernandez. Sid pitched the last four innings for the Mets (the Red Sox did not have to bat in the bottom of the ninth inning), allowing no runs on three hits. He struck out five batters and walked no one. His Game 5 performance did not lead the Mets to victory, as they lost 4-2, but did show that the dominant Sid Fernandez was back on top of his game, and that was most evident in the seventh and deciding game.

After the Mets rallied for three improbable runs in the bottom of the tenth inning of Game 6, it was on to Game 7. Because of a rainout, the game was pushed back from Sunday night to Monday night, allowing the Red Sox to scratch Dennis "Oil Can" Boyd from his start and replace him with Bruce Hurst, who had defeated the Mets in Game 1 and Game 5. The Mets responded with Ron Darling, who had pitched well in his Game 1 loss and his Game 4 victory. Game 7, however, was a different story.

Darling struggled early, giving up three runs on six hits in 3.2 innings. The key blows were back-to-back home runs by Dwight Evans and Rich Gedman to lead off the second inning. Darling hit Dave Henderson with a pitch to lead off the fourth inning. After Spike Owen flied out to right field, Henderson was then sacrificed to second by pitcher Bruce Hurst. That was all for Darling, as Davey Johnson replaced him with Sid Fernandez.

Fernandez walked Wade Boggs, but then retired Marty Barrett on a fly ball to right field to end the inning. The Mets were still down 3-0, but Fernandez was able to stop the bleeding. His next two innings gave the Mets all the confidence they needed to make one final comeback.

With the Mets still struggling at the plate against Bruce Hurst, Fernandez made sure that they would not have to come back from more than a three-run deficit. He pitched a perfect fifth inning, striking out two of the three batters he faced, then repeated the feat in the sixth inning. The Shea Stadium crowd was rejuvenated by Sid's electric performance. The electricity finally reached the Mets' bats in the bottom of the sixth inning.

Fueled by Sid Fernandez's yeoman-like effort, the Mets tied the game with three runs in the sixth inning. They followed that up with three more runs in the seventh inning and two insurance runs in the eighth inning. The offensive outburst led the Mets to an 8-5 victory and their first World Championship since 1969.

Although Sid was not credited with the victory for his performance (that honor went to Roger McDowell, who allowed the Red Sox to close to within a single run in the top of the eighth inning after the Mets had taken a 6-3 lead in the bottom of the seventh), it was his masterful work that set the stage for the Mets' comeback. Without Sid cauterizing the Mets' wounds with his blazing heater, the Red Sox might have been the ones to celebrate on the Shea Stadium field that night instead of the Mets.

Sid Fernandez had pitched the game of his life under the biggest spotlight. He did it just weeks after turning 24. Although Sid had his World Series ring, he still had the majority of his career ahead of him. What he did over the next seven seasons is what made him one of the best pitchers in Mets history.

Fernandez followed up his spectacular 1986 season with a solid year in 1987, winning 12 games against eight losses. After winning nine of his first 12 decisions, he was selected to his second All-Star Game. Then in late July, the injury bug that struck the Mets pitching staff all year found its way to Sid Fernandez. Sid missed nearly a month of action on the DL before returning to the team in late August. He went on to make seven more starts for the Mets in 1987, but was a shadow (albeit a large shadow) of his pre-injured self, compiling a 5.34 ERA after his return from the DL.

After his injury-plagued 1987 season, Sid went on to record one of the best prolonged stretches of excellence since Tom Seaver's first stint with the Mets. From 1988-1993, Sid pitched to the tune of a 2.98 ERA and a 1.06 WHIP. He led the league in winning percentage once (1989, when he finished with a 14-5 record) and was the league leader in fewest hits allowed per nine innings twice (1988, 1990). In fact, during the entire six-year period from 1988-1993, Sid Fernandez pitched 964 innings and allowed only 694 hits. Over those six years, Sid made 151 starts. That averages out to 4.6 hits allowed per start OVER A SIX YEAR PERIOD!

I've heard of guys pitching from the stretch, but this is ridiculous.

One of the reasons why this long stretch of dominance over National League batters has been overlooked was Sid's won-loss record over the period. From 1988-1993, Sid's record was only 55-49. In fact, if you take out his 1989 season, when he went 14-5, Sid actually had a losing record over the other five seasons (41-44).

Despite the mediocre record, Sid still finished his Mets career after the 1993 season with 98 victories, placing him fifth on the all-time list behind Tom Seaver (198 wins), Dwight Gooden (157 wins), Jerry Koosman (140 wins) and Ron Darling (99 wins). His victory total is also second on the all-time list for left-handed pitchers behind Koosman.

If you look at the Mets' career leaderboard, you will find Sid Fernandez's name everywhere. In addition to the wins, Sid finished in the top ten in ERA (10th, 3.14), WHIP (3rd, 1.11), H/9IP (2nd, 6.6), innings pitched (5th, 1584.2), strikeouts (4th, 1,449), games started (4th, 250) and shutouts (8th, 9).

Sid Fernandez was also one of the best Shea Stadium pitchers of all-time. In 124 games at Shea (123 starts), Sid was 58-31 with a 2.52 ERA and a WHIP of 1.00. He also struck out better than a batter per inning (825 Ks in 821.2 IP). In those 124 games at Shea Stadium, opposing batters hit only .182 against him (531 hits in those 821.2 IP). To beat Sid Fernandez at Shea Stadium, teams had to outpitch him because they surely weren't going to beat him with the bat.

When you think of the best Mets pitchers of all-time, the obvious names that stand out are Tom Seaver, Dwight Gooden and Jerry Koosman. But given his overall numbers and his extended period of dominance against National League hitters, would it be unreasonable to suggest that Sid Fernandez is the fourth-best pitcher in franchise history? Without question, he is the second-best left-handed starting pitcher in Mets history after Jerry Koosman.

The Mets had Sid Fernandez on their team for ten seasons (1984-1993). His arrival coincided with the revival of the franchise and his departure occurred simultaneously with their return to the bottom of the National League East standings. During his decade at Shea, fans were treated to one of the best pitchers they'd ever see in a Mets uniform. Unfortunately, he was never the ace of the staff and was never treated like one. But he had an ace of a career, a career that is unquestionably one of the most underrated careers in franchise history.

At 27, Jose Reyes Is Now The Mets' Longest Tenured Player

With Pedro Feliciano not accepting the Mets' arbitration offer, he can now sign with another team. When he does leave the Mets, he will hand over the title of longest tenured player to Jose Reyes, who has been a Met since 2003.

Feliciano became a Met on August 15, 2002, when Cincinnati traded him to New York for Shawn Estes, the man who couldn't hit Roger Clemens with a pitch, but then hit a Roger Clemens pitch over the wall.

Since then, Feliciano has bounced back and forth, being selected by the Detroit Tigers off waivers in December 2002, then re-signing with the Mets the following April, then leaving for a year to Japan to play for the Fukuoka (watch your mouth!) Daiei Hawks, before returning to the Mets for good in 2006. However, since he never played for another major league team since becoming a Met in 2002, Feliciano kinda sorta held the title of longest tenured Met since the end of the 2006 season.

For all you stat geeks out there, here is the list of longest tenured players on the Mets, going back to the players who were on the Opening Day roster in 1962.


Jim Hickman (1962-1966): Although Ed Kranepool played three games for the Mets in 1962 and then remained with the team until 1979, he was not on the Opening Day roster. Hickman was. The man known as "Gentleman Jim" is known for two "lasts" and two "firsts". He was the last player to hit a home run at the Polo Grounds, accounting for the only run in a 5-1 loss to the Phillies on September 18, 1963. He was also the last of the original Mets, being traded to the Dodgers after the 1966 season, a year in which he became the only Met to appear on the Mets' Opening Day roster in each of their first five seasons. Hickman became the first Mets player to hit for the cycle when he accomplished the feat in 1963 against the Cardinals and was the first Met to hit three home runs in a game, which he achieved in 1965, also against St. Louis.

Ed Kranepool (1967-1979): After Hickman was traded to the Dodgers prior to the 1967 season, Ed Kranepool assumed the role of longest tenured Met, a title he did not give up until he played his last game for New York in 1979. Upon his retirement, Steady Eddie was among the franchise leaders in almost every major category and to this day, remains the Mets' all-time leader in games played (1,853), at-bats (5,436), hits (1,418), singles (1,050) and total bases (2,047).

Ron Hodges (1980-1984): Both Ron Hodges and Craig Swan played for the Mets from 1973-1984, but Hodges made his debut three months before Swannie (Hodges appeared in his first game on June 13, while Swan debuted on September 3). The hard-nosed catcher was with the Mets in good times (the "Ya Gotta Believe" Mets of 1973) and in bad times (the dark ages following the Midnight Massacre in 1977) and finished his career just as the Mets were becoming relevant again in 1984. His last appearance as a Met came as a pinch-hitter in the 1984 season finale. The next time the Mets played a regular season game, Gary Carter was their catcher.

Jesse Orosco (1985-1987): The man who perfected the art of the championship clinching glove toss made his debut with the Mets in 1979 after being traded to the Mets from Minnesota for the other man who specialized in championship clinching victories, Jerry Koosman. Although Orosco did not pitch in the major leagues in 1980, he returned for good in 1981. Once Ron Hodges retired after the 1984 season, Orosco became the only Met left who played for the team in the 1970s. He was traded to the Dodgers after the 1987 season and eventually pitched for just about everyone else on his way to becoming the major league's all-time leader in pitching appearances (1,252 games).

Wally Backman (1988) and Mookie Wilson (1988-1989): After Jesse Orosco left the team, the title of longest tenured Met fell on two players. Both Mookie Wilson and Wally Backman made their major league debuts for the Mets in the same game on September 2, 1980 in Los Angeles. Technically, Mookie Wilson appeared first, batting leadoff against the Dodgers, while Wally Backman batted eighth. The two continued to be integral parts of the Mets from their first game together in 1980 through the 1986 World Series championship and beyond. Backman remained a Met until he was traded to the Twins following the 1988 season, while Mookie Wilson was a Met until the middle of the 1989 season, when he was traded for (gasp) Jeff Musselman.

Terry Leach (1989): Bet you didn't see this one coming, although this one carries an asterisk similar to Pedro Feliciano. Leach made his debut for the Mets in 1981, pitching in 21 games. He repeated his 21-game salute in 1982, then spent the 1983 season in the minors. He was then traded to the Chicago Cubs, who later shipped him off to Atlanta in April 1984. One month later, he was released by the Braves and the following day, the Mets re-signed him. He came back up to the Mets in 1985, where he continued to pitch until the end of the 1989 season. His finest year as a Met came in 1987, when he was moved into the starting rotation because of injuries to various starters. Leach surprised everyone by going 11-1 in his spot-start duties. Short story long, after Mookie Wilson was traded to Toronto in July of 1989, Leach became the longest tenured Met for the rest of the season. Although he was traded twice between 1981 and 1989, he never pitched in the major leagues for a team other than the Mets during that time. But if you don't think Leach should be on this list, then perhaps you'd choose...

Darryl Strawberry (1990): Darryl Strawberry was once dubbed "the black Ted Williams" when he still playing high school ball. Although he never approached the Splendid Splinter's career marks, he is still the most explosive power hitter in Mets history. The franchise leader in home runs (252), RBI (733), runs scored (662), walks (580) and unfortunately, strikeouts (960), the Straw Man first played for the Mets on May 6, 1983 and became the only Met to play from the George Bamberger managerial era to the 1990s.

Ron Darling (1991): When Darryl Strawberry switched coasts to play for his hometown Dodgers, him teammate since the end of the 1983 season, Ron Darling, became the veteran of the team. The answer to the trivia question, "who was the last National League pitcher to win the Gold Glove Award before Greg Maddux started his streak of a bajillion straight Gold Gloves?", Ronnie fell one victory short of becoming only the fourth pitcher in franchise history to win 100 games when he was traded to Montreal on July 15, 1991. Sixteen days later, he was moved to Oakland, where he stayed until his last game in 1995. To this day, the former All-Star and Gold Glove winner remains a beloved Met and his 99 wins rank fourth in franchise history behind Tom Seaver (198), Dwight Gooden (157 - more on him later) and Jerry Koosman (140).

Dwight Gooden (1991-1994): He never went to med school, but the doctor performed surgeries every fifth day, operating on hitters with a blazing fastball and devastating curveball (dubbed Lord Charles). He had the best three-year stretch to start a career of any pitcher, when he went 58-19 with a 2.28 ERA from 1984-1986. He also completed 35 of his 99 starts, with 13 shutouts. And, oh yes. There were the strikeouts. Dr. K set the all-time rookie strikeout record in 1984 when he fanned 276 batters. He followed that up with 268 Ks in his Cy Young Award-winning season (1985), then "only" struck out 200 batters in the Mets' 1986 championship season. Substance abuse and injuries prevented Doc from ever regaining the dominant form he displayed in his first three seasons. However, he did have one final great year in 1990, when he finished 19-7 and registered his fourth (and first since 1986) season of 200 or more strikeouts, by finishing with 223. When he pitched his final game for the Mets in 1994, he became the last member of the 1986 World Champions to take the field as a player in blue and orange.

John Franco (1994-2004): After Ed Kranepool's 18 seasons in New York, John Franco played the most years as a Met, playing from 1990-2004 (he missed the 2002 season with an injury). Once Gooden pitched his last game for the Mets, Franco became the longest tenured Met and didn't give it up until after the 2004 season. Franco is the only Met pitcher to have played for the two winningest managers in Mets history, playing for Davey Johnson in 1990 and Bobby Valentine from 1996-2002 (Todd Hundley is the only other player who did it, having played his first game as a Met ten days before Davey Johnson was fired). He holds the franchise records for games pitched (695 - Pedro Feliciano is a distant second with 459) and saves (276 - Armando Benitez isn't even in the rearview mirror with his 160). Franco is also appearing on the Hall of Fame ballot for the first time in 2011.

Mike Piazza (2005): Mike Piazza became a Met in 1998 after his one week stay as a Florida Marlin ended. His combination of power and batting average was never seen before in a Mets uniform. The future Hall of Famer is the only player to appear twice in the top ten single season batting averages in Mets history (.348 in 1998 and .324 in 2000, good for second and tenth all-time) and also appears twice in the top ten single season home run list (40 in 1999 and 38 in 2000 - his '99 total is now the third highest total in franchise history, while the '00 total is tied for sixth all-time). No other Met appears in BOTH top ten lists. In just eight years as a Met, Piazza left his mark all over the career all-time Met offensive leaders, finishing in the top five in career batting average (4th, .296), on-base percentage (5th, .373), slugging percentage (1st, .542), doubles (5th, 193), home runs (2nd, 200), runs batted in (3rd, 655) and extra-base hits (4th, 415). He not only replaced John Franco as the longest tenured Met after Franco pitched his last game in 2004, but also replaced him as #31 on the Mets, as Franco gave switched from #31 to #45 to accommodate Piazza. Piazza will become eligible for the Hall of Fame in 2013 and might become the second player to be inducted into the Hall as a Met.

Steve Trachsel (2006): Once Piazza waved his final goodbyes as a Met at Shea Stadium, the longest tenured Met became a player who never got the respect he deserved - Steve Trachsel. Although Trachsel was sometimes referred to as the Human Rain Delay II (Mike Hargrove was the original Human Rain Delay) and The Slowest Pitcher On Earth for his deliberate approach to pitching once there were runners on base, he really did spend six years as a Met (2001-2006). It just seemed like one long season because he was so slow to get the ball to the plate. Despite never being a fan-favorite, Trachsel was the winning pitcher in the 2006 NL East division clincher against the Marlins. It might also come as a surprise that Trachsel ranks in the top ten in career wins (his 66 victories are 10th on the Mets' all-time list) and is one of only five Met hurlers to pitch two complete game one-hitters, achieving both in 2003 (the other four are Tom Seaver - who accomplished the feat an Amazin' five times, Gary Gentry, Jon Matlack and David Cone).

Pedro Feliciano (2007-2010): As mentioned before, his inclusion as one of the longest tenured Mets comes with an asterisk, as he was not exclusively the property of the Mets during his stay in New York that began in 2002. He was briefly a member of the Detroit Tigers organization in 2002, but never played for them, as he was released by the Tigers two months after they signed him and re-signed with the prior to the 2003 season. He then played for the Fukuoka Daiei Hawks in the Japanese Pacific League in 2005 before coming back to the Mets for what was arguably his best season in 2006. In that magical season, Feliciano finished with a 7-2 record and a 2.09 ERA. He was also stellar in that year's postseason, appearing in six games against the Dodgers and Cardinals, allowing only one run on two hits in 4 2/3 innings. He was credited with the victory in the NLDS clincher in Los Angeles. From 2008-2010, he earned the monicker Perpetual Pedro for breaking the franchise record for games pitched in each season. He also led the entire National League is appearances each year, pitching in 86 games in 2008, 88 games in 2009 and 92 games in 2010. Feliciano did not accept salary arbitration from the Mets after the 2010 season and is now free to sign with whoever he chooses.


That brings us to Jose Reyes. Since Doc Gooden became the longest tenured Met in 1991 at the age of 26, no Met had become the team veteran while in his 20s until now. Reyes will now assume that title, having played with the Mets since 2003. He and David Wright are the only two players left from the Art Howe era. In fact, with John Maine being non-tendered, Reyes is one of only four players left who played for the Mets in the 2006 postseason. (The others are Wright, Carlos Beltran and - shudder - Oliver Perez. Mike Pelfrey pitched for the Mets during the 2006 regular season, but did not make the postseason roster.)

Our 27-year-old shortstop has been called immature at times. He has also been accused of showing up the opposition and most recently, he has been mentioned in various trade rumors. Despite all this, one thing is certain. He may act like a spoiled child at times, but whether he likes it or not, he is now the veteran of this franchise. Younger players are going to come to him for advice and for tips on how to play the game. A more mature Jose Reyes will have to emerge on the playing field and in the clubhouse. A veteran wouldn't have it any other way.

Where Were You 24 Years Ago Today?

Where were you 24 years ago today? The date was Monday, October 27, 1986. Sound familiar? If you're a long-time Mets fan, that date should be permanently etched onto your brain. The dream came true for many Mets fans that night, as their beloved Mets captured their second World Series championship.

Game 7 was originally scheduled for Sunday, October 26. However, a steady rain forced the postponement of the game until the following night. Red Sox starter Dennis “Oil Can” Boyd was supposed to start the seventh game against Ron Darling. However, with an extra day of rest, the Red Sox chose to bypass Boyd (who had given up six runs to the Mets in his Game 3 loss) and gave the ball to Bruce Hurst.

Hurst had already defeated the Mets in Game 1 and notched a complete game victory against them in Game 5. Although he was pitching Game 7 on three days rest, the Mets were still wary about Hurst. His performances against the Mets in the World Series were reminiscent of Mike Scott’s outings in the NLCS. If the Mets were going to beat Hurst, Ron Darling was going to have to match him pitch for pitch. Unfortunately, that was not the case in the early innings.

Bruce Hurst was his usual strong self in the early innings, keeping the Mets off the scoreboard. Ron Darling? Not so much. After a scoreless first inning, he gave up three runs in the second inning, including back-to-back home runs by Dwight Evans and Rich Gedman.

By the time the fourth inning rolled around, Darling had already given up six hits and walked a batter. He then hit Dave Henderson with a pitch to lead off the fourth inning. After facing two more batters, Darling was relieved by fellow starter turned reliever Sid Fernandez. The score was still 3-0 in favor of the Red Sox and the game was slipping away from the Mets. It was up to El Sid to stop the fire from spreading.

In perhaps the guttiest (no pun intended) performance by Fernandez in his Mets career, he shut down the Red Sox. After walking his first batter (Wade Boggs), Sid retired the next seven batters he faced, with four of them coming via the strikeout. Fernandez did everything he could to keep his team in the game, but his efforts would go in vain unless the Mets could finally solve the puzzle that was Bruce Hurst.

With time running out on the Mets and their dream season, Davey Johnson was forced to make a difficult move in the bottom of the sixth inning. After Rafael Santana grounded out to start the inning, the Mets were down to Sid Fernandez’s spot in the batting order. Would Johnson take Sid out for a pinch hitter, hoping that the Mets would start a rally or would he leave him in the game, possibly giving up on another inning in which to mount a comeback against Bruce Hurst? Johnson chose to pinch hit for Fernandez and it ended up being one of the best managerial decisions he ever made.

Lee Mazzilli stepped up to the plate in lieu of Fernandez. He greeted Hurst with a single to left. Game 6 hero Mookie Wilson followed Mazzilli with a hit of his own, followed by a walk to Tim Teufel. The base on balls loaded the bases for Keith Hernandez and brought the crowd of 55,032 to its feet. The cheering rose to a crescendo when Hernandez delivered a two-run single to center, scoring Mazzilli and Wilson and sending Teufel to third. Since Teufel represented the tying run, Davey Johnson sent in the speedier Wally Backman to pinch run for him as Gary Carter stepped up to the plate. Carter came through as he drove in Backman with a ball that would have been a base hit to right had a confused Hernandez not been forced out at second base when rightfielder Dwight Evans rolled over the ball. Hernandez had to freeze between first and second until he knew that the ball had not been caught.

Despite the out being recorded, the Mets had tied the game at 3. They had finally gotten to Bruce Hurst and hope was alive at Shea. That hope became greater when Ray Knight came to bat in the seventh inning against a familiar face.

Calvin Schiraldi had been brought in by the Red Sox to start the seventh inning. Schiraldi was the losing pitcher in Game 6, having allowed Gary Carter, Kevin Mitchell and Ray Knight to deliver hits off him in the tenth inning. This time, he was facing Knight with no one on base, trying to erase the bitter memories from his previous outing. Knight would not provide him with the eraser.

On a 2-1 pitch from Schiraldi, Knight got under a pitch and launched it to deep left-center, barely clearing the outfield wall. A jubilant Knight celebrated as he rounded the bases. The Mets finally had their first lead of the game and they were going to make sure that they weren’t going to give it back. The hit parade continued in the seventh inning, as an RBI single by Rafael Santana and a sacrifice fly by Keith Hernandez gave the Mets a 6-3 lead. The Mets were in front, but the Red Sox weren’t going to go away quietly.

Roger McDowell had come into the game in the seventh inning once Sid Fernandez had been pinch hit for. He continued where Sid had left off by retiring the Red Sox in order in the seventh. However, things went a little differently for McDowell in the eighth inning. Bill Buckner led off the inning with a single. Jim Rice followed Buckner with a single of his own. After Dwight Evans doubled into the gap in right field, scoring both Buckner and Rice, the lead had been cut to a single run. The Red Sox were down 6-5 with the tying run on second base and nobody out. It was time for Davey Johnson to make one last move, with the World Series on the line.

Jesse Orosco came in from the bullpen, hoping to shut down the Red Sox to preserve the lead for the Mets. His first batter, Rich Gedman, had homered earlier off starting pitcher Ron Darling. This time, he hit the ball hard again, but in the direction of second baseman Wally Backman. Backman caught the line drive in the air, holding Evans at second base. The next batter was Dave Henderson. He had given the Red Sox the lead with a home run in the tenth inning of Game 6. Now he had a chance to duplicate the feat, as a home run would have given Boston the lead. This time, the only thing he made contact with was the air. Orosco struck him out on four pitches and then induced Don Baylor to ground out to short to end the threat. The Mets were now three outs away from a championship, but they weren’t finished scoring yet.

The Red Sox called upon Al Nipper to face Darryl Strawberry to lead off the bottom of the eighth inning. Nipper was trying to keep the Mets’ lead at one so that the Red Sox could make one last attempt in the ninth inning to tie the game or take the lead. It didn’t take long for that one run lead to grow. Strawberry greeted Nipper with a towering home run to right field that almost took as long to come down as it did for Strawberry to round the bases. After Darryl finally finished his home run “trot” (To call it a trot would be putting it mildly. It was more like a stroll and it led to a bench-clearing brawl the following season in spring training when Nipper and the Red Sox faced Darryl Strawberry and the Mets again.), the Mets had a 7-5 lead.

After a hit, a walk and an RBI single by Jesse Orosco on a 47-hopper up the middle (how appropriate since 47 was Jesse’s number), the Mets had regained their three-run lead. After being held scoreless by Bruce Hurst for the first five innings of the game, the Mets had exploded for eight runs in the last three innings to take an 8-5 lead into the ninth inning. Orosco was still on the mound, hoping to throw the season’s final pitch.

With the champagne ready to be uncorked in the Mets clubhouse, Orosco went to work on the Red Sox batters. Ed Romero popped up to first base in foul territory for the first out. That was followed by Wade Boggs grounding out to second base for the second out. The Mets were one out away from a championship. Nothing was going to stop them from winning this game. Well, nothing except for the pink smoke bomb that was thrown onto the field.

That did not matter to Jesse Orosco or the Mets. After the smoke cleared, Marty Barrett stepped up to the plate. Barrett had already collected a World Series record-tying 13 hits, trying to set the record and keep the season alive for the Red Sox. However, that was not to be. We now turn the microphone over to the late Bob Murphy for the final pitch.

“He struck him out! Struck him out! The Mets have won the World Series! And they’re jamming and crowding all over Jesse Orosco! He’s somewhere at the bottom of that pile! He struck out Marty Barrett! The dream has come true! The Mets have won the World Series, coming from behind to win the seventh ballgame!”

The Mets had completed their dream season with a World Series championship. After 108 regular season victories and a hard-fought six-game NLCS against the Houston Astros, the Mets were able to bring the trophy home. At times, it seemed as if the season was going to come to a screeching halt, but through determination, perseverance and perhaps an extra pebble or two around the first base area during Game 6, the Mets came through for themselves, for their fans and for the city of New York.

In 1986, the Mets owned New York. They were a blue (and orange) collar team for a blue-collar city. Twenty-four years ago today, the Mets became the World Champions of baseball. Victory never tasted so sweet.

One final postscript on the whereabouts of Jesse Orosco’s glove: I’m sure many of you who watched Game 7 remember Jesse Orosco flinging his glove up in the air after striking out Marty Barrett to end the World Series. Have any of you wondered what happened to that glove? Now it can be told!

If you have the 1986 World Series DVDs, watch the final out of Game 7. After Orosco throws the glove up in the air and falls to his knees, he gets up just as Gary Carter and the rest of his teammates mob him at the pitcher’s mound. If you slow it down a little, watch closely as Bud Harrelson (wearing #23) runs around the crowd of players to the left of them. He has nothing in his hands as he goes around the pile of ecstatic players. Right before he goes off-camera, you can see him start to bend over. When he comes back a split second later to celebrate with the team on the mound, he has a glove in his left hand. That’s Jesse Orosco’s glove!

I hope you enjoyed this happy recap of the final game of the 1986 World Series. The memories I have of that classic game remains vivid in my mind as if it had happened yesterday. I wish I could have blogged about it when the game happened, but Al Gore hadn’t invented the internet yet.

Stay positive, Mets fans. Our dreams of another World Series will come true again. Whether it be next season or a number of seasons from now, always remember to keep the faith alive and keep rooting for the orange and blue. Let’s Go Mets!

25 Years Later: The Nineteen Innings of Fireworks Night (A Song Parody)

Twenty-five years ago today (and tomorrow), the Mets and the Braves hooked up in a 19-inning marathon at Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium that ended at 3:55 AM.

The game featured multiple rain delays, was started by Dwight Gooden (in one of his rare poor pitching performances from his incredible Cy Young Award-winning campaign) and was closed out by fellow starter and current SNY analyst Ron Darling.

It featured a cycle by Keith Hernandez on a day when he also made six outs (The 'Stache went 4-for-10), eleven plate appearances for Lenny Dykstra (groundout, flyout, single, groundout, single, single, strikeout, walk, groundout, sacrifice fly, flyout) and winning pitcher Tom Gorman giving up two extra-inning, two-out, game-tying home runs. One was a 13th inning two-run shot by Terry Harper and the other was an 18th inning solo home run by reliever and one-time slugger Rick Camp (who slugged the ball one time in his career, much to the delight of Chief Noc-A-Homa) to send the game into the 19th and final inning.

Whereas many other noted journalists and respected bloggers have their own memories of this game, Studious Metsimus would like to celebrate it as only we can, with a musical tribute to the game. Of course, it's an "a cappella" song, meaning there's no music, but you know what we mean.

In honor of Independence Day, we can't think of a better song to use in a song parody than "The Twelve Days of Christmas". For all those who watched and/or listened to the game, (I did both. I was only twelve at the time and my parents would have killed me if they knew I was listening to the last ten innings of the game on a Walkman I conveniently hid under my pillow. Even after the game ended at 3:55 AM, I couldn't go to sleep for another nine hours. My mother never questioned me when I decided to take a "nap" a little before 1 PM. You'll hear more about this "nap" within the song.) I hope this song brings back memories of one of most Amazin' games in franchise history. If you never heard of this game, then just think of the song as Christmas in July for Mets fans. If you don't remember the game and you don't celebrate Christmas, ummm, well...

Anyway, here is "The Nineteen Innings of Fireworks Night" for your reading and singing pleasure:


On my first thought of Fireworks Night, my Metsies gave to me,
a memorable victory.

On my second thought of Fireworks Night, my Metsies gave to me,
two rain delays.
And a memorable victory.

On my third thought of Fireworks Night, my Metsies gave to me,
three poor Doc frames,
Two rain delays.
And a memorable victory.

On my fourth thought of Fireworks Night, my Metsies gave to me,
four hits by Keith.
Three poor Doc frames.
Two rain delays.
And a memorable victory.

On my fifth thought of Fireworks Night, my Metsies gave to me,
FIVE MILLION MOOD SWINGS!
Four hits by Keith.
Three poor Doc frames.
Two rain delays.
And a memorable victory.

On my sixth thought of Fireworks Night, my Metsies gave to me,
six Gorman innings.
FIVE MILLION MOOD SWINGS!
Four hits by Keith.
Three poor Doc frames.
Two rain delays.
And a memorable victory.

On my seventh thought of Fireworks Night, my Metsies gave to me,
seven Metsies pitching.
Six Gorman innings.
FIVE MILLION MOOD SWINGS!
Four hits by Keith.
Three poor Doc frames.
Two rain delays.
And a memorable victory.

On my eighth thought of Fireworks Night, my Metsies gave to me,
eight hours of watching.
Seven Metsies pitching.
Six Gorman innings.
FIVE MILLION MOOD SWINGS!
Four hits by Keith.
Three poor Doc frames.
Two rain delays.
And a memorable victory.

On my ninth thought of Fireworks Night, my Metsies gave to me,
nine hours not sleeping.
Eight hours of watching.
Seven Metsies pitching.
Six Gorman innings.
FIVE MILLION MOOD SWINGS!
Four hits by Keith.
Three poor Doc frames.
Two rain delays.
And a memorable victory.

On my tenth thought of Fireworks Night, my Metsies gave to me,
ten extra innings.
Nine hours not sleeping.
Eight hours of watching.
Seven Metsies pitching.
Six Gorman innings.
FIVE MILLION MOOD SWINGS!
Four hits by Keith.
Three poor Doc frames.
Two rain delays.
And a memorable victory.

On my eleventh thought of Fireworks Night, my Metsies gave to me,
eleven times up for Lenny.
Ten extra innings.
Nine hours not sleeping.
Eight hours of watching.
Seven Metsies pitching.
Six Gorman innings.
FIVE MILLION MOOD SWINGS!
Four hits by Keith.
Three poor Doc frames.
Two rain delays.
And a memorable victory.

On my twelfth thought of Fireworks Night, my Metsies gave to me,
twelve pitching changes
Eleven times up for Lenny.
Ten extra innings.
Nine hours not sleeping.
Eight hours of watching.
Seven Metsies pitching.
Six Gorman innings.
FIVE MILLION MOOD SWINGS!
Four hits by Keith.
Three poor Doc frames.
Two rain delays.
And a memorable victory!

Sure, this song was named "The Nineteen Innings of Fireworks Night" and I only went up to "twelve" instead of "nineteen" (as in the original "Twelve Days of Christmas" song), but honestly, if I had gone to nineteen instead of twelve, this song would be longer than the game the played 25 years ago today, on the night of July 4 (and the morning of July 5), 1985.



The 1985 Mets might not have won a championship, but they provided many memories that have lasted for a quarter century and will last for many more years.

As the 2010 Mets and Braves prepare for a second half that should provide more memories in this renewed rivalry, just remember one thing. Whenever you complain about a game seemingly lasting forever, it could always be worse. Just ask the players and the bloggers who still listen to Mets games on a Walkman (guilty...) who experienced the 1985 Fireworks Night game from Fulton County Stadium in Atlanta.

From the Studious Metsimus staff to our readers, we'd like to wish you all a Merry Independence Day and a Happy Second Half!

Shea Stadium/Fireworks photo taken by David Whitham (DGW Photography). Explosive photo, Dave!

Gary, Keith & Ron: Always Ready To Pitch In For A Good Cause

In the broadcast booth or on the field, Gary Cohen, Keith Hernandez and Ron Darling were and still are Mets legends. For years, they've been a part of the Mets community. Now they're pitching in to help a community that's less fortunate.

Gary, Keith & Ron (as part of the Pitch In For A Good Cause Foundation) will be supporting the Nourishing Kitchen of NYC in 2010.

For those of you who do not know about the Nourishing Kitchen of NYC, it is a non-profit food program for all residents of New York City. Nutritious meals and educational programs are given to anyone seeking nourishment, regardless of age, sex, religion or financial status.

Whether a person is in need of a hot meal or a course where he or she can learn how to prepare that nutritious meal, the Nourishing Kitchen of NYC will be there to provide for them.

Pitch In For A Good Cause (sometimes known as Gary, Keith and Ron) will be hosting events at Citi Field to raise money for the Nourishing Kitchen of NYC. In addition to these fun events, GKR sells attractive products that Mets fans (both human and a certain Mets bear blogger) will love while helping a worthy cause.

Studious Metsimus correspondent/supermodel Joey Beartran has already supported the cause. (That's Joey in the photo below modeling a shirt that he borrowed from one of the GKR bears up for sale here.)
Why don't you pitch in for a good cause as well? Help a less fortunate member of your community by making a generous donation to help the Nourishing Kitchen of NYC. You'll help provide a hot meal to the hungry and classes for those who want to learn how to eat healthier.

Gary, Keith & Ron help paint a colorful picture during Mets telecasts. Let's help them do the same for the less fortunate. Together we can all hit a home run for New York!

The Worst Way For The Mets To Lose A No-Hitter

Every young boy with aspirations of being a major league pitcher dreams of tossing a no-hitter. The thrill of recording out #27 before giving up hit #1 is one of the biggest joys in sports. However, this thrill has never been felt by a New York Met.

The Mets are one of four teams to have never pitched a no-hitter. Two of the other three teams are recent expansion teams (Tampa Bay Rays and Colorado Rockies). The other team is the San Diego Padres, who came into existence in 1969. The closest they came to a no-no was in 1972, when Steve Arlin's bid was broken up by the Phillies' Denny Doyle with two outs in the ninth inning. That's closer than any Mets pitcher has come.

Of the 33 one-hitters thrown by Mets pitchers (two of the 33 were of the rain-shortened variety), only two were no-hitters entering the ninth inning. Both were thrown by The Franchise, Tom Seaver, and both were broken up with one out in the ninth inning. Jimmy Qualls of the Chicago Cubs broke up Seaver's perfect game bid with a one-out single on July 9, 1969 and the Padres' Leron Lee singled to break up Seaver's no-hitter on July 4, 1972. Since then, the longest any Mets pitcher has carried a no-hitter is 7 2/3 innings.

Both Tom Glavine and John Maine had their bids for baseball immortality dashed with two outs in the eighth inning. Glavine's 2004 bid was broken up with a double into the right field corner by Rockies' catcher Kit Pellow and Maine's 2007 no-no ended when Marlins' catcher Paul Hoover hit a slow roller to third reminiscent of the excuse-me single hit by the Cubs' Keith Moreland to break up Dwight Gooden's no-hitter in 1984. (Side note: This Studious Metsimus blogger was present at the Glavine and Maine games. There is no truth to the rumor that I turned to my neighbor and said "do you think we'll finally see a no-hitter today?" in each game's eighth inning.)

As seen by the above examples, the Mets have lost no-hitters late in games by hard-hit line drives and little dribblers. But what would be the worst way for the Mets to lose a no-hitter? Studious Metsimus has the answer.

Say Johan Santana is mowing down the Phillies and becomes the first Mets pitcher not named Tom Seaver to take a no-hitter into the ninth inning. (What, did you expect it to be Maine or Perez? Neither of them is capable of pitching into the ninth inning, let alone carrying a no-hitter into the ninth.) Santana retires Jimmy Rollins and Placido Polanco to start the ninth inning, making him the first Mets pitcher to come within one out of a no-hitter.

The next batter is Chase Utley, but he draws a walk. The Phillies now have a baserunner, but the no-hitter is still intact as Ryan Howard steps up to the plate. Howard hits a routine grounder towards Luis Castillo that appears to be the third out of the inning, but the ball hits Utley as he's running to second base. The umpires immediately call Utley out for being hit by a batted ball in fair territory and the game is over.

Could it be? Has Johan Santana become the first pitcher in Mets history to toss a no-hitter? The players on the field seem to think so, as they're celebrating with Johan on the mound. But let's borrow the Major League Baseball Official Rule Book from the official scorer and take a look at two rules.

• Rule 7.08 (f): Any runner is out when he is touched by a fair ball in fair territory before the ball has been touched or passed an infielder. The ball is dead and no runner may score, nor runners advance, except runners forced to advance.



• Rule 10.05 (a) (5): The official scorer shall credit a batter with a base hit when a fair ball that has not been touched by a fielder touches a runner or an umpire, unless a runner is called out for having been touched by an Infield Fly, in which case the official scorer shall not score a hit.

While Johan Santana and his Merry Men were all celebrating his apparent no-hitter, the official scorer noticed that Utley had been called out because he was touched by a fair ball in fair territory before the ball was touched or passed Castillo (Rule 7.08 (f)). By Rule 10.05 (a) (5), the official scorer had to give Ryan Howard a base hit since there was no Infield Fly involved when the ball hit Utley.

Therefore, at the exact moment Johan Santana recorded the 27th out of the game, he also lost his no-hitter. Imagine the shock on his face when the scoreboard flashed the "1" in the hit column. Gary Cohen and Howie Rose would have been sick to their stomachs. If Bob Murphy were still alive, he'd be spinning in his grave while saying "and Santana loses the damn no-hitter", Ron Darling would have analyzed how losing a no-hitter this way would affect Santana's psyche and Keith Hernandez would have said that we shouldn't have female official scorers.

The Mets will pitch a no-hitter...someday. But I wouldn't be surprised if they lost one in the way detailed above before they actually completed one.

I'm Keith Hernandez: Happy Birthday To Me!

Hello, my friends. I'm Keith Hernandez. I've been told to call you SMFs, but I'm too sophisticated for that. After all, I'm Keith Hernandez.Today is my 56th birthday and Studious Metsimus asked me to give you a brief recap of my life. To be honest with you, I've never heard of Studious Metsimus, but the offer of unlimited Tootsie Pops was too much to refuse.

 I was born in San Francisco on October 20, 1953. Contrary to popular belief, I was not born with a mustache. The picture to the left is one of my early pictures. Yes, the ladies loved me even then. Can you blame them? I mean, look at me! I'm Keith Hernandez!

I was drafted in the 42nd round by the St. Louis Cardinals in 1971. Apparently, the scouts back then were terrible judges of talent. Unfortunately, I did nothing to earn that selection early on in my minor league career until I was promoted to Triple-A Tulsa in 1973, where I hit .333 and showed those other kids how a real baseball player was supposed to play the game.

In 1974, I hit .351 for Tulsa and was promoted to the big show on August 30 of that year against my hometown San Francisco Giants at Candlestick Park. I reached base three times in my first big league game. I walked two times before collecting my first big league hit and RBI in the ninth inning off Giants' starter Mike Caldwell. Unfortunately, we lost that game 8-2, but I let it be known that I was here to stay.

I made my presence felt in the clubhouse and on the field. The Cardinals just had to keep me around. Therefore, they traded incumbent first baseman Joe Torre to the Mets after the 1974 season (more on first basemen being traded to the Mets a little later...after a few more paragraphs and my first Tootsie Pop).

It was in St. Louis that I let my trademark mustache grow. That is also where I earned my first Gold Glove in 1978, my first MVP award in 1979 (Okay, it was a co-MVP award that I shared with Willie Stargell), my first batting title (also 1979), my first World Series Championship (1982), my first line...umm...of baseball cards (yeah, that's the ticket) and my first comparison to adult film thespian Ron Jeremy.
 
Personally, I don't see the resemblance. He looks more like Mike Piazza than me. Also, my acting skills are far superior to his. Was he on "Seinfeld"? I don't think so. That was me. Why did they choose me over him? Because I'm Keith Hernandez!

June 15, 1983 was one of the saddest days of my life. It was on that day that I was sent from the World Champion St. Louis Cardinals to the perennial cellar dweller New York Mets. I wasn't even traded for future Hall of Famers. I was shipped off to the Mets for Neil Allen and a box of Tender Vittles.

 It was already an insult to me that I was traded to the team known as "Pond Scum" and the "Stems" in St. Louis. But come on! Couldn't the Mets have offered some 9 Lives to the Cardinals instead of Tender Vittles? After all, Morris the Cat was all the rage back then. I would have accepted a trade for Allen and 9 Lives, not Allen and Tender Vittles. Sheesh!

Anyway, the Mets didn't do too well after I got traded there. We finished 68-94 in 1983, but showed some signs of life. Old punching buddy Darryl Strawberry came up in May and future colleague R.J. (that's Ron Darling for you casual SMFs...oh dang. I said I wasn't going to say SMFs, didn't I?) was called up when rosters expanded in September.
 
Big Brother didn't come around in 1984 like he was supposed to, but we had our own little Animal Farm at Shea Stadium. Top pitching prospect Dwight Gooden was called up in 1984 and Davey Johnson became the new Mets manager. The team responded by going 90-72 and giving the Cubs all they could handle in the NL East. I was no longer saddened by my trade to New York and only occasionally did I wonder if Whitey Herzog had finished his box of Tender Vittles.

After falling short again in 1985, we put it all together in 1986. That was the year I won my second World Series Championship and helped bring the first title to Flushing since the Miracle Mets did the same in 1969. I also paired up with another Ronnie after bringing the trophy home in 1986.
After my tenure with the Mets ended in 1989, I decided to give acting a try. I wasn't going to tell you this, but the Tootsie Pop dangling in front of my face has convinced me to do so. Did you know that "Seinfeld" was not my first attempt at acting? Before TV immortality, I wanted to be a movie star. My time with former actor Ronald Reagan in the White House showed me that if he could be President and a movie star, then I could be a baseball legend and a movie star as well, so it was off to Hollywood for me.

 I first gave acting a shot when I auditioned for the movie "Major League". However, it ended up being a bad dream and instead of playing for the Cleveland Indians in the film alongside noted actors Charlie Sheen, Corbin Bernsen, Dennis Haysbert and Wesley Snipes, I ended up playing for the REAL Cleveland Indians. It was not a good time to be Keith Hernandez.

I was injured for most of my time in Cleveland. Because of that, I only played in 45 games for the Indians, batting .200 with one HR and eight RBI. You know it wasn't a good season when my Studious Metsimus editor reminded me that I had to write out my home run and RBI totals in words (one and eight) instead of numbers (1 and 8).Needless to say, I retired after the 1990 season and went back home...

...which didn't last long. In 1992, I appeared on Episode #34 of "Seinfeld". The special one-hour episode, named "The Boyfriend", featured me trying to date Elaine Benes, but not being able to get past first base because I used to smoke back then.Another subplot involved me being accused of spitting a magic loogie on Kramer and Newman, when in fact it was my former Met teammate, Roger McDowell from the grassy knoll.

My appearance on "Seinfeld" in 1992 and my subsequent cameo in the series finale in 1998 parlayed into several broadcasting appearances for the Mets. When SNY debuted in 2006, I teamed up with former radio play-by-play man Gary Cohen and analyst/former teammate Ron Darling as the new broadcast team for the New York Mets.I now work with my boothmates to form Gary, Keith & Ron, or GKR for short. Our website helps raise money for our favorite charities, such as the Cobble Hill Health Center (for Alzheimer's care), the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation (hoping to find a cure for Type 1 diabetes) and the Danbury Women's Center (which looks to lessen the trauma of domestic violence, sexual assault and similar life-changing events).

Fans might know me for my baseball career. Others might know me for my excellent acting on "Seinfeld". Some of you might even know me for my Just For Men commercials with Walt "Clyde" Frazier. Current Met fans know me for my unabashed analysis on SNY telecasts of Mets games.I'm all of those people. Although I'm a year older today, I'm still only 56 so I have plenty left to accomplish in my life. Maybe I'll be a Dunkin' Donuts spokesman when my Just For Men contract expires. Who knows? One thing is for sure. No matter what job I have or what position I fill, I'll always be around. After all, I'm Keith Hernandez!

Note: To give credit where credit is due, a big Studious Metsimus thank you to Señor Solly for correcting a mistake about the SNY team. It's not there now, but it was. Apparently, Keith was trying to break the world record for most Tootsie Pops in his mouth at the same time and said Howie Rose was his original SNY boothmate when it was really Gary Cohen. Gracias, Señor Solly! Studious Metsimus would send you some lovely parting gifts for your good catch but apparently Keith parted with them. How do I know that he did that? Because somewhere in the distance, behind numerous discarded Tootsie Pop wrappers, a faint "I'm Keith Hernandez" could be heard!