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Remembering Mickey Lolich: One of the All-Time Best Lefthanders Who Came to the Mets Late in His Career in a Trade for Rusty Staub (1976)

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Michael Stephen Lolich was born September 12, 1940, in Portland Oregon. Lolich was a natural right-hander, but as a child he broke his arm & then learned to throw left-handed. In 1958, Lolich was signed as an amateur free agent by the Detroit Tigers. He pitched in the Detroit minor leagues for four seasons winning ten games in 1962 at AA Knoxville. MLB Debut: In 1963 he came up the Tigers staff  going 5-9 as both a starter & reliever. By the next season, Lolich would become a top starter winning 18 games (18-9) notching 192 strike outs with a 3,26 ERA.  Lolich would be on the Tigers staff for 13 years, going 207-191 collecting 2679 strike outs in a Detroit uniform. From 1964 thru 19674 he would at least 14 games ever season, with five seasons of 17 or more win. Lolich would also win twenty games twice.  Lolich was in the league's top ten in victories eight times in his career. With his so-called rubber arm,  he never experienced any arm trouble putti...
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Todd Pratt: 2000 N.L. Champion Mets Back Up Catcher (1997 - 2001)

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Todd Alan Pratt was born on February 9, 1967, in Bellevue, Nebraska. The six foot three 195-pound catcher attended high school in Chula Vista, California getting drafted by the Boston Red Sox in the sixth round of the 1985 draft.  He played seven seasons in the minor leagues, never hitting well until he was traded to the Phillies organization. I n 1992 he batted .327 overall in their minor leagues at the AA & AAA levels.  In 1992 he got a late July call up & would hit his first MLB HR in his third career game. He would also have a four RBI game on August 29th. Pratt would play three seasons in Philadelphia, mostly in a backup catcher role to Darren Daulton. He was a member of the 1993 NL Champion Phillies batting .287 with 5 HRs & 13 RBIs in 33 games played.  1993 Post Season: Todd got one post season at bat in the NLCS win over the Braves. The Phillies lost the World Serie to the Toronto Blue Jays in 1993. In the 1994 strike shortened s...
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