centerfield maz

Tuesday June 24th, 1975:  Entering tonight's game, Yogi Berra's Mets (32-32) were on a season worst seven game losing streak. The team was having a hard time scoring runs, having been shut out in their last three games. New York had scored just six runs in their last six games. Trivia: On the season the Mets would  come in ninth place of the twelve NL teams with 646 runs scored.  The 1975 Mets had great starting pitching from their big three, Cy Young Winner Tom Seaver, Jon Matlack & Jerry Koosman. The three combined to go 52-34 with other starters going  17-25 & the bullpen going  13-21. Tonight, New York hosted Red Schoendienst's fifth place St Louis Cardinals (32-33) trying to salvage one game of this three-game series after dropping the first two. Tonight, Jerry Koosman (5-5 with a 3.84 ERA) faced off against the Redbirds' John Curtis (4-5). John Curtis had come over from Boston having won ten or more games, three straight seasons. Kooz was going go...

June 15th 1969: On this day the Mets made one of the biggest trades in team history up to that point in their eight year history. It turned out to be the final piece of the puzzle for the Amazing Mets Championship season. Mets GM at the time, Johnny Murphy felt the team were true contenders & he worked hard to negotiate  for Donn Clendenon hours before the trade deadline. At the time the New York Mets were in second place, still nine & a half games behind the Chicago Cubs, but were they were starting to attract some attention. They had excellent young pitchers, arguably the best in the major leagues.  They had some good hitters but lacked a strong power threat & big run producer.  They found their man in Donn Clendenon. But not without questions as  Clendenon was having a controversial year prior to his arrival in New York.  Background: In January 1969, after playing eight years with the Pirates, Clendenon had been left unprotected by Pittsburgh ge...

Father's Day June 17th, 1962:   The original 1962 Mets team were known as the loveable losers. The New York fans were so happy to have National League baseball back after the departure of the Giants & Dodgers five years earlier it almost didn't matter if they won, as one baseball's strongest fan bases was born. The team was known for its ineptitude, mental mistakes, errors & poor play. With 72-year-old Casey Stengel leading the young bunch, he tried to guide them as best as he could. If nothing else with his fast talking & so called "Stengelese' language he was the best promoter for his young Amazing Mets. Quotes- Casey Stengel: "We got them from the babies up, as soon as the kid can start to talk, you sat Metsie, not pappa not mamma, Metsie-Metsie-Metsie" On this Father's Day the Mets 13,128 fans came to the Polo Grounds as Casey's Mets (16-42) hosted the Chicago Cubs (22-42) in an afternoon double header. The Mets Al Jackson went up...

Monday June 16th, 1997: This was a historic day for New York baseball as for the first time the two New York baseball clubs would meet in regular season play. In 1997 MLB began interleague play where teams from the National League would play teams from the American League in the regular season. Before that season, the respective leagues teams only met in the World Series, All Star & exhibition games. Since the Dodgers & Giants left New York, there had not been a Subway World Series game since 1956. In 1962 the Mets began play& would only meet their AL New York opponents in Spring Training games as well as the annual Mayor Trophy's exhibition game held each season thru 1983. There was lots of excitement in the air for this first June subway series. The fans on both sides love it, as the whole City got wrapped up in the thrill of it all.  It was something everyone had an opinion about & something everyone could debate. On this night 56,188 came to the Bronx to ...

Saturday June 15th, 2002: In this second game of the 2002 regular season subway series the Mets hosted their cross-town rivals on an overcast day at Shea Stadium.  It was a huge game, not because of what it meant in the standings or for what the score outcome was to be. This was all about drama & New York media hype. This would be the first time Roger Clemens would have to come to bat against the New York Mets after all the dramas of his battles with Mets Hall of Famer Mike Piazza. Background: The dramas began on June 6th, 1999, when the Mets roughed up Clemens for seven runs on eight hits. Piazza doubled then hit a two run HR off Clemens in the 7-2 win. When the series moved to Queens in July, Piazza hit a three run HR off Clemens breaking a 2-2 tie in the 6th inning leading to a 5-3 Mets win & another loss for Clemens. On June 9th, 2000, in the regular season Subway Series match up in the Bronx, Piazza hit a 3rd inning grand slam HR off Clemens giv...