centerfield maz

Saturday May 2nd, 1964: On this Saturday just 2,946 fans came out to Crosley Field to see Fred Hutchinson's Reds host Casey Stengel's Mets.  The Reds who were NL Pennant winners just three years earlier, would win 92 games & finish just one game behind the World Champion Cardinals this season. The Reds featured the previous year's Rookie of the Year Pete Rose, Hall of famer Frank Robinson, slugger Deron Johnson who would lead the NL in RBIs (130) the following year & Leo Cardenas who led all major leaguers playing in 163 games. In their third year of play, the 1964 Mets would finish last in the NL going 53-109 just two wins better than the previous year. Today's starting pitcher, Al Jackson for the Mets was 1-3 having pitched a shutout back on April 19th against the Pirates.  Jackson was a good pitcher on a bad team & his record would reflect that. Jackson went up against the Reds Jim Maloney, a 15-game winner that season sandwiched between two twenty-win s...

 Luis Alfonso Torrens Saez was born May 2, 1996, in Valencia Venezuela. In 2012 Luis was signed by the AL New York club as an international free agent. After spending three years in their minor leagues, he tore his labrum, needed surgery & missed the 2015 season.  In 2016 he was selected as in the Rule V draft by the Cincinnati Reds then was quickly traded to the San Diego Padres. MLB Career: In 2017 he made the Padres roster as a backup catcher, despite never playing above the A ball level. He would make 31 starts at catcher appearing in 56 games batting just .163. He spent 2018 & parts of 2019 back in the minors. In August of 2020 Torrens was traded to the Seattle Mariners where he spent parts of three seasons.  In 2021 he began the season batting just .178 thru mid-May & was optioned to AAA. On June 15th, Torrens returned & in his first seven games collected nine hits with four multi-hit games. He stayed on sharing catchers' duties with Tom Murphy ...

Tuesday April 30th, 2002: On this evening the Mets who were in an early season first place tie with the Montreal Expos, were in the Arizona desert going up against the reigning World Champion Diamondbacks at Bank One Ball Park.  A good crowd of 36,743 came to see Bob Brenly's D-backs host Bobby Valentines, New York Mets.  Mike Piazza returned to the lineup tonight after being sidelines for a week with a strained hamstring. Arizona's Rick Helling (3-2) went up against Al Leiter (2-1) who was holding a 1.13 ERA over his first five games.   Going into this game, Leiter had victories against all other 29 MLB teams in his career. With a win tonight he would become the first pitcher to have beaten all 30 MLB teams. In the top of the  1st inning the  Mets pounced on Rick Helling, Roberto Alomar & Mo Vaughn both singled. Then Mike Piazza blasted a three run HR making it 3-0. It was Piazza's sixth HR of the season. In the bottom of the 2nd, Roberto Alomar triple...

After an off season where Pete Alonso & the Mets couldn't see eye to eye on a contact, a deal was finally agreed upon on February 5th giving Pete a two-year $54 million deal with a  $10 million signing bonus . The fans wanted Pete back & let management know that. Pete wanted to come back & he let that be known as well.  Alonso came to Spring Training determined, then began the season with a purpose. He showed that he was the Mets most valuable player & the league's best player in the month of April. Pete Alonso closed out the month of March hitting his fourth career grand slam HR, coming off the Marlins Cal Quantrill in a seven run Mets 5th inning of a 10-4 win in South Florida. Multi- Four RBI Game: On April 2nd, in a 6-5 extra inning win in South Florida, Alonso had his first multi- four RBI game of the season. He collected three hits with a pair of doubles scoring two runs. In the top of the 1st, Alonso doubled bringing in Juan Soto with his first RBI of t...

Wednesday April 11th, 1973:   In his first start of the 1973 season,  Jerry Koosman took the mound in the first Mets road  game of the year which was at St. Louis. The Mets had won their first two games of the year at home.  Tonight Jerry  Koosman went up against the Cardinals Reggie Cleveland in front of 12,290 fans at Busch Stadium. The Mets helped out Kooz right away in the 1st inning as Bud Harrelson, Felix Millan & John Milner all singled.  Reggie Cleveland then threw a wild pitch to Rusty Staub, scoring Harrelson from third for the first run.  Staub then poked a base hit thru the infield, scoring Millan putting the Mets up 2-0.  In the top of the 3rd inning, first baseman John Milner hit his first HR of the season to make it 3-0 Mets. After getting through the first two innings, Koosman gave up a leadoff triple to Jose Cruz in the 3rd inning. Next Ray Busse hit a ground ball to Mets third baseman Jim Fregosi who booted i...

Friday April 29th , 2016 : Terry Collins second place, reigning NL Champion  Mets (13-7) were riding a six-game  win streak as they entered a weekend series with Bruce Bochy's San Francisco Giants (12-11) at Citi Field.  A crowd of 39,764 settled in to Citi Field on chilly rainy Spring evening. The Mets were on a hot streak & tonight they would erupt  with a historic third inning.  Steven Matz took the mound for New York & gave up to singles in the first inning but got Hunter Pence to ground to short to end the inning. cruised along with six scoreless innings striking out four scattering seven hits getting his record to 3-1.  Tonight marked the first time in six games that Yoenis Cespedes returned to the Mets line up after bruising his right leg. Historic 3rd Inning: In the bottom of the 3rd, the Mets got to Padre starter Jake Peavey with a historic third  inning.  Curtis Granderson & David Wright started out ...