Former Italian / American Mets Pitcher Turned GM: Jerry DiPoto (1995-1996)

Gerald Peter Dipoto was born on May 24, 1968 in Jersey City, New Jersey.

The Dipoto Family lived in a Jersey City apartment next door to his grandparents before the briefly moving to Point Pleasant & then settling in Toms River, New Jersey. There he went to high school at Toms River High North. 

DiPoto then attended Virginia Commonwealth University, where he played baseball, getting drafted by the Cleveland Indians in the third round of the 1989 draft.

The big six foot two right hander was a pleasant rookie surprise for sixth place Cleveland in 1993, going 4-4 with 11 saves and posting a 2.40 ERA. In 1994 he struggled with injuries pitching in only seven games posting a 8.07 ERA. That November he was traded along with Paul Byrd, to the New York Mets for Jeromy Burnitz.

Dipoto debuted with the Mets on Opening Day 1995, in Colorado. He relieved Bobby Jones in the 5th inning, retiring the Rockies Dante Bichette in the Mets 11-9 loss. He had troubles early on, blowing a save against the St. Louis Cardinals on April 29th & then taking three losing decisions into June. The first came at home against Montreal with the other two happening on the West Coast road trip to L.A. & San Diego. 

Dipoto was used as a middle reliever with second place '95 Mets, making 58 appearances. July would be his best month as he went 3-1, earning wins on the road in Pittsburgh, Chicago & St. Louis. He ended the year at 4-6 with two saves & eight holds posting a 3.78 ERA.

On Opening Day 1996, Dipoto got the win in relief of Bobby Jones, as the Mets scored four runs in the bottom of the 7th inning beating the St. Louis Cardinals 7-6 at Shea Stadium.

He made 16 appearances in the next two month, blowing a save & taking a loss in Chicago on May5th. On June 21st, he started a personal six game win streak that brought him into September. In three of those games he allowed runs & still had an ERA over four at the time of his seventh win. 

On September 1st he blew a save against the San Francisco Giants & then blew a save opportunity on September 13th against the Atlanta Braves when Mark Lemke hit a fielders choice to score Jeff Blauser. He would get the win when Rey Ordonez & Lance Johnson drove in runs in the bottom of the 8th.

On the season Dipoto was 7-2 with three holds & three blown saves. He struck out 52 batters, walked 45 in 77 innings pitched & posted a 4.19 ERA in 57 games. Dipoto was one of only four pitchers on the fourth place '96 staff to have a winning record. His .778 win % was best on the entire team. 

While with the Mets, his home town in Toms River, won another Little League World Series. Dipoto remembers; "I came aboard in the late 70's after Tom's River won. Then, when I was with the Mets, they won again, and the Mets invited the team to Shea Stadium. I remember I dropped in front of the kids and said to them, 'You guys are my little league'. "I remember one of the kids looked at me, and said 'Where's Todd Hundley's locker?".

That November the Mets traded him to the Colorado Rockies for Armando Reynoso. Dipoto went on to be the Colorado Rockies closer for two seasons posting a 5-3 record with 16 saves in 1997 and then a 3-4 record with a career high 19 saves in 1998. That year he finished 51 games (8th best in the league).


In 1999 he lost his closer job to Dave Veres, who recorded 31 saves. Dipoto became the Rockies set up man, recording 15 holds posting a 4.26 ERA. He pitched with the Rockies through the 2000 season ending his eight year career.


Lifetime, Dipoto was 27-24 with 49 saves, 352 strikeouts 221 walks &  a 4.05 ERA in 495 innings pitched in 390 games.

Retirement: After his playing days, Jerry became a scout for the 2004 World Champion Boston Red Sox. He moved on to the Arizona Diamondbacks, becoming the Director of Scouting and Player Personnel under GM Josh Byrnes.

In 2010 he replaced Byrnes as the Arizona D-backs interim GM until Kevin Towers was named. A year later IN October OF 2011, he got the job, as the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, General Manager.

Pitcher Who Started the First Night Game At Shea Stadium: Bill Wakefield (1964)

William Sumner Wakefield was born on May 24th, 1941 in Kansas City Missouri. The six foot right hander attended Stanford University getting signed by the St. Louis Cardinals as an amateur free agent in 1961. He was turned into a relief pitcher by the time he got to AA Tulsa in 1963 going 3-7. That season he struckout 17 batters in a Texas League game.

From there he was promoted to AA Atlanta the same year going 1-3 with a 2.50 ERA. In November 1963 he was traded to the New York Mets along with George Altman in exchange for Roger Craig.

Wakefield debuted in the big leagues in the second game ever played at Shea Stadium pitching in relief and finishing out the 9-5 Mets loss. Wakefield had made six relief appearances by early May, when Casey Stengel gave him his first start in a historic May 6th game at Shea Stadium.

It was on this night that the first ever night game was played at Shea, as the Mets took on the Cincinnati Reds. In the game Wakefield allowed five runs in four innings & took the loss. The Mets had five pitchers go in the 12-4 loss (Wakefield, Ron Locke, Larry Bearnarth, Ed Bauta & Steve Dillon) as their record fell to 3-16 in the young season.

On May 15th Wakefield earned his first save in San Francisco holding down the Giants for two innings. On June 1st he came into relieve Tracy Stallard in the 1st inning in a game in Houston, after he had given up early four runs. The Mets rallied to win the game 7-4 as Wakefield pitched into the 7th inning holding the Astros scoreless.

In July he earned two more relief wins, being the one of the most reliable relievers out of the bullpen. He led the team in appearances with 62 (6th most in the NL). He was third on the club to Ron Locke & Carl Willey in ERA (3.61). Overall Wakefield was 3-5 with two saves, two holds & 61 strike outs in 119 innings pitched. He certainly had his control issues walking 61 batters & hitting nine batters with pitches (5th most in the NL).

Wakefield spent the next two years in the minors leagues, having a disappointing 0-4 season a AAA Buffalo in 1965.

Honors: In July 2009, in celebration of the 45th anniversary of the first night game played at Shea Stadium, Wakefield returned to the Mets. He threw out the ceremonial first pitch in a game against the Cincinnati Reds at Citi Field.

Joining him was former Mets pitcher Steve Dillon who closed out that first night game in 1964. Wakefield was joined by his children & grand children at the game. 

(youtube clip- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ze4Qoo7mJsI)

Pitcher Who Pitched In The First Night Game At Shea Stadium- Long Island, Resident: Steve Dillon (1963-1964)

Stephen Edward Dillon was born on May 20th 194 in Yonkers, New York.

The five foot ten left handed pitcher was originally signed by the A.L. New York club in 1962. That year he was 14-7 in the Florida League at Fort Lauderdale.

In November of 1962 he was drafted away by the New York Mets in the first year draft. He pitched at AAA Buffalo going 4-6 with a 4.94 ERA. He got a September cup of coffee pitching one game, making his MLB debut against the Cardinals in St. Louis. Dillon pitched the 6th inning allowing two runs on three hits, exiting in the 7th.

In 1964 he found himself on the Mets staff at the start of the year. He pitched one inning at Pittsburgh allowing a run on an April 24th 9-4 loss to the Pirates.

On May 6th 1964, he pitched in the historic, first ever night game at Shea Stadium. He came into the game in the 8th inning & finished off the Mets 12-4 loss to the Pirates.

He was the fifth Mets pitcher that night; Bill Wakefield got the start, relieved by Ron Locke in the 5th & then Larry Bearnarth. In the 6th inning, Ed Bauta came on gave up two runs in two innings & was relieved by Dillon to start the 8th.

Dillon allowed two runs, including a 9th inning solo HR to Vada Pinson. Pinsons blast hit the massive Shea scoreboard in right field. When he got to the dugout Mets manager Casey Stengel told him " Listen, if another player hits a home run off that scoreboard and breaks it, you're paying for it."

It would be Dillon's last appearance in the major leagues.
He was sent to the NY / Penn. League that year as well as pitching in Williamsport where he was 1-5.

Retirement: Dillon finished his playing career in 1965 & became a New York City Police Officer for twenty plus years.

Honors: In July 2009, Dillon returned to the Mets throwing out the ceremonial first pitch (along with former Mets pitcher Bill Wakefield).

That night the Mets played the Cincinnati Reds & remembered the first night game played at Shea Stadium, 45 years later, be same two teams. Dillon & Wakefield both pitched that evening in 1964.

Dillon now resides in Baldwin, Long Island.

Original Mets Broadcaster: Lindsey Nelson (1962-1978)

Lindsey Nelson was born May 25, 1919 in Campbellsville, Tennessee. Nelson attended the University of Tennessee , graduating in 1941 & would forever be linked to that school.

After serving as an Army Captain during World War II, he became an English teacher & then a newspaper writer. In 1948 he broke into broadcasting, with his deep southern drawl, by being the first announcer to cover the play by play of games at the University of Tennessee.

Next he was hired as an administrator at NBC & was doing baseball broadcasts by 1957. He worked there for ten years, without a contract & without being represented by an agent.

From there it was on to CBS, where he would work NFL football Games for nineteen years. Nelson's great football calls also led him to do the play-by-play for the Cotton Bowl for 25 seasons. He was also the voice of Notre Dame Football for 13 seasons as well as a Monday Night Football radio broadcaster from 1974-1977.

Nelson is remembered for being the announcer during the first NFL game, on CBS, to feature the use of "instant replay", which he had to explain repeatedly during the game, reminding viewers that "this is not live."

Lindsey Nelson was also famous for his "loud" psychedelic-colored plaid sports jackets. "We were going to be televising 120 games in color. Nelson said; “I walked into a New York clothing store and told the clerk, 'Let me see all the old jackets you can't sell.'' He brought out seven, and I bought all of them.”

Nelson claimed he owned 335 of the multi colored jackets at one point in time. Those jackets often clashed with the back ground set and his surroundings, in the early days of color the television technology. New York Mets:

 

Mets Career: In 1962, Nelson was the experienced broadcaster the new expansion Mets needed to help bring the game to the fans. ,Nelson was to do both radio and television play by play, with former Pirates slugger Ralph Kiner and young broadcaster from Boston, Bob Murphy.

Quotes: Lindsey Nelson- "It was my job to set the broadcast policy. I told our broadcast team, 'This is a very inept group of players, and we're not going to try to hide their ineptness. We're also not going to make fun of them.' We simply described what they did, and what they did was hilarious."

His signature sign on was “Hello everybody, this is Lindsey Nelson & welcome to Shea Stadium in New York". His voice has become legendary to Met fans from the Mets glory days of the late sixties & early seventies. His professional call of the game was always flowing & interesting, with a burst of excitement when something really special happened. Nelson brought that excitement to the Mets during their early years, with his calls of the game, even though the team didn't win too much.

After the years of bad baseball, he was on hand for the arrival of Tom Seaver in 1967. Two years later he was on hand for the Amazing 1969 season.

He did the National World Series broadcast on NBC with the great Curt Gowdy for the Mets home games during that run. He got to make the call for one of Tommie Agee's great catches in centerfield in Game #3, Tom Seaver's victory in Game #4 & the comeback win in Game #5 to win it.



Bud Harrelson- Mayor Lindsay- Nelson-
Ron Swoboda & Rod Gaspar

He was in the locker room, doing interviews for the network in a shower of champagne enjoying the Mets finest moment defining the Amazing Mets.

In 1973 he was on hand for the Mets incredible September run to catch the pennant in the year of "You Gotta Believe". He made the final call of the NLCS Pennant as the Mets headed to their second World Series.

After working with the Mets through the mid seventies, he became unhappy with the way the once great organization was now being run. The team was in chaos after it's principal owner; Joan Payson passed away. The club was passed down to her daughter, Lorinda De Roulet, who let the teams Chaiman; M. Donald Grant run all baseball operations. Grant destroyed everything, refusing to give in to the new era of free agency & drove Tom Seaver out of town.

Witnessing all of this, Nelson felt it was time to move on. He took the team by surprise in 1978, when he announced it would be his last season broadcasting in New York.

After being with the team since it's inception in 1962, his 17 year association with the Mets ended. In 1979 when he moved on to work for the San Francisco Giants, doing broadcasts there through 1981.

After that stint, Nelson did CBS radio broadcasts for MLB into the late eighties. In August, 1985 he was hired by WPIX Channel 11, when former Mets ace, Tom Seaver (now with the Chicago White Sox) went for his 300th victory, in the A.L. New York's club ballpark. WPIX had Nelson call the final half-inning of Seaver's history-making day. It was almost like the good old days.

Honors: Nelson's honors include earning the Ford C. Frick Award from the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1988. He was inducted into the New York Mets Hall of Fame along with Kiner & Murphy in 1984.

He also is in the National Sportscasters Hall of Fame in North Carolina (1979) , the American Sportscasters Hall of Fame (1986). He has won the Pete Rozelle Radio-TV Award from the Pro Football Hall of Fame (1990) and a lifetime Emmy Award (1991). The baseball stadium for the University of Tennessee Volunteers is named Lindsey Nelson Stadium in his honor.

Retirement: After his retirement from active broadcasting he moved to Knoxville, Tennessee to an apartment across the Tennessee River from the University of Tennessee campus from which he had a view of Neyland Stadium, the Volunteers home field, and wrote an autobiographical memoir.

Passing: In his final years, Nelson suffered from Parkinson's disease. He passed away due to complications of that disease on June 10th, 1995 in Atlanta Georgia, at age 76.

Quotes: Upon his passing long time colleague Bob Murphy said: He had no tolerance for mistakes, He was totally reliable. I don't think he was late once in his whole life." Ralph Kiner added: "He had a great enthusiasm for the job, He was a tremendous guy to work for. We were very close. It was more or less like a family."

In the words of Lindsey Nelson himself: "The game is the important thing. The announcer should never get in the way of the game."

 

Early 2000's Mets Pitcher: Jerrod Riggan (2000-2001)

Jerrod Ashley Riggan was born May 16th 1974 in Brewster, Washington. The six three right hander attended San Diego State University eventually getting signed by the Anaheim Angels in 1996.

He was released in April 1998 & was signed by the New York Mets that summer. He was 4-1 at A ball Capitol City in 1998 moving on to St. Lucie in 1999. By 2000 he was pitching as the closer at AA Binghamton, where he saved 28 games going 2-0 with a 1.11 ERA.

That summer he got called up for one game when a pitcher from AAA Norfolk couldn't make it due to terrible weather in Virginia. Riggan got the break, debuting at Shea Stadium on August 29th pitching three innings of late relief against the Houston Astros. He even earned a share of the Mets 2000 NL Champion bonus money. Manager Bobby Valentine took a liking to Riggan & he was on the staff starting out the 2001 season. 

In his first outing at St. Louis he allowed the Cardinals four runs in just two innings of work. Riggan pitched mostly in middle relief and did not earn any decisions until late July. He had a rough week there, blowing a save against Philadelphia on July 28th, then taking two losses in Houston, including serving up a 9th inning walk off HR to Craig Biggio on July 31st.

He earned his first win on August 18th in Los Angeles beating the Dodgers pitching one inning. On August 25th he benifited from a Rey Ordonez game winning single to earn win number two. In the second game back after the break following 911, Riggan got the win in Pittsburgh pitching 1.1 innings of solid relief. He ended the year at 3-3 with four holds & a 3.40 ERA in 35 appearances.

That December he was traded to Cleveland (along with players to be named later Matt Lawton & Alex Escobar) for Roberto Alomar & Mike Bacsik. In Cleveland he went 2-1 with 29 appearances in 2002 for the Indians & then pitched in just two games the next season.

From there he went on to pitch two seasons with the Nippon Pro Baseball Players in Japan.

Retirement: In his MLB career he was 5-4 with a 5.19 ERA, eight HRs allowed, 66 strike outs 43 walks in 67 games pitched. After his playing days he became a pitching coach with the Alaska Goldpanners of Fairbanks.

Early 2010's Mets Outfield Slugger: Jerry Hairston (2011-2012)

Scott Alexander Hairston was born on May 25th, 1980 in Fort Worth Texas. At the time Scott was born, his father ; long time major leaguer Jerry Hairston was playing in Mexico. Scott's brother Jerry Hairston Jr. also is a major leaguer & played with the New York Mets.

Scott attended Canyon del Oro High School in Arizona which also featured a talent of future major leaguers at the time; Ian Kinsler, Chris Duncan, Shelly Duncan & Brian Anderson. Hairston then attended Central Aizona College with Kinsler, getting drafted by the Arizona Diamondbacks in 2001. He would hit at least .300 all but once, in eight minor league seasons. 

In 2004 he made the Diamondbacks and became the teams main second baseman batting .248 with 13 HRs & 29 RBIs. He spent most of the next two years in the minor leagues returning for 76 games in 2007. That July he was traded to the San Diego Padres and hit 8 HRs while batting .287 in 31 games the rest of the season. By this point he became a full time outfielder, getting in to 112 games in 2008 as the Padres fourth outfielder.

That June the Padres set a record by becoming the first team in history to win four straight games by a 2-1 score. In the record setting fourth game, Hariston hit a walk off game winning HR against the New York Mets & Pedro Feliciano for the 2-1 record setting victory. Midway through the 2009 season he was traded to the Oakland A's but returned to San Diego for the next season.

In 2010 he was a team mate along with his brother Jerry, both playing as reserves with the Padres. Scott played in 104 games batting just .210 with 10 HRs 10 doubles & 36 RBIs. In 2011 he signed with the New York Mets as a free agent.

He was used right away making his Mets debut on Opening Day as a pinch hitter. On April 14th he hit a 9th inning two run HR off Colorado's Huston Street although the Mets still lost the game 6-5. In mid June he hit two HRs in the same week both coming on the road in Pittsburgh & Atlanta. On June 29th Hairston tripled & drove in three runs in an inter league Mets 16-9 win at Detroit against the Tigers.

That summer he had a big day at Citi Field against the Philadelphia Phillies. First he doubled home two runs off Cole Hammels & then later hit a three run HR off Danny Baez in the 11-2 Mets rout. His season was cut short in August as he ended the year playing as a utility player in 79 games, batting .235 with 7 HRs 8 doubles & 24 RBIs.

In 2012 Hairston hit his first HR in Philadelphia off Cliff Lee in the Mets 5-2 win there. On April 26th he hit for the cycle in Colorado's Coors Field, although the Mets lost 18-9 Hairston hit a 2nd inning single, then a solo HR in the 4th Inning. In the 5th inning he tripled scoring Ruben Tejada & then doubled in the 6th scoring Tejada & David Wright.

At the end of May he homered in three straight games, gathering up seven hits & seven RBIs in a five game span. At the start of June he homered in back to back games again, the first against St. Louis at Citi Field & then another in Washington against the Nationals. On July 27th, he hit a grand slam HR off the Cubs Casey Coleman in a 17-1 Mets romp over Chicago at Wrigley Field.

In July he hit a pair of HRs in three game set in Philadelphia against the Phillies. Then on July 30th he belted two HRs in a Mets 8-7 win over the eventual world champion Giants in San Francisco. Hairston's HR off Santiago Casilla broke a 6-6 tenth inning tie, leading to the win.

He slumped in August as did the rest of the Mets, after a strong start & being in second place at the All Star break, the team fell to fourth place to end the season.

In September Hairston finished strong with five HRs & 11 RBIs. He finished the year third on the club in HRs with 20 despite only appearing in 134 games (377 at bats). He hit .263 with 25 doubles (fourth on the club) three triples 57 RBIs (tied for fourth) & a .299 on base %.

After thinking about resigning him, the Mets chose to let him go to free agency where he signed with the Chicago Cubs in January 2013.

Through April 2013 in his ten year career, Hairston is hitting .245 with 548 hits 17 HRs 125 doubles 286 RBIs & a .300 on base % in 800 games.

Scott Hairston's Long Line of Baseball Relatives: Jerry Hairston - Jerry Hairston Jr. & Sam Hairston

 

Jerry Wayne Hairston Jr. was born May 29th 1976 in Des Moines Iowa. The five foot ten, right hand hitting utility player plays all infield as well as all outfield positions. After attending Southern Illinois University the older brother of Scott Hairston was drafted by the Baltimore Orioles in the 11th round of the 1997 draft.

Hairston went on to a long career playing with the Orioles from 1998-2004. Hairston stole 29 bases in 2001 & stole 21 more the next year. In his 2004 season he batted his Oriole best .303 playing in 86 games. He then moved on to the Chicago Cubs (2005-2006) Texas Rangers (2006-2007) Cincinnati Reds (2008-2009) A.L. New York club (2009) San Diego Padres (2010) Washington Nationals (2011) Milwaukee Brewers (2011) & Los Angeles Dodgers (2012-2013).

In 2008 with the Reds he hit a career best .326 in 80 games while stealing 15 bases. In 2009 & 2010 he showed the most power of his career hitting over ten HRs in each season. Through April 2012 he has played in 1282 games batting .258 with 1029 hits 215 doubles 64 HRs 147 stolen bases a .327 on base % & 372 RBIs.

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Jerry Wayne Hairston Sr. was born on February 16th 1952 in Birmingham, Alabama. The five foot ten switch hitting outfielder / first baseman was signed out of high school by the Chicago White Sox in 1970. Jerry reached the big leagues rather quickly as he batted over .290 three of his first four minor lague seasons. After hitting .347 at AA Iowa he was called up to the 1973 White Sox team.

Jerry Hairston was never a power hitter but was a fine reserve player who did a great job of pinch hitting. Hairston spent his entire MLB career (14 seasons) with the White Sox, except for a brief stint in Pittsburgh (51 games) in part of the 1977 season. From 1978-1980 he also played in the Mexican League, returning in 1981.

Back in 1975 he batted .283 with a .407 on base % playing 69 games, seeing the most Sox action as a left fielder alongside Pat Kelly & brief Met Ken Henderson. On October 4th 1981 he hit a grand slam HR against the Minnesota Twins in the 8th inning bringing the score from 12-5 to 12-9. In the 9th inning he then singled home two more runs including the game winner, giving him a six RBI day. In the second part of his MLB career he hit a career best .294 with 5 HRs 22 RBIs in 1983.

That season he broke up a perfect game bid by Detroit Tigers pitcher Milt Wilcox. Harrison singled with two outs in the bottom of the 9th inning. It was the fifth time in history a perfect game was foiled with two out in the 9th. In his 14 year career he batted .258 with 438 hits, 91 doubles, six triples, 30 HRs a .362 on base % & 205 RBIs. In his pinch hit career he hit eight HRs & batted .258 (90-349).

Retirement: After his playing days, he spent seven years as a minor league manager with the White Sox. In 2012 he was promoted to assistant hitting coach under new manager Robin Ventura.

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Samuel Harding Hairston was born January 20, 1920 in Crawford Mississippi. He played seven seasons in the Negro Leagues with the Birmingham Black Barons & Indianapolis Clowns.

In 1951 he got to the major leagues playing with the legendary Minnie Minoso as a team mate on the Chicago White Sox. He would play in just four MLB games going 2-5 with two walks & an RBI. 

Retirement: After his playing days he became a White Sox scout and drafted players like Carlos May, Lee Richard, Lamar Johnson & Reggie Patterson. Sammy became a long time minor league instructor as a White Sox bullpen coach (1978). He then managed the Birmingham Barons for twelve seasons until his passing in 1997 at age 77.

Early/Mid Seventies Mets Pitcher: Hank Webb (1972-1976)

Henry Gaylon Matthew Webb was born May 21, 1950 in Copiague, Long Island New York. He has the distinction of being the second Met with the name Gaylon, remember 1960’s Mets pitcher Galen Cisco.

The only other creature I can think of with that name is Roddy McDowell’s chimpanzee character Galen, in the short lived 1974 cult classic Planet of the Apes TV show.

The tall six foot right handed pitcher known as “Hank” was drafted by the New York Mets in the 10th round of the 1968 draft. He was another of the many good Mets minor league pitching prospects of the early seventies. But it was tough to crack into those solid Mets pitching staffs in those days. Webb went 6-2 for the Marion Mets in 1969, then 5-2 at A ball Pompano Beach in 1970. By 1972 he was 12-8 overall, with a 2.87 ERA pitching through A ball & moving up into AA ball. He was 9-5 at AA Memphis that year posting a 227 ERA.

He got a September call up making his MLB debut on September 5th 1972 at Shea Stadium. He allowed two runs in one inning of work, earning no decision in the Mets 3-2 loss to the Chicago Cubs. Three days later he got his first start pitching seven innings, allowing four runs to the St. Louis Cardinals.

He left the game while the Mets tied it up, although they eventually lost 9-4. He had another solid start against the Montreal Expos on October 3rd, allowing three runs over six innings, but got no decision in the Mets 4-3 win. Overall he allowed nine earned runs in 18 innings pitched in six games.

In the Mets 1973 NL Pennant season, Webb pitched in just two games in May, allowing two runs in 2.1 innings of work, to post an ERA over ten. He was sent down to AAA Tidewater where he went 8-9 (fourth most wins on the staff) with a 3.05 ERA.

The next season, on June 7th 1974 at AAA, Webb pitched a seven inning 1-0 no hit victory for the Tidewater Tides of the International League. He was 10-8 on the season at Tidewater, second to only Randy Sterling in wins. He pitched well enough to get another September 1974 call up.

In his first game back up he was involved in one of the longest games in baseball history. It occurred at Shea Stadium on Sept. 11, 1974 as the Mets and St. Louis Cardinals were tied 3-3 in the 25th inning. Webb came in to pitch in relief of rookie Jerry Cram, and faced St. Louis’ Bake McBride who greeted him with a single. With the speedy McBride on first base, Webb attempted to pick him off. He threw wildly to first base, and the ball bounced against the stands and McBride scored all the way from first base. It turned out to be the winning run, ending the deadlock after seven hours & four minutes.

Webb made just three appearances, also getting two starts. He allowed three runs in five innings against the Chicago Cubs but earned no decision. He ended the year getting pounded by the Phillies on September 25th, allowing five runs in four innings of work. He went 0-2 that September with a 7.20 ERA.

In 1975 he saw the most action of his career, getting up to the staff by May & quickly earning two losses in the first week. On June 8th he earned a victory after pitching just one inning, when Felix Millan scored on a bases loaded wild pitch in the 14th inning. On June 23rd he pitched eight innings allowing just one run, which came in the first inning against the St. Louis Cardinals. But he took another loss because Ron Reed shut out the Mets on just five hits.

In July Webb pitched two complete game victories where he only allowed one run each time. The first came in Atlanta in a 3-1 win & the second was in the nightcap of a double header at Wrigley Field. His best outing came on August 25th when he threw a five hit shutout against the Padres in San Diego. In September he pitched in relief & made two more starts earning a win in St. Louis on September 13th, pitching seven innings. For the year Webb pitched in 29 games making 15 starts, going 7-6 with a 4.07 ERA in 115 innings pitched, striking out 38 batters while walking 62. It was the only time in five years with the Mets he ever recorded any victories.

In 1976 he was 0-1 with a 4.50 ERA and the next winter he was traded to the Los Angeles Dodgers with minor leaguer Richard Sander in exchange for Rick Auerbach. He pitched in only five games for the 1977 NL Champion Dodgers before ending his playing career at AAA Albuquerque. In his six year career, Webb pitched in 53 games going 7-9 with 4.39 ERA, striking out 71 batters, while walking 91 in 169 innings pitched.


Family: Webb moved south to Clearwater, Florida after his baseball days. His son Ryan Webb is an MLB relief pitcher who had played for the San Diego Padres (2009-2010), Florida / Miami Marlins (2011-2013)

In 2010 he earned a win in an extra inning victory against his dad’s old Mets team on June 2nd. On September 23rd 2013, Ruben Tejada hit a base hit off Webb, in the bottom of the 9th inning scoring Jerry Hairston with the walk off win. Through 2012 Ryan Webb is 11-9 with a 3.26 ERA in 200 appearances.

Short Time Late Nineties Met: Craig Paquette (1998)

Craig Harold Paquette was born on March 28th 1969 in Long Beach, California. The six foot right hand hitter attended Golden West College at Huntington Beach, California. He was signed by the Oakland Athletics in the 8th round of the 1989 draft. Paquette spent five years in the minors, hitting over 15 HRs four times.

He came up to the A's in June of 1993, making some noise, hitting 12 HRs & driving in 46 runs although he only hit .219. In 1994 he was back at AAA Tacoma where he hit .287 with 17 HRs, getting a June call up for 14 games. After the baseball strike he returned for his last season at Oakland in 1995. In Spring Training 1996 he was released but was soon signed by the Kansas City Royals.

He had his best season in Kansas City in 1996, hitting a team leading 22 HRs, with 15 doubles & 67 RBIs while batting .259. The following season injuries shut him down, for just 77 games, he hit 8 HRs batting .236. He was granted free agency & signed with the New York Mets.

Paquette debuted with the Mets on April 28th, 1998 in Houston getting a start in left field. He doubled off John Halama in his first at bat in the Mets 4-3 loss to the Astros. In early May, he got hits in three straight games for New York, starting with a pinch hit single in a 5-2 win over the Rockies at Shea. He then suffered an ankle strain which ended his season, in seven Mets games he was hitting .263 with five hits, two doubles & a stolen base.

He spent most of 1999 at AAA Norfolk where he hit .272 with 15 HRs, then on July 31st he was traded to the St. Louis Cardinals for Shawon Dunston.

He spent the next three years in St. Louis, seeing regular playing time in both 2000 & 2001. Both seasons he hit 15 HRs while driving in better than 60 runs. He would hit over .280 in two of his three years in St. Louis. He got into four games of the 2000 NLCS against the New York Mets, going 1-6 in that series, coming into the game late each time.

For the 2002 season he signed on with the Detroit Tigers & saw action in 72 games but hit just .194. In 2003 he was back in the minors making one last appearance in the majors for eleven games.

In his eleven year career he hit .239 with 620 hits 128 doubles ten triples 377 RBIs & a .274 on base % in 814 games. In his career the versatile Paquette played 498 games at third base, 200 games in the outfield, 100 games at first, 24 games at second & 19 games at short.

1954 World Champion NY Giants Pitcher Who Was Saved By Willie Mays' Catch: Don Liddle (1954-1956)

Don Eugene Liddle was born on May 25, 1925, in Mount Carmel, Illinois.

After high school Liddle went into the Navy to serve his country during World War II. The left-handed pitcher was signed by the Boston Braves in 1947, spending seven years in the minor leagues. He was already 27 years old when he debuted in the big leagues, & by this time the Braves had moved to Milwaukee.

In May 1953 he earned his first MLB win, it was a one run two hitter against the Chicago Cubs. Liddle ended up 7-6 with two saves, while posting a 3.08 ERA for the ‘53 Braves. During the winter of 1954 he was traded along with along with Johnny Antonelli, Billy Klaus, Ebba St. Claire and $50,000 to the New York Giants for Bobby Thomson & Sam Calderone.

Liddle had his best season in the Giants 1954 Championship season. After beginning the year at 0-2 then went on to go 9-2 the rest of the way, including a 5-1 stretch from August through September.

He finished out June pitching a complete game four hitter against his old Milwaukee Braves team mates to even out his record at 2-2. On July 15th he shutout the Cardinals in St. Louis on a five hitter 4-0 win. That same week he went into the 9th inning pitching five hit shutout innings in Cincinnati, but the Giants lost the game in the 11th inning.

On August 20th Liddle threw a three hit shut out at the Polo Grounds to beat the Pittsburgh Pirates. He closed out his season with another five hit shutout in Philadelphia beating the Phillies on September 24th to earn his ninth win. Liddle would start 19 games & also work out of the bull pen, going 9-4 with three shutouts, four complete games while posting a 3.06 ERA.

Post Season: In Game #1 of the 1954 World Series at the Polo Grounds, Liddle relieved Sal Maglie in the 8th inning with two Cleveland Indians on base. Giants manager Leo Durocher wanted Liddle to specifically pitch to Cleveland’s slugger Vic Wertz.

Wertz then bashed a long fly ball way back to deep center field, somewhere around 450 feet deep. Willie Mays went back, ran down the long fly ball & caught it over his shoulder, making the most famous catch in baseball history.

Liddle was off the hook and throughout time was the forgotten man, as to who actually threw the pitch that leaded to “The Catch” by Mays. Durocher came out & changed pitchers like he had originally intended. When the new pitcher Marv Grissom came to the mound to replace him, Liddle turned to Grissom saying "well, I got my man".

In Game #4 Don Liddle got the start at Cleveland's Municipal Stadium. He went into the 7th inning, allowing four runs while striking out two batters.

He got the victory anyway as the Giants bats exploded to complete the four game sweep over Cleveland, beating Bob Lemon, 7-4.

In 1955 he returned to have another quality year, starting out the year with an eighth inning victory against the Pittsburgh Pirates. In July he won four straight games besting his record to 5-2. After taking a loss in relief at Wrigley Field he went on to win five of his next six games to end the season.

On the year he was 10-4 with a 4.23 ERA, one save & one hold in 33 games.

He dropped to 2-4 in 1956 before getting traded along with Alvin Dark, Ray Katt and Whitey Lockman to the St. Louis Cardinals for Dick Littlefield, Jackie Brandt, Red Schoendienst and Bill Sarni that June.

He played with St. Louis for the remainder of the year, finishing his career at age 31 at the end of the 1956 season. In his four year career he was 28-18, with four saves, 13 complete games, three shut outs, 198 strike outs, 203 walks and a 3.75 ERA in 117 games pitched.

Retirement: After leaving baseball, Liddle worked at the local Elks Club, owned a service station & sold insurance. He then went to work at the Snap-On Tools factory, for 22 years. He was a supervisor there for 18 of those years.

Honors: He also helped his community's construction of a new ballpark for its youth baseball program. The ballpark was named for him in his Honor.

Passing: Don passed away at age 75 in Mount Carmel, Illinois from lung cancer in 2000.