Late Eighties Mets Back Up Catcher: Mackey Sasser (1988-1992)

Mack Daniel Sasser was born August 3, 1962 at Fort Gaines, Georgia. He attended Troy State University & still holds the school record for most at bats by a player making it to the big leagues. Sasser was originally an outfielder, getting drafted in the fifth round of the 1984 draft by the San Francisco Giants.

In 1985 at A ball Fresno he was fourth in the California league in batting (.338) & fourth in RBIs (102). He hit .293 the next year at AA Shreveport & then .318 at AAA Phoenix in 1987. That year he also made his MLB debut with the Giants (14 games) but was soon traded to the Pittsburgh Pirates for Don Robinson & cash on July 31st. He finished the season batting .185 playing in just 14 games at then big league level. In the off season he was sent to the New York Mets for prospect Randy Milligan.

In Spring Training 1988, Sasser impressed, & beat out Barry Lyons for the backup catching job, behind Gary Carter. On April 10th he made his Mets debut as a defensive replacement in a 4-3 Mets win at Philadelphia. On April 19th he got his first Mets hit as a pinch hitter at Shea Stadium. He kept his batting average up to .300 by the end of May & then brought it back to that mark with a strong end of June where he started seeing more action.

On July first he hit a rare triple in the bottom of the 7th inning, against the Houston Astros in the first game of a double header. The hit drove in Daryl Strawberry in what turned out to be the game winning run. On July 22nd he hit a pair of double driving in wo runs in the Mets 5-1 win over the Atlanta Braves.

From there he slumped to the end of September as his average fell to .245. In the last week of the season he had a resurgence, getting seven hits over three game stretch. On September 25th, Sasser had a four RBI day in St. Louis while gathering up three hits & a walk in the Mets 9-7 win. He finished the year batting .285 with one HR, ten doubles, a .313 on base % & 17 RBIs in 60 games played. Behind the plate he made six errors (.970 fielding %) & only threw out 22% of base runners attempting to steal.

In 1989 Gary Carter spent more time on the disabled list & Sasser saw action in 62 games behind the plate, (72 games) overall sharing time with Barry Lyons. Defensively, Sasser improved to a .992 fielding % & threw out 29% of runners attempting to steal. On May 13th he hit his only HR of the year, it came off Ed Whitson & the San Diego Padres. The two run shot in the home second inning, led the Mets to a 3-2 win. He didn't begin to see much action until June, and quickly got himself over .300. That June he drove in runs in six of seven games in the middle of the month.

Toward the end of July he had a another hot streak where he drove in seven runs with six hits, over a six game stretch keeping his average well above .300. In 182 at bats he batted .291 with one HR, 14 doubles a .316 on base % & 22 RBIs.

By 1990 Gary Carter’s days in New York were over, but Barry Lyons won over the main catcher’s job at first. But Lyons struggled through injuries, and Sasser was hitting better, He won over the position once again. He caught 87 games that season, leading all NL catchers with 14 errors, while posting a .975 fielding %.

Drama: That July he got run over during a home plate in a collision with the Atlanta Braves Jim Presley. After that point, Sasser developed a serious mental problem where he would double pump his arm on his throws back to the pitcher. Strangely it didn’t seem to affect him throwing out base runners who were attempting to steal. Neither he nor the Mets medical staff could figure out what was going on. So became the legend of in which Mackey Sasser will always be remembered.

At the plate he had his best year batting .307 (second on the team to Dave Magadan) with 6 HRs 14 doubles a .344 on base % & 41 RBIs in 270 at bats. On May 6th he helped the Mets come back from a four run deficit, hitting a three run HR to tie the game against the Houston Astros. They went on to win it on a Kevin McReynolds HR. A few days he doubled driving in two more runs in a 9-4 win over the L.A. Dodgers. A the end of June into July he hit safely in 19 of 22 games topping his average up at .336.

On July 6th he had a four RBI day at Atlanta, capped off with a three run 9th inning HR in the 10-3 Mets win. The following day he came back to drive in three more runs, but it was all the Mets could score in the 4-3 loss. On July 24th he had a huge day in Philadelphia, hitting two HRs driving in four runs while gathering up three hits in a 7-4 Mets win. On July 29th Sasser hit a grand slam HR off St. Louis's Jose Deleon, helping Doc Gooden to a 6-0 shutout in front of 42,000 at Shea Stadium. Sasser peaked at a .350 batting average before leveling off to .307 in the final months of the season.

By 1991 the double clutch throwing issue was becoming a real problem. At first he tried psychotherapy, & the yoga exercises but neither one worked. Veteran catcher Rick Cerone was brought in to split the catching duties with Sasser. The Mets wanted Sasser's bat in the lineup & even tried putting him in the outfield (21) games, as well as at first base (14 games). In 21 games in the outfield he posted a .967 fielding % & made three assists.

On May 31st he hit a three run HR in St. Louis helping the Mets to a 10-5 win. On July 19th, he had a walk off RBI sac fly against San Francisco’s Dave Righetti giving the Mets a dramatic win over the Giants. Two days later he had a big four hit, five RBI day against the Los Angeles Dodgers, which included a two run HR. Once again Sasser was hitting, staying over the .300 mark into August. On August 26th Sasser broke a 4-4 tie in Houston, with a tenth inning RBI double leading the Mets to a 6-4 win. In September he drove in eleven runs, for the 5th place Mets, and saw Bud Harrelson get replaced at manager by Mike Cubbage.

Overall in 96 games he batted .272 (fourth best on the club) with 5 HRs & 35 RBIs. By 1992 his average had dropped to .241 and the Todd Hundley era was about to begin behind the plate. Sasser played in 92 games with two HRs 18 RBIs a .248 on base %. He became a free agent and the Mets didn’t peruse him.

He ended up with the Seattle Mariners backing up catcher Dave Valle, batting .218 in 83 games. He played briefly the next two seasons and his career was over by 1995 at age 33. He finished a nine season career batting .267 lifetime with 317 hits 16 HRs 69 doubles 7 triples a .296 on base % & 156 RBIs. Defensively he posted a .987 fielding percentage & threw out 27% of would be base stealers.

Retirement: Sasser became a long time baseball coach at Wallace Community College in Alabama. He was still having problems with the throwing and it was occasionally interfering with him throwing batting practice.

A friend suggested he seek help from a Long Island psychotherapist and in 2007 they appeared to have worked out the issues. A psychological mental block had occurred from the home plate collision in 1990, as well as other situations earlier in his life. Through therapy Sasser believes he is finally cured.

South Korean Born Met With A 2005 Sub Way Series Moment: Dae-Sung Koo (2005)

Dae-Sung Koo was born on August 2, 1969 in South Korea. The six foot one Koo, was a natural right handed pitcher, but an arm injury as a child forced him learn how to pitch left handed. He began his pro career in Korea in 1993. Three years later he won 18 games & posted 24 saves with 183 strike outs.
He won a Gold Glove as well as being named the league's MVP. In 2000 he led The Korean National Team to a Bronze Medal pitching in the Summer Olympics. The next year he went over to pitch in the Japanese Pacific League, pitching for the Orix Blue Waves team. In 2004 he became a starting pitcher & when Orix merged with the Osaka Kintetsu Buffaloes he announced he wanted to pitch in America for the major leagues.

In 2005 he was signed by the New York Mets and had an impressive Spring Training earning him a spot on the Met pitching staff. He debuted on Opening Day in Cincinnati getting credit for a hold, pitching a scoreless 8th inning. The Mets ended up losing the game when Braden Looper gave up back to back HRs to Adam Dunn & Joe Randa in the bottom of the 9th. After six scoress games he allowed three runs to the Washington Nationals on April 25th. In May Koo got credit for five holds, but also had two blown saves coming in Chicago & Florida.

His biggest Mets moment came in the May Subway Series matchup at Shea Stadium. Koo relieved Kris Benson with a two run lead, after Benson had thrown six shutout innings. Koo got a chance to bat against Randy Johnson & was nervous he never even swung the bat.

In his next time up, everyone was expecting another easy out, and Tim McCarver was telling everyone the same on the national televises Fox broadcast. But Koo shocked everyone, he swung & blasted the pitch over the centerfielders head all the way to the wall. He dashed into second with a stand up double.

The crowd went wild & the Mets dugout as well, as everyone all cheered “KOOOOOOOOO”. The next batter was Jose Reyes, he dropped a bunt down, & Koo advanced to third but then alertly saw no one was covering home plate. He made a mad dash for home & slid head first beating the attempted tag. The crowd again roared “KOOOOOO” as a hysterical Mets dugout greeted him with high fives & a whole bunch of laughter. After the game the 35 year old said he hadn’t had an official at bat in 18 years, except some occasional swings in a batting cage.

Koo would pitch in 33 games as a middle reliever for the 2005 Mets, posting a 3.93 ERA, with 23 strike outs, allowing ten earned runs in 23 innings pitched. His MLB Mets career was short lived, as his contract was sold back to Korea for the 2006 season. He was still pitching there, for the Hanwha Eagles organization at age 41.

Old Time New York Giants Pitcher (1932-1935) & Coach (1935-1945): Dolph Luque

Adolfo Domingo de Guzman Luque was born on August 4th 1890 in Habana Cuba. The five foot seven right hander came up with the Boston Braves briefly in 1914 after pitching two seasons in the Negro Leagues. In 1918 he was with the Cincinnati Reds and would pitch there for twelve seasons.

Luque had his best year in 1923 when he led the league in wins (27) winning % (.771) ERA (1.93) & shut outs that year. In 1925 he led the league in ERA again (2.63) as well as shut outs (4). Luque was in the NL's top ten in ERA six times, as well as shut outs, saves, strike outs & starts five times each. He racked up alot of innings, pitching 200 plus innings nine straight years with two seasons of 300 plus innings of work. He and also served up alot of HRs & losses, leading the league with 27 losses in 1922.

But Luque had double figures in wins ten straight seasons, three years of 16 plus wins. He only posted losing seasons five times in his twenty years. In 1919 he was part of the World Champion Reds team that beat the Chicago White Sox in the infamous Black Sox scandal. The Sox were accused of throwing the Series for money, which led to baseball banning any association with gambling from the game. The movie Eight Men Out recalls the story. That year Luque went 10-3 with three saves out of the pen, posting a 2.51 ERA in 30 appearances.

He appeared in two games of the 1919 World Series pitching five scoreless innings of relief. In a game against the New York Giants he once slugged Casey Stengel in the mouth after someone on the team insulted him. In 1930 he was traded to the Brooklyn Robbins pitching there for two seasons, going 14-8 in his first year.

Luque was known to have a temper, in a classic Brooklyn story, a heckler in the stands kept taunting him during a game. Luque told his manager Wilbert Robinson, "I tell you, Robbie, if this guy don't shut up, I'm gonna shut him up." "Aw, come on, Dolf," said the manager. "He paid his way in, let him boo." The heckler started taunting the rotund manager yelling, "Hey, fat belly!" Robinson then said, "OK, Dolf--go ahead and clobber the jerk." Luque then went after the fan .

Luque was released by 1932 & joined the New York Giants. He would spend four years with the Giants under manager John McGraw in his final season & new skipper the great Hall of Famer Bill Terry. Luque was mostly used as a relief pitcher. He was 6-7 in 1932 with a 4.01 ERA posting five saves (third most in the NL).

In 1933 he was part of the Giants World Championship team, going 8-2 with a 2.69 ERA posting four saves (5th in the NL) while closing out 22 games (3rd most in the NL). He became the oldest player to ever earn a win in the World Series that year, when he at age 43 he got the win in the final game to beat the Washington Senators. He pitched 4.1 innings of scoreless relief of Hal Schumacher that day at Griffith Stadium in Washington D.C.

Luque was the oldest pitcher in the league over the next two seasons. He was 4-3 in 1934 with a career high seven saves (second most in the NL) finishing up 19 games (5th most). In 1935 he pitched just two games at age 45 ending his long twenty year career. Luque pitched in 550 games (367 starts) going 194-179 with 28 saves posting a 3.24 ERA. He struck out 1130 batters, while walking 918 in 3220 innings pitched.

Retirement: In addition to the major leagues Luque also pitched in Cuba for 22 years in the winter becoming known as "The Pride of Havana". He also managed there as well. In a famous story Tommy Lasorda a player under Luque, recalls the manager pulling out a gun when a pitcher was begging not to pitch due to a sore arm. After he saw the gun, the pitcher went out & tossed a two hit shutout.

Luque was a mentor to young pitchers during his playing days & then became a pitching coach on the Giants from 1935-1938 and again from 1941-1945 serving under Terry & Mel Ott. Luque passed away in Cuba in 1957 at age 67.

In 2011 he became a member of the Latino Baseball Hall of Fame.

Late Eighties Mets Player: Greg Jefferies (1987-1991)

Greg Scott Jeffries was born August 2, 1967 at Burlingame, California. Jeffries was drafted right out of high school in San Mateo, California, in the first round (20th pick overall) in 1985. He became a minor league success right away, winning two minor league MVP Awards & a Player of the Year Award as well. He was hyped up as the next great Mets hitter, even Davey Johnson said “he could hit .300 on his head”. In 1987 he batted .367 at AAA Tidewater with 20 HRs & 101 RBIs.

In September of 1987, at age 19 Jefferies got a September call up, debuting in Los Angeles going hitless on September 6th. Overall in six games he was 3-6 as a pinch hitter on the season. The next year, he spent most of the year at AAA Tidewater because there was no where to put him on the talented big league club. He hit .282 at AAA Tidewater & got brought up at the end of August.

He went on a tear right away, getting nine hits in his first five games, batting .475. On August 29th his second game of the season, he hit a two run HR in the Mets 6-0 win over the San Diego Padres. In the first nine days of September he hit four HRs driving in seven runs. On September 19th his base hit in the bottom of the 9th was a walk off game winner aginast the Montreal Expos. He would stay hot all through the September Pennant race, batting .321 in 109 at bats, with 6 HRs, 8 doubles & 17 RBIs. Although he only played 29 games he received votes for the Rookie of the Year Award.

Post Season: He played in all seven games of the 1988, NLCS against the Los Angeles Dodgers. Playing mostly at third base, while slugger Howard Johnson moved over to short stop. Jeffries played a solid defense, hitting .333 (9-27) with two doubles, an RBI & four walks. It would be his only post season appearance.

The Mets had to find a place for him on the field and ended up trading away the popular Wally Backman to open up the second base spot. Jeffries found himself on the cover of Sports Illustrated & with a Starting Lineup Action figure before he even played one full season. After two hits on Opening Day, Jeffries struggled in 1989 not getting over the .200 mark until late June. On June 15th he won the game with a walk off single beating the Chicago Cubs 4-3. The next day he homered & drove in four runs in the Mets wild 15-11 win at Veterans Stadium in Philadelphia.

He hit well in July raising up is average while hitting safely in 16 of twenty games. On September 7th he hit a pair of HRs & drove in five runs in a 13-1 Mets romp over the St. Louis Cards at Shea. On the year the Mets finished second six games behind the Chicago Cubs, Jefferies batted only .258 with 12 HRs 28 doubles 56 RBIs while posting a .314 on base %. He stole an impressive 21 bases playing in 141 games. At second base he made 12 errors posting a .975 fielding % turning 41 double plays.

Jefferies didn’t adjust to the hardships of playing in New York at the big league level so quickly. He was constantly frustrated and complained often enough to earn a reputation as a whiner by his team mates & the fans. He would throw his bat in frustration when he struck out & was called a baby. threw his bat in the dugout he was called a baby, (it wasn’t until years later that things like that made other cry babies like Paul O’Neill be considered intense). He wrote an open letter to Sports Radio 66 WFAN, when it was a new station criticizing his team mates for not supporting him. This only buried him deeper & the fans let him have it. He heard the boos loudly at Shea when he didn’t do well.

In 1990 things did get better, he led the NL in doubles (40) and raised his average up to .283, with 15 HRs, 68 RBIs scoring 96 runs. But the fans still wanted more due to the hype he had received early on. Also the Mets finished second once again, this time four games behind the Pittsburgh Pirates, which also frustrated the fans. Jefferies became a target of the team's inability to capture the NL East in the past two seasons. He got hot from June 7th through June 14th in the midst of a twelve game hit streak, driving in eight runs with five straight multi hit games. On June 24th he led the Mets with a HR & Four RBIs to beat the Phillies 6-5 at Shea Stadium.

Throughout the summer he was hitting above .300 most of the time, driving in runs in five straight games two separate times. On August 3rd he topped off a Mets top of the 9th inning three run rally in St. Louis, driving in the winning run with a single off reliever Lee Smith. A week later his three RBIs helped the Mets beat the Phillies 8-4 at Shea Stadium. In September he fell from a .297 average to finish the year at .282. At second he posted a .976 fielding % making 12 errors turning 49 double plays.

In 1991 he drove in the Mets first run of the year with a first inning double, leading to a 2-1 win over the St. Louis Cardinals. On April 20th he broke a 1-1 tie in Montreal with an 8th inning double scoring the game winning run. After missing the first two weeks in May he hit safely in 12 of 14 games raising his average up to .284. In July he missed another week of action, then returned to drive in ten runs in the week of his return. As the season went on he kept status quo finishing the year at.272 with 19 doubles, 9 HRs & 62 RBIs & a .336 on base % in 136 games. His time was up in New York, and he was traded with Kevin McReynolds & Keith Miller to the Kansas City Royals for All Star pitcher Bret Saberhagen.

Jefferies hit .285 with 10 HRs & 75 RBIs in one season at Kansas City, then got traded to the St. Louis Cardinals for Felix Jose & Craig Wilson. In St. Louis he moved over to play first base, and had his best career year. He hit .342 (3rd in the NL) with a .408 on base %, 16 HRs, 24 doubles 83 RBIs & 89 runs scored. He made the All Star team that season & the next as well.

In 1994 he hit .325 (7th in the NL) with 12 HRs 55 RBIs in the strike shortened season. After contract disputes with Cardinals management, he signed as a free agent with the Philadelphia Phillies in 1995. Jefferies was yet again in the top ten in batting that year (hitting .306, bashing 31 doubles. He hit .292 the following year playing in 104 games.

By 1997 he was entering the twig light of his career, as his average fell to .256, In the middle of the 1998 season he was traded to the Anaheim Angels for a player to be named later. He finished up the year, hitting .300 but was not resigned. He went to the Detroit Tigers but injuries got the best of him, making him a part time player. He played two more seasons in Detroit, finishing his 14 year career in 2000. 

Overall he hit .289 lifetime, with 1593 hits, 300 doubles, 27 triples 126 HRs, 663 RBIs 196 stolen bases & a .344 on base %.

Retirement: He currently lives outside Sacramento California, coaching high school baseball & varsity football. He is married to his second wife and has four children. He looks back at his time in New York, wishing he was a little more mature back then. He said the 1988 playoffs spoiled him, and he misses the chance of not playing in a World Series.

Late Nineties Mets Pitcher: Brian Bohanon (1997-1998)

Brian Edward Bohanon was born August 2, 1968 in Denton, Texas. The big six foot two left hander was a first round draft pick (19th pick overall) for the Texas Rangers in 1987. He began his career in 1990, as a starter in Texas, going 4-7 over two seasons. He spent five seasons with the Rangers and then moved on to the Detroit Tigers. He made 52 appearances going was 1-1 in ten starts .

Next it was off to Toronto where he was primarily a middle reliever for the Blue Jays in 1996. For 1997 he signed as a free agent with the New York Mets.

Bohanon made his Mets debut on April 6th 1997, in the sixth game of the year. He earned a win, pitching seven innings allowing just two runs against the Giants in San Francisco. He lost his next game coming in relief in the 14th inning of a game in Los Angeles. As the month went on he got hit hard, allowing two runs in each of his next four outings. He was sent to AAA Norfolk & had his best minor league season there, going 9-3 earning him a Mets call up again by late July.

He would get put into the starting rotation & pitch into the 7th inning four times in his first five games. But in that time only got one win while losing twice. He finished out the year 3-1 from August 30th on, winning two games in September. He ending up with a 6-4 record, posting a 3.82 ERA, allowing 95 hits in 94 innings pitched, striking out 66 batters. He pitched beyond the 5th inning ten times in 14 games that he started, giving up less than two runs in five of those games.

In 1998 he was back in the Met bullpen and after going 2-4, he was traded to the Los Angeles Dodgers for Greg McMichael. The first time he went up against the Mets again he took a loss, even though he only allowed one earned run through six innings of work.

Bohanon went on to the Colorado Rockies, enjoying success in 1999 & 2000. He was a 12 game winner both seasons pitching over 177 innings both years, including a career high 197 in 1999. In his last outing against the Mets in 2001 he gave up eight runs at Coors Field, taking the loss. He retired after the 2001 season.

In a 12 year career he pitched in 304 games, with a 54-60 lifetime record, posting two saves and a 5.19 ERA. He struck out 671 batters while walking 489 in 1116 innings of work.

Former Mets Manager: George Bamberger (1982-1983)

George Irvin Bamberger was born August 1, 1925 in Staten Island, New York. The six foot right handed pitcher was signed by the New York Giants in 1946. His dream came true as he made the 1951 home town New York Giants pitching staff. He only pitched in two games allowing four runs in two innings of work. Needless to say he didn’t make the World Series roster.

In 1952 he appeared briefly in five games, allowing four runs in four innings. He spent the next six years in the minors and fifteen years overall, mostly in the Pacific Coast League winning 216 games there overall. He had one last hurrah in the majors, pitching three games with the Baltimore Orioles in 1959. He stayed in their organization at various levels and then became one of the best pitching coaches in the game during the late sixties/ early seventies.

In 1968 he was first named pitching coach for a mighty Orioles team under manager Earl Weaver. He was a firm believer in the four man pitching rotation, feeling the more a pitcher used his arm without abusing it, the stronger it became. He would hold the position for the next decade, getting to three World Series, producing 18 twenty game winners, including a record of four on the same 1971 staff . That historic season Jim Palmer, Dave McNally, Mike Cuellar, & Pat Dopson all won twenty games for Bamberger.

In his time as pitching coach he also had the privilege of coaching four Cy Young winners; two during his tenure- Mike Cuellar (1969) & Jim Palmer (1973 / 1975-1976) Then after his departure Mike Flanagan (1979) & Steve Stone (1980). Bamberger's pitching staff were first in the American League in ERA every season from 1968 through 1973. His staff was first in wins five times as well.

In 1969 he sat in the dugout at Shea Stadium during the Worland watched the young New York Mets staff out pitch his own mighty heavily favored Orioles staff. Little did he or anyone else, know he would be in the dugout managing the Mets 13 years later.

In 1978 he was hired as manager of the Milwaukee Brewers and got them to over 90 wins for the first time in their ten year history. He won the A.L. Manager of the Year Award, with his team finishing in third place at 93-69. It was a tough division and the Brew Crew improved to finished second to his old Baltimore team in 1979, winning 95 games. In 1980 he suffered a heart attack during Spring Training, and was sidelined for a the first few months of the season. After 92 games the Brewers were only at .500, and he resigned as their manager.

Meanwhile, in New York a new ownership took over the Mets ball club and Joe Torre was fired as manager after five losing seasons. The new General Manager for the Mets was Frank Cashen, who had been the GM in Baltimore during Bamberger's years when he was the Pitching Coach. Cashen went right out and hired his old pal Bambi, as the Mets manager for the 1982 season.

Bamberger told The New York Times: ''My whole idea is to throw the ball over the plate. The most important pitch is a strike. But the trick is to change speeds. Trying to pinpoint a pitch is crazy. Throw the ball down the middle, but don't throw the same pitch twice. Change the speed.''

In 1982 the Mets started out a little better than the previous years. In June they were still at .500 and more fans were coming to the ballpark. There really wasn’t much pitching there for Bamberger to work with, the staff was led by Craig Swan who would win 11 games. Charlie Puleo (9-9) Pete Falcone (8-10) a young Mike Scott (7-13) & a veteran Randy Jones (7-10) made up the starting rotation. As Pat Zachary (6-9) & Ed Lynch (4-8) also saw some starts.

To Bamberger's credit, Jesse Orosco said Bambi helped him develop his slider while he was in his rookie season. As for the lineup Dave Kingman’s bat wasn’t enough to carry the team, although he hit 37 HRs & drove in 99 Runs he only batted .204. George Foster (13 HRs & 70 RBIs) & Ellis Valentine (8 HRs & 48 RBIs) both came to New York with expectations, but they neither proved too change the team around.

The few bright spots were youngsters Mookie Wilson & reliever Neil Allen. At the end of the year the Mets didn’t finish much better than the previous season, going 65-97 in last place 27 games back of the World Champion St. Louis Cardinals. 

In 1983 after a 16-30 last place start to the season, Bamberger resigned. He said “I probably suffered enough , I'm going fishing”, feeling all the stress of losing in New York was going to give him another heart attack. He was replaced by big Frank Howard for the rest of the 1983 season. In 1984 Davey Johnson would take over and enjoy a successful run throughout the 1980's.

Bamberger went back to Milwaukee & did two more years as the Brewers manager (1985-1986). His team finished last both seasons winning an identical 71 games each year. In 1986 he retired for good, moving to North Redington Beach, Florida with his wife of 53 years. In 2004 he passed away at age 80.

Original 1962 Mets Player: Felix Mantilla (1962)

Felix (Lamela) Mantilla was born on July 29, 1934 in Isabella, Puerto Rico. Mantilla was one of the first Puerto Rican players to be signed. He was signed one year after Roberto Clemente in 1952. In 1954 he hit 16 HRs at AA Toledo, & then batted over .270 the next two seasons. In 1956 he came up as a reserve infielder with the Milwaukee Braves and was Hank Aarons roommate during his time there.

Mantilla spent six years with the Braves mostly as an all around utility man, winning a World Series in 1957 & a pennant in 1958. He played in five World Series games going hitless in ten at bats. Mantilla played all infield & outfield positions and hit better in his later years. In 1959 Mantilla came into a game late as a pinch runner against the Pittsburgh Pirates. He came to bat in the 13th inning and broke up Harvey Haddix’s perfect game while reaching on an error. He eventually scored the winning run when Joe Adcock hit a three run HR. Adcock was only credited with an RBI single because Hank Aaron failed to run out the bases.

Mantilla was then drafted by the New York Mets as the 12th pick in the 1961 expansion draft, becoming an original 1962 Met. He seems to be a forgotten Met through time, possibly because he only spent one season in New York. He was primarily the Mets main third baseman in their inaugural season, playing 95 of his 141 games at the hot corner. He started at third base and batted in the second position in the first Mets game ever at St. Louis Sportsman’s Park in April 1962. After grounding out in the first inning, he walked in the third inning & scored the second run in Mets history on Frank Thomas’ sac fly.

Mantilla started out the year well, hitting safely in 21 of 25 games and was batting .329 in mid May. On May 20th in Milwaukee, the Mets came into the 7th inning tied 3-3 with the Braves. Charlie Neal led off the inning with a HR, then Jim Hickman singled & Elio Chacon walked. Next up, Mantilla hit a three run HR, keading New York to a 9-6 victory.

He also had four different four hit games throughout the year and a dozen multiple RBI games as well. One of his best days was a four hit, four RBI day against the Dodgers in Los Angeles in late May, during a 17-8 loss. Mantilla led the ’62 Mets team in batting average (.275) on base percentage (.330) & sac flies with seven (5th most in the NL). He hit 11 HRs with 17 doubles 4 triples 59 RBIs, & scored 59 runs. At third base he posted a .948 fielding % making a career high 14 errors. He also played in 25 games at short stop & 14 games at second base. At the end of the season, he was traded to the Boston Red Sox for Tracy Stallard, Pumpsie Green & Al Moran.

Mantilla had his best years in Boston hitting at Fenway Park. In his first year 1963, he hit a career high .315 with a .384 on base % playing in 66 games. In 1964 he had a career year, hitting 30 HRs (9th in the league) batting .289, with 20 doubles, scoring 69 runs & driving in 64 runs. In 1965 he made the All Star team, while driving in a career high 92 runs (4th most in the AL) hitting 18 HRs with 79 walks (3rd in the AL) 147 hits & a .374 on base %.

In April 1966 he was traded to the Houston Astros for Andy Kasco, and finished the year batting .219 in 77 games. He was sent to the Chicago Cubs but was soon released.

In his 11 year career batting .261 with 707 hits, 89 HRs, 97 doubles, 360 runs scored 330 RBIs & 256 walks.

Former Italian /American Pitcher: Long Island's Own Don DeMola (1974-1978)

Donald John DeMola was born on July 5th, 1952 in Glen Cove, New York on Long Island. The right handed pitcher was drafted out of South Commack high school in 1970 by the A.L. New York team. After two minor league seasons, he was released and signed on with the Montreal Expos in January 1973.

DeMola made it to the Expo staff the next year, earning his first career win against the San Diego Padres on June 16th, 1974. It was his only decision of the season, as he mostly pitched in middle relief in 25 appearances.


In 1975 he earned a victory at Shea Stadium, with his family & hometown friends looking on. He pitched two scoreless innings striking out Rusty Staub, Jerry Grote, Joe Torre & Randy Tate along the way. His battery mate that night was non other than Gary Carter, who was in his first full season.

It was a Gary Carter RBI base hit that put Montreal on the board that night, followed (by former & future Met) Mike Jorgensen's three run HR that put the Expos ahead for good. DeMola would make appearances the next two nights as well at Shea, allowing no runs in three innings of work. The Mets won both those games.

Overall on the 1975 season he was 4-7 with a 4.16 ERA making 60 appearances, second on the club (to future Met) Dale Murray. The next year he needed arm surgery & missed the entire season.

He lost his velocity and the injury eventually ruined his career. After pitching in the minor leagues through 1978 he retired from the game.

Retirement: He returned back to Long Island and went into the fur business.

Former Mets Player (1981) Coach (1990-1996) & Manager (1991): Mike Cubbage

Michael Lee Cubbage was born July 21, 1950 in Charlottesville, Virginia. Cubbage attended the University of Virginia getting drafted twice by the Washington Senators. He was primarily a third baseman who also played some second base in his career. He was first drafted in 1968 but signed the second time around in the second round of the 1971 draft. 


Cubbage’s cousin was catcher Larry Haney, who played in the majors from 1966-1978 with the Baltimore Orioles, St. Louis Cardinals, The Seattle Pilots, Milwaukee Brewers & Oakland A’s. He was a member of A’s 1974 World Series team, appearing in two World Series games.

Haney hit .215 with 198 hits 30 doubles 1 HRs 73 RBIs & a .252 on base % playing in 480 career games. As a catcher he threw out 39% of would be base stealers & posted a .985 fielding %. After his playing days he served as a longtime coach in the Milwaukee Brewers
organization until 2006.

Mike Cubbage made his debut against his cousins World Champion A’s in April 1974. He was sent back down to the minors returning in September for a call up. At the time the Rangers had Lenny Randle batting .300 in 1973 & then Roy Howell taking over the position next with no room left for Cubbage. In 1976 he was part of the trade that brought Bert Blyleven to Texas, going to Minnesota with Roy Smalley & Bill Singer.

He became the Twins main third baseman in the 1977 & 1978 seasons, having his best year in 1978. He batted .282 with 7 HRs 12 doubles & 57 RBIs, playing a solid third base with good range, posting a .971 fielding percentage (4th best in the A.L.). The next season he lost his job to John Castino who hit .285 & followed up with a .300 average the next season. Cubbage became the backup third baseman until he was granted free agency in 1980.

He came to the New York Mets as a free agent in 1981 which would be his final season. Cubbage made his Mets debut on Opening Day at Wrigley Field in Chicago as a pinch hitter. He would be used in that role in the majority of his playing time going 11-46 in that role. On April 12th in the last game of the Opening Series, he hit a sac fly in the top of the 9th inning scoring Hubbie Brooks in what would be the game winning run over the Chicago Cubs. He got into 67 games mostly as a pinch hitter, seeing limited action (12 games) at third base, behind Hubie Brooks. Cubbage only hit .213 overall (17 -80) driving in four runs, with five extra base hits. He hit a pinch hit HR, in his last career at bat, on the next to last day of the 1981 season off Montreal’s Jeff Reardon.

Cubbage would get released the next April finishing his eight year career batting .258 with 503 hits 34 HRs 74 doubles 20 triples & 251 RBIs in 703 games played. Retirement: After his playing days he became a long time manager in the Mets organization.

He first managed A ball at Lynchburg (1983-1985) then AA Jackson (1986) & finally, AAA Tidewater (1987-1989). He became highly regarded and seemed destined as a future MLB manager, expecting to one day take over the Mets. In 1990 he was hired as a third base coach under manager Bud Harrelson. During the last week of the 1991 season, Harrelson was fired as the Mets were in third place, 18 ½ games behind the Pittsburgh Pirates.

Cubbage got a brief chance to manage as he became the 13th manager in Met history. On September 29th 1991 Frank Viola & the Mets beat the Philadelphia Phillies at Shea Stadium giving Cubbage his first managerial win. Cubbage would go 3-4 as skipper winning the last game of the season 7-0 at Veterans Stadium. After all the years of Cubbage managerial hype, he was replaced by Jeff Torborg for the 1992 season.

Cubbage has the distinction of managing the fewest games for the Mets in their history, winning & losing the least amount of games. Overall he spent 13 years in the Mets organization, seven of them on the big league level; mostly as a third base coach.

He moved on to coach the Boston Red Sox, Houston Astros and then scout for the Tampa Rays. Cubbage is a diabetic and in 2003, had a seizure while coaching third base for the Red Sox. The seizure was a result of a hyperglycemic event; he was taken to a hospital then soon released.

Former Mets Broadcaster: Gary Thorne (1985-1988 / 1994-2002)

Gary Thorne was born on June 9, 1948 in Bangor, Maine. He attended the University of Maine graduating in 1970. He then attended the Maine School of Law & Georgetown Law School, paying his tuitions by being a disc jockey & broadcaster. He worked for the Bangor Maine, district Attorney’s office &was a member of the bar of the U.S. Supreme Court. He eventually got bored with law & court rooms. He found he had talents in the broadcasting field & would soon switch careers around.

He began calling play-by-play for the Augusta Maine hockey team in the late seventies & then the University of Maine's hockey games where he became popular in Bangor Maine. In 1985 he landed a job with the New York Mets as a radio broadcaster working alongside the legendary Bob Murphy.

The two worked well together & did some of the best baseball radio New York had ever known. Murphy & Thorne also developed a special friendship that would last for the remainder of Murphy’s life. In 2003 it was Thorne who would deliver Murphy’s eulogy at St. Patrick’s Cathedral after his passing.

Thorne worked in the booth with Murphy for the 1986 World Series & was alongside Murphy as he made the famous call in Game Six as Mookie Wilson grounder got by Bill Buckner at first. Thorne was one of the first people to criticize the Red Sox for leaving ill-fated Red Sox first baseman Bill Buckner out in the 10th inning over Dave Stapleton.

Thorne continued to do Maine hockey during the winter months, but he was so good the NHL took notice. In 1987 he landed a job with the New Jersey Devil hockey team & would hold that position through 1993. In 1988 he missed action on Mets broadcasts when the Devils got into the hockey playoffs, he was replaced by Gary Cohen. He eventually stepped away from the Mets & did one season with the Chicago White Sox before moving to Hockey full time.

In 1989 he was named as a backup announcer to Al Michael’s on ABC’s Thursday Night Baseball working alongside Joe Morgan. He also served as a field reporter for the World Series and covered the World Series Trophy presentation for ABC. In 1989 Thorne was at San Francisco's Candlestick Park when the infamous World Series earthquake hit on October 17, 1989.

Thorne went on to work alongside analyst Bill Clemment for the ESPN network, becoming one of NHL hockeys greatest all time broadcasters. He has called some of the most memorable games in recent Stanley Cup Playoff history, and his voice is one of the most recognizable to hockey fans in the United States. NBC also enlisted Thorne to call the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City.

In 1994 Gary was back with the Mets doing television broadcast on WOR TV Channel 9 for the next seven years. He worked strictly on the local non cable broadcast which were mostly Sunday games & with a few others mixed in throughout the season. By this time he was been teamed up with the likes of Ralph Kiner, Tim McCarver, Tom Seaver & Keith Hernandez over that period.

In September 2002, Thorne reportedly talked of dissension in the Mets clubhouse between manager Bobby Valentine and the team's players. "There are a lot of guys down there (in the dugout) who don't like him," a New York Daily News columnist quotes Thorne as having said. "They don't like playing for him. And if there has ever been a Teflon manager, he's it, nothing seems to stick & he's never responsible for anything." The situation never attracted national media attention.

From 1997 until 2003, Gary Thorne served as the play-by-play man for the World Series on Armed Forces Radio. In 2005 he began doing play-by-play for ESPN baseball games as well as the Little League World Series & college football.

During a 2007 broadcast Thorne claimed Red Sox catcher Doug Mirabelli admitted that the “bloody sock” Curt Schilling wore during the 2004 World Series was a hoax. Soon after a media explosion, he admitted he misunderstood Mirabelli. Thorne said. "Having talked with him today, there's no doubt in my mind that's not what he said, that's not what he meant. He explained that it was in the context of the sarcasm and the jabbing that goes on in the clubhouse.

In 2007, he began doing the play-by-play for the Baltimore Orioles games working alongside Hall of Famer Jim Palmer. He is known for his signature calls of "Goodbye! Home run!" and "Mercy!"