1969 World Champion Mets Pitcher: Nolan Ryan (Part One: The Mets Years- 1966-1969)

Lynn Nolan Ryan was born on January 31st, 1947 in Refugio, Texas, a son to Robert Ryan & Martha Lee Hancock a descendant of John Hancock, signer of the Declaration of Independence.

The Ryan family moved to Alvin, Texas when Nolan was just six weeks old. He began to pitch in Little League & tossed his first no hitter at nine years old. From the ages of 8-18 he learned a strong work ethic, working with his dad who besides working for a local oil company was also a Houston Post distributor.

Young Nolan rolled up & tossed the news papers, strengthening that gifted arm. With the arrival of major league baseball in Houston, Ryan was able to go watch games & it was there he was first mesmerized by the pitching of Sandy Koufax. 

In high school the Ryan stories are legendary, one tells of a game in the first inning where he cracked the lead off mans batting helmet, hit the number two man & broke his arm & had the third hitter refuse to enter the batter's box. When he did give in he struck out on three pitches. After graduating a star pitcher from Alvin High School, the six foot two right hander was signed in the 12th round of the 1965 amateur draft by the New York Mets.

Mets scout Red Murff said Ryan had the best arm he had ever seen in his life. The night before he watched the two hardest throwers in the NL at that time, Jim Maloney & Turk Farrell, Ryan was already faster than both of them.

At first, his fast ball was just over 90 miles an hour, but over the next two years he gained more velocity and threw even harder. He was assigned to the Marion Mets in Virginia in the Rookie League. In 1967 he was 17-4 striking out over 300 batters first in A ball Greenville, then AA Williamsport & finally in New York. At Greenville he went 17-2 with 272 strikeouts in 183 innings of work.

He made his MLB debut at Shea Stadium on September 11th, 1966 coming in relief of Dick Selma in the 6th inning. The catcher behind the plate was John Stephenson who had come in to replace Jerry Grote. The first batter he face was Braves pitcher Pat Jarvis who was also his first career strikeout victim. Hall of Famer Eddie Mathews stepped in and watched a Ryan fast ball whiz by him; he looked at Stephenson saying “what the hell was that?” Mathews was strike out number two.

The Mets lost to the Braves 8-2, with Ryan getting no decision. Ryan also gave up his first career HR that day to non other than Joe Torre.

Ryan would make his first start a week later in Houston. He only pitched in two innings allowing four runs, four hits & three walks although he struck out three, taking the loss. His control was to be a problem early on in his career. In 1967 he only pitched in four games at the minor league level. He served time doing his military duty & was sidelined with an illness.

Ryan returned to the Mets staff in 1968 & got to start the fourth game of the season. It was a thrill for him as, the game was played in Houston Texas, against the Astros. That day he had a fine outing, holding the Astros hitless through five innings. He pitched into the 7th inning, leaving due to a blister. He allowed no runs on just three hits, while striking out eight. The Mets went on to a 4-0 victory.

He pitched well in his next outing as well, it was at Shea Stadium against Claude Osteen & the Los Angeles Dodgers. He allowed two runs in 7 1/3 innings, but took a loss as Osteen outdueled him 3-2. 

In his third game, he allowed just one earned run, but five runs overall in Cincinnati, taking a 5-3 loss to the Reds. In May he won three straight starts; starting out with a Shea win, allowing just three hits to the Phillies, while striking out ten in seven innings of work.

Next, he tossed a complete game three hit, one run victory in St. Louis, against the reigning World Champion Cardinals. On May 7th, Ryan struck out fourteen Reds at home, pitching a four hit, 3-2 win at Shea Stadium. At this point he was 4-2 with one of the league's best ERA's at 1.22 & among the tops in strike outs as well. But the rest of the year didn't go so well, as he went 2-7 the rest of the way. He finsihed out May losing twice to the Atlanta Braves, allowing three runs both times.

In the first game of a June 18th doubleheader, he lost a tough 3-2, nine inning outing to Houston's Denny Lemaster. Ryan struck out twelve Astros in the game, but walked seven as well. In Houston the Astros would beat him up for five runs at the end of the month.

He began July with a debacle against the Pittsburgh Pirates, where he gave up eight earned runs in five innings of work. He went 0-3 in the month, then missed all of August with a blister problem on his pitching finger. Ryan became famous around New York, for using a solution that involved soaking his fingers in pickle brine. He returned in September to pitch just three games out of the bullpen.

On September 8th, he allowed three runs in an 8-1 loss at Wrigley Field, finishing up the game. He ended the year on September 20th, pitching two scoreless innings in Philadelphia.

In 1968 Ryan was 6-9 with a 3.09 ERA. He struck out 134 batters in 134 innings averaging a strike out an inning, in 21 games. Control was still an issue; as he walked 75 batters, threw seven wild pitches & hit four batters. He also served up a dozen long balls. Some batters were scared to death facing Ryan, when he was having control issues, while pitching at such high speeds.

On a personal level in 1968; Ryan married his childhood sweetheart Ruth, and the two would be a team forever. Ruth was a small town Texas girl, like her husband but she eventually moved to New York City to help Nolan with his home sickness & loneliness. The two kept very much to themselves & never quite adapted to the East Coast climate or environment. They never got accustomed to the Big Apple or New York City's City’s fast pace life style.

Ruth always feared for her safety & the thought of raising children in New York was never an option. The Ryan’s became friends with the Koosman's, Jerry & Lavonne. Koosman was also a farm boy from a small town, so the two couples could relate.

Ruth Ryan & Nancy Seaver (Tom's wife) also became good friends, just like their Hall of Fame pitching husbands. The Seaver's certainly were not wild party goers, but they did enjoy the museums, restaurants & arts, New York City has to offer.

That year, Nolan Ryan was also featured in the May 31st, 1968 addition of Life magazine. America was slowly taking notice of what Nation League hitters were calling "an arm that threw harder than Sandy Koufax".

As the 1969 season began, Gil Hodges used Ryan in relief during the month of April. In the second game of the young season, he earned a save against the expansion Montreal Expos, pitching an inning and a half of relief. It was the Mets their first win of the season Amazing season ahead.

After appearing in two losing efforts, as a mop up pitcher, he notched his first win of the year on April 20th. Ryan pitched four 2/3 innings of scoreless relief that day in St. Louis, as the Mets rolled to a 11-3 win.

On April 29h he relieved Jerry Koosman in the 5th inning at Montreal, and went on to complete a 2-0 shutout giving the Mets their first ever win outside the United States. He got his first start of the year on May 3rd, earning no decision at Wrigley Field. He allowed just one run in six innings of work against Phil Regan, who beat New York 3-2. He would miss a month of action returning to a relief role in mid June.

On the next home stand he was back in the starting role, beating Bob Gibson & the St. Louis Cardinals at Shea Stadium. He bested his record to 3-0 with a 1.86 ERA. On June 25th, Ryan struck out ten Phillies batters in just six innings at Connie Mack Stadium. He earned no decision in the 6-5 loss.

On July 1st, he took his first official loss, it came at St. Louis, where he walked seven batters in 5.2 innings of work, allowing three runs. On August 5th he pitched a complete game win, in Cincinnati beating the Reds, allowing just one run, with seven strikeouts.

On August 10th, he came out of the game in the third inning & would miss three weeks of action due to military obligations. He returned at the beginning of September, as the Mets were involved in a heated pennant race with the Chicago Cubs. Ryan earned a relief win against the Phillies on September 7th, when Art Shamsky, Ken Boswell, Tommie Agee & Rod Gaspar all had RBI hits in the 7th & 8th innings.

On September 10th the Amazing Mets took over first place & the next night Ryan took the mound at Shea Stadium. He blew away eleven Montreal Expos, allowing just three hits pitching a complete game three hit, one run game, giving the Mets their sixth straight win. That week he won two games in a four day stretch on the home stand, helping the Mets pass the Chicago Cubs in the pennant race.

At that point he was 6-1 with a 2.95 ERA. Byt as the season winded down, he lost his next two decisions & earned a hold in a relief appearance on September 28th.

Ryan finished the 1969 season at 6-3 with a 3.53 ERA, two complete game wins & one save. He had 92 strikeouts, and it would be the last year, until his final season in 1993 (14 years later) that he would not pass the 100 strike out mark. His control was better; in 89 innings he still walked 53, but only hit one batter & threw just one wild pitch.

Post Season: His biggest day in the spot light as a New York Met came on October 6th, 1969, in Game #3 of the NLCS against the Atlanta Braves at Shea Stadium. Ryan came in to relieve starter Gary Gentry in the 3rd inning, with the Mets down 2-0.

The Met bats quickly responded, as Tommie Agee & Ken Boswell hit HRs, putting New York ahead 3-2. Ryan then gave up a two run HR to Orlando Cepeda, which gave the Braves the lead. But it didn't last long, Nolan Ryan led off the 5th inning with a base hit & then rookie Wayne Garrett responded, with a two run HR off future Met pitcher, George Stone. The Mets never looked back, they would score a total of seven runs to support Ryan.

On the mound he was spectacular through the end of the game. From the 5th inning on he allowed just two hits the rest of the way, as no one got past second base. In the top of the 9th inning, Bob Aspromonte flew out to centerfield to start the inning. Then Felix Millan grounded to short stop for out number two. Next, Tony Gonzales hit a ground ball to Wayne Garrett, he threw to first baseman Ed Kranepool for the last out. The Amazing Mets were going to the World Series.

Catcher Jerry Grote ran to the mound to congratulate Ryan, then the two ran for their lives to the dugout, as the wild Shea fans stormed the field.

Ryan earned his first post season win, as he pitched seven innings, allowed two runs on three hits, two walks & struck out seven. At the plate that day, he even got two base hits, going 2-4 and scoring a run.

In the 1969 World Series against the Baltimore Orioles, Ryan once again came in to relieve Gary Gentry. This time it also was Game #3 & also at Shea Stadium. He walked into a bases loaded jam in the 7th inning, with the Mets ahead 4-0.

Mark Belanger was on third, Dave May on second & Don Buford on first. Centerfielder Paul Blair then ripped a screaming liner to right center field. Met fans held their breath, but once again they saw Tommie Agee come up with another one of the greatest catches in World Series history.

It was the second spectacular catch Agee made on the day, making it all look more Amazing. Ryan took a sigh of relief & walked off the mound. He returned in the 8th to retire the side in order, striking out Boog Powell & Brooks Robinson.

In the bottom of the 8th Ed Kranepool hit a HR to make it 5-0 Mets. In the top of the 9th, Ryan got into another bases loaded jam with two outs, as he walked Belanger & Buford, while serving up a single to pinch hitter Clay Dalrymple. Gil Hodges paced the dugout but stuck with Ryan. He bored down & got Paul Blair to strike out looking on a blazing fastball.

The Mets now had a two games to one lead & Shea Stadium was ecstatic. Once again Grote ran out to congradulate his pitcher, as the team followed. The Amazing Mets went on to win the World Series, it would be the only time Ryan would ever play in a World Series as a pitcher.

He enjoyed some of the success that came with being a champion in New York. He appeared on the Ed Sullivan Show, along with the rest of his team to sing " You Gotta Have Heat".

Ryan was visibly shy as Tom Seaver jokingly nudged him as the camera passed him with his name of the screen. All in all the simple Ryan just wanted to go back to Texas & have a quiet off season with his wife.

Nolan Ryan: Part Two- The Mets Years & the Trade (1970-1971)

In 1970 Nolan Ryan's first start came on Saturday April 18th at Shea Stadium, in a match up against the Philadelphia Phillies. It was one of his best regular season performances in a Met uniform. After allowing a leadoff single to infielder Denny Doyle, Ryan never gave up another hit. He did walk six batters, but threw a one hit shutout, striking out fifteen batters in a 7-0 win.


In his next start he was almost as good, but allowed one run, (just two hits) over eight innings, but took a 1-0 loss at Dodger Stadium, to Claude Osteen. On April 30th in San Francisco, he pitched a three hitter, allowing just one run to beat the Giants & Mike McCormick in another squeaker; 2-1. In his first three games of 1970 he was 2-1, had only allowed two earned runs (0.69 ERA) & struck out twenty eight batters in 26 innings of work.

In May he took two straight losses where he was hit hard, first for four runs then for seven runs. On May 24th he pitched another gem, this time a two hit eight strikeout performance against the Chicago Cubs at Shea Stadium. But Ryan's inconsistency haunted him again as walks & a lot of earned runs had him at 6-6 by August.

He then had a terrible August going 1-4 allowing twelve earned runs in thirty innings. He even blew a save that month, giving up a 9th inning two run double to the Reds Johnny Bench. Ryan made two starts at the start of September but had little success, earning two no decagons in Mets losses. He then made five relief appearances going 1-0 with a save.

He ended the season with a 2-0 loss against the Chicago Cubs, in which he got the start & allowed just on earned run into the 6th inning.

In 1970 Ryan was 7-11 with one save. He struck out 125 batters in 132 innings pitched. He walked 97, allowed ten HRs, threw eight wild pitches and hit four batters. He made 19 starts, threw five complete games and posted a pair of shut outs. 

That year the Mets were in the race into September but faded, finishing six games behind the Pittsburgh Pirates & one game behind the rival Cubs.

In 1971 Ryan began the year with two appearances out of the Mets bullpen. On April 23rd he finished off a game at Wrigley Field & was the winning pitcher when Ken Singleton drove home Tommie Agee in the top of the 12th inning. He closed out the bottom of the inning striking out Joe Pepitone & Paul Popovich.

On April 29th he made his first start & shut out the Cardinals for six innings in St. Louis. He got the victory as the Mets scored seven runs. On May 11th he got his fourth win of the season, tossing a three hit, one run complete game against the Astros at home. On May 29th in the second game of a twin bill at San Diego, Ryan struck out a career high up to that point in his career, 16 batters.

He tossed a one run four hitter that day against the Padres. At that point he was 6-1 with a 1.08 ERA & had fifty strike outs. He & Tom Seaver as well as Jerry Koosman, were making up one of the league's best pitching staffs. He then lost three straight games in June, but only gave up two runs in three of those starts. The Mets were shut out twice by the Dodgers in those games, first by Don Sutton & then by Al Downing.

His ERA was still under two at 1.78 on June 15th as he had fallen to 6-4. On June 25th he pitched a complete game in Montreal to beat the Expos 4-1. He struck out ten batters but did scatter eleven hits, walking just one. Ryan then pitched seven shutout innings against the NL Champion Pirates, striking out another nine & beating ace Steve Blass.

From there, Ryan had a terrible three months to end the season. He went 2-10, suffering through a five game losing streak as well as a four game losing streak in August/ September.

In five of those starts he never got past the second inning. But by the same respect in five of starts over the three months (14 games) he allowed two runs or less never earning a win.

On September 23rd, 1971 Ryan won his last game in a Mets uniform, it came at Wrigley Field in Chicago. That day he pitched eight innings, allowing four runs on seven hits striking out five Cubs, beating veteran pitcher Juan Pizzaro.

Then on September 28th, 1971 Nolan Ryan pitched his final game as a New York Met. He never got out of the first inning, allowing three runs, a hit & four walks to the St. Louis Cardinals, taking the loss.

He ended the season 10-14 with a 3.97 ERA 137 strikeouts & 116 walks in 152 innings. He pitched in his Mets career highs of 30 games & 26 starts, tossing three complete games one shut out, allowing 125 hits & a career high 15 hit batters.

Leading to the Trade: By the end of the 1971season, Ryan was becoming very frustrated. Between having limited success on the mound and with his unhappiness in New York City, he told his wife he was considering actually retirement at 24 years old.

Although Ryan was the hardest thrower in the league, he was not as effective as Tom Seaver, Jerry Koosman or even Gary Gentry on his own staff. Due to those facts, Manager Gil Hodges & pitching coach Rube Walker did not give him any extra time. They basically gave him the ball & told him to throw it as hard as he could.

According to Ryan one of his biggest problems in New York was his six year, military obligation in the Army Reserves during the Vietnam War. He was flying back to Houston every other weekend which was certainly interfering with his pitching turns. This was part of the reason he was also being used in the bull pen. Also manager Gil Hodges refused to alter his rotation & rightfully so.

On top of all this, injuries & personal issues were more reasons why Nolan Ryan wasn't happy in New York. It was clear he wasn't going to be a Met for long. That off season he went to the Mets management & asked for a trade.

By September the Mets had been out of the pennant race and the team was changing faces, since the 1969 World Series win. The Mets finished third in 1971 at 83-79, fifteen games back of the World Champion Pirates.

By the next season Donn Clendenon, Ron Swoboda, Art Shamsky, Ron Taylor & of course Nolan Ryan would all be gone. Tommie Agee & Gary Gentry would be in their last seasons as Mets. Maybe the biggest change of all would be the shocking death of manager Gil Hodges at the end of Spring Training.

The Trade: During that off season, on December 10th, 1971, the Mets made the worst trades in their history. It was also one of the worst in baseball history even though it had to be done. Nolan Ryan was traded, along with outfielder Leory Stanton, pitcher Don Rose & catcher Frank Estrada, to the California Angels for former All Star, third baseman, Jim Fregosi.

The Mets had been chasing a third baseman for much of their ten year history at that point. By that time their own Wayne Garrett should have been a good enough choice since he usually ended up with the job through 1976. In the 1972 Fregosi season, would bat .232 with five HRs 15 doubles 32 RBIs & a .311 on base% in 101 games played for the Mets. By mid July of 1973 he would be gone altogether, after batting .234 as the Mets went on to a World Series with Wayne Garrett once again their third baseman.

Nolan Ryan was going to be traded no matter what, the Mets had a strong minor league pitching staff as well, with Jon Matlack just a year away himself. But it seems the front office should have done better than Fregosi in the trade for such a stud like Ryan. It was obvious the Mets needed a power hitter, if only they had gone elsewhere fate may have been different.

Ryan credits Tom Seaver as helping him develop into a pitcher instead of just a flame thrower. He helped by changing his high leg kick and developing an over the top delivery, using more power from the legs. Old time Mets fans with a special love in for that period in Mets history can only imagine what it would have been like to have had him on the staff through the seventies with Seaver, Koosman & Matlack as a starting four.

In his Mets career from 1966-1971, Ryan pitched in 105 games going 29-38 in 74 starts. He struck out 493 batters & walked 344 in 510 innings pitched. He also recorded two saves in relief. He had 13 complete games & pitched two shut outs.

After New York: Nolan Ryan went on to become one of baseball greatest pitchers of all time. First he went to the California Angels and suffered, just as Seaver did in New York, on a team with no offensive support.

He pitched in California for eight years (1972-1979), leading the league in strike outs seven times, all but one year. He won twenty games twice, led the league in innings pitched once, walks six times & threw four no hitters. He made one post season appearance with the Angels in 1979, losing to the Baltimore Orioles in the ALCS.

In 1980 he signed with his hometown Houston Astros and pitched there for another nine years. In Houston he won two strike out titles, two ERA titles and was a 16 game winner twice. He threw two more no hitters, while getting to two more post seasons. He lost in the NLCS to the Dodgers & New York Mets in 1986.
In 1989 he went across Texas & signed with the Rangers pitching there for five seasons until he was 46 years old. In Texas he won two more strike out titles, threw his seventh record setting no hitter & was a 16 game winner in 1989.

He is the all time strikeout leader in major league history with 5741. He is 14th all time in wins (324) going 324-292 (3rd most losses) with a 3.19 ERA. He is first all time in walks (2795) second in starts (773) & fifth all time in innings pitched (5386). He has 222 complete games (113th all time) with 61 shut outs (7th most all time). Ryan has thrown 277 wild pitches (2nd most all time) & hit 158 batters (15th all time).

He was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame at Cooperstown in 1999, receiving 89% of the vote. In his career he made eight All Star teams, won the 1977 TSN Pitcher of the Year Award, but never won a Cy Young Award. Nolan Ryan will always be part of New York Mets history.

Return to the Mets: In 2009 he made his triumphant return to New York as a Met, to participate in the 40th anniversary celebrations of the 1969 Amazing Mets Championship team. He appeared at Citi Field, on television interviews, memorabilia shows & was on the cover of Sports Illustrated with his old pal Tom Seaver.

He is currently the principal owner, CEO & President of the Texas Rangers. He has made them one of the most dominant teams in the past few years & got to two World Series in losing efforts.

Trivia: He is the only pitcher to have struck out seven different father & son combinations.

1986 World Champion Mets Short Stop: Rafael Santana (1984-1987)

 Rafael Francisco Santana was born January 31, 1958, in La Romana, Dominican Republic. In 1976 he signed with the Al New York club as an amateur free agent, playing in their farm system until 1981.

That year he was traded to the St. Louis Cardinals for a player to be named later, who turned out to be George Frazier. He hit over .280 in both the 1982 & 1983 seasons. They were both minor league bests for him, while he was playing a fine short stop.

Santana began the 1983 season with the Cardinals & watched the team raise their 1982 World Series Champion flag in the home opener. There he was a team mate of Kieth Hernandez, one of the Cardinals biggest stars. 

He would appear in 30 games for the Cardinals, mostly as a defensive replacement & pinch hitter batting just .214. By the end of June he was sent back down to AAA. In January of 1984 he was released by St. Louis & a few hours later signed with the New York Mets.

In 1984 Santana batted .276 at AAA Tidewater in 77 games & was called up to the Mets by July, to fill a roster spot. He started his Mets career as Jose Oquendo’s back short stop eventually taking over the position by August.

The scouting reports on Santana said he had limited range, with good speed and a strong arm. It is now known, that he would drive first baseman Keith Hernandez crazy with his high arched throws that would barely the base runners. It also seemed Santana would only fire the ball when absolutely necessary, otherwise it appeared he lobbed the ball over the infield on a constant basis.

In fifty games at short, he made six errors with a .970 fielding %. In 1984 at the plate he hit .271 with eleven doubles, one triple, & 12 RBIs. He hit the first of his 13 career HRs during the last week of the season in a game against the Philadelphia Phillies.

By 1985 the Mets traded off Oquendo & Santana became the teams regular shortstop, a job he would hold for three seasons. He was a weak hitter and mostly batting in the eighth spot within a strong Mets mid eighties line up of power hitters. He would hit .257 in 1985, which was his career best as a regular player, with one HR, 19 doubles & 29 RBIs. He led all short stops in put outs (301) turned 81 double plays, & made 25 errors (fifth most in the league).

In the 1986 Championship season he hit under .200 most of the season. On May 24th he doubled home two runs in the 4th inning, off the Padres Mark Thurmund. The runs put the Mets ahead in a game they would win 5-4. In June he drove in five runs but was still batting under .200, until he had a good August getting him over that mark. He began the month with a six game hit streak & on August 15th he had one of his biggest offensive days. He had three hits with a pair of doubles & two runs scored against the St. Louis Cardinals in a 4-2 loss at Shea. 

On August 26th he hit ahis only HR of the year, it came off Dave Dravecky & the Padres at Jack Murphy Stadium. In September he actually had three separate multi RBI games as the Mets rolled into the playoffs. Santana finished the season at .218, with one HR 11 doubles 28 RBIs & a .285 on base %. His .973 fielding % was fourth best among NL shortstops.

As a member of a wild bunch on the 1986 team, Santana was a low key type of guy. He never got in any trouble & always conducted himself like a gentleman. In a 2009 interview from his home in Cape Coral, Florida he said: "I never got in trouble. I was never arrested. My job was too important for me to do something stupid."

Post Season: In the NLCS against the Houston Astros, he played in all six games. He set an NLCS record for shortstops at the time, in putouts (13), assists (18) and chances (31) in a six-game series. At the plate he was 3-17 batting .176 overall. In the World Series against the Boston Red Sox, he hit .250 (5-20) scoring three runs & driving in two others.

In Game #5 at Fenway Park he drove in his first run, a 9th inning single off Bruce Hurst in the Mets 4-2 loss. In the bottom of the 7th inning of Game #7, he singled home Lenny Dykstra after Ray Knight had homered off Calvin Schiraldi. He soon scored on Keith Hernandez’s sacrifice fly with the Mets sixth run.

The next season, Santana had the league’s second best fielding% at short (.973) turned over 82 doubles plays & was third in put outs & assists. At the plate he had career best in HRs (5) doubles (21) and RBIs (44), but it was his last season as a Met.

Kevin Elster was on the scene, as the organizations choice for shortstop of the future. On December 11, 1987 Santana was Traded (with minor leaguer Victor Garcia) to the AL New York club for Steve Frey, Phil Lombardi and Darren Reed.

There he played a full season as their regular short stop, 143 games, batting .240 with four HRs and 38 RBIs. He made 22 errors (third among AL short stops) & grounded into 17 double plays. An elbow injury forced him to miss the entire 1989 season, and that November he was released.

In 1990, he signed with the Cleveland Indians joining former 1986 Mets team mates Kieth Hernandez & Jesse Orosco. He would only play in seven games there getting released on April 25th. After a short seven season career he retired at the age of 32.

In his career he batted.246 with 497 hits 13 HRs 74 doubles, five triples, a .295 on base % and 156 RBI in 668 games. On the field he posted a lifetime .969 fielding percentage at short stop (97th all time) making 87 errors & turning 364 double plays.

Retirement: Since his playing career, Santana has been a long time coach in the Dominican Winter League, with the Kansas City Royals, Boston Red Sox & Chicago White Sox farm systems. He was recently in charge of the White Sox player development in the Dominican Republic.

He is a member of the Mets Alumni Association along with past Mets players, and still makes many personal appearances. He attended the 1986 Mets, twentieth Anniversary Reunion at She Stadium in 2006 & the closing ceremonies at Shea Stadium in 2008.

Late Seventies Mets Pinch Runner / Infielder: Sergio Ferrer (1978-1979)

Sergio (Marrero) Ferrer was born on January 29, 1951 in Santurce, Puerto Rico. The five foot seven middle infielder was originally signed by the Los Angeles Dodgers in 1970. He was then drafted away Rule V, by the Minnesota Twins in December 1973.

He debut in Minnesota at the start of the 1974 season behind regular short stop Danny Thompson. That year he hit a career best .281 in 24 games before being sent back to AAA in May.

He would make the team out of Spring Training again in 1975 & play 32 more games. He hit.247 & drove in his first two career runs but was back in the minors by June. Ferrer would spend the next two seasons in the minors getting traded first to the Philadelphia Phillies & then the AL New York club.

He played in their organizations before coming over to the New York Mets for Roy Staiger in December 1977. He was the first played to don the uniform #3 after Bud Harrelson had worn it since the mid sixties.

Ferrer drove in 22 runs batting .241 at AAA Tidewater when he was brought up in late April of 1978. The quick footed Ferrer, was used as a pinch runner or late inning defensive replacement in 37 games, batting just .212 in 33 at bats with one stolen base.

In 1979 he began the year back at AAA Tidewater, but rejoined the Mets that June through the rest of the season. He had seven at bats going hitless with three strikeouts, seeing action in 32 games.

He never got back to the major leagues after that, batting just .242 with 43 hits & three RBIs lifetime in a four year career.
 
Ferrer played in the minors through the 1981 season, and later appeared in the short lived Senior Professional League in 1989.

Late Seventies Met With One of the Greatest Moustache's In Team History: Gil Flores (1978-1979)

Gilberto Garcia Flores was born on October 27, 1952 in Ponce, Puerto Rico. The six foot, right hand hitting outfielder, was originally signed by the Baltimore Orioles in 1970. With such a talented rich organization in those days he was released by 1972.

From there he was picked up by the California Angels in 1973, playing five seasons at their minor league level before making it to the big leagues. The good base running outfielder, batted over .300 three straight years in the minors leagues. He first batted .307 at AA El Paso in 1975, then later that year he hit .329 in 44 games in the Pacific Coast League at Salt Lake City. In 1977 he was batting .333 at Salt Lake when he was called up to the Angels that May.

He debuted on May 8th, at Fenway Park in a game against the Boston Red Sox, playing centerfield & batting in the 8th spot. He got three hits, including a triple in his debut. Flores got into 104 games playing in the outfield & as a Designated Hitter that season for the 5th placed Angels. He batted .278, with one HR, 19 doubles 26 RBIs and stole 12 bases.

In 1978 he was back at AAA Salt Lake, he was batting .278 that July, when he was placed on waivers, where he was picked up by the New York Mets. The Mets started Flores out at AAA Tidewater where he hit .270 in 26 games, getting a September call up to Shea Stadium.

He made his Mets debut on September 5th, going hitless in a pinch hitting spot in a 8-0 Mets loss at Three Rivers Stadium. He appeared in eleven games hitting .276 (8-28) with an RBI for the last place '78 Mets.  Trivia: Flores also secured his spot with one of the Mets all time greatest moustaches, joining John Pacella of that same era. Flores has a similar stace to Kieth Hernandez, the all time moustache leader.

In 1979 season, he was on the dismal Mets club all year, seeing action in 70 games (93 at bats). He hit.194 with, three extra base hits, & ten RBIs. In April he was successful as a pinch hitter in four of seven at bats. On April 18th his fourth inning pinch hit double, drove in two runs in a 6-5 loss at Montreal. He didn't get another hit until June 25th when his average had fallen to .222.

On August 19th, he had his biggest day gathering three hits & hitting his second career HR. It was his only one of that season although it never left the ball park. Flores hit a 5th inning fly ball off Bill Bonham, to Reds right fielder Dave Collins, the ball got past him going all the way to the wall. Flores was a fast runner & beat out an inside the park HR, tying up the game. The Mets still went on to a 6-5 loss.
 He finished off the year driving in runs in back to back games in late September. Flores was back at Tidewater the next year & would play there for five more seasons through 1984.  Retirement: In a long 14 year minor league career he was a .298 hitter with 21 HRs 134 doubles & 351 RBIs in 1049 games.

In his three year MLB career he was a lifetime .261 hitter with 121 hits, two HRs, 20 doubles 15 stolen bases 37 RBIs & a .313 on base %.

Late 2000's Mets Utility Player: Nick Evans (2008-2011)

Nicholas Reginald Evans was born January 30, 1986 in Glendale, Arizona. The six foot two, right handed hitter was drafted out of high school in Phoenix, by the New York Mets in the 5th round of the 2004 draft.

Evans was primarily a first baseman in the Mets organization, in 2007 he batted .286 with 15 HRs at A ball St. Lucie. In 2008 he was at AA Binghamton when he was brought up to the Mets in May to replace an injured Marlon Anderson.

In his first MLB at bat he doubled off Colorado’s Jeff Francis, & then hit two more doubles in the same game. He was the first Met since Kaz Matsui in 2004 to have three extra base hits in his MLB debut. He got to play regularly for a week but after his hot start was batting .174 when he was sent back down in June. At Binghamton overall he would bat .311 with 14 HRs & 53 RBIs on the year, finding his way back up to the majors in the summer when Ryan Church got injured.


On August 31st he hit his first career HR coming against the Florida Marlins. In 50 games at the big league level he hit .257 with two HRs ten doubles & nine RBIs. By now Evans had become a highly touted prospect, although a first baseman by trade his future would soon be in jeopardy with the emergence of Ike Davis. 

Evans also did not hit for power, but the team was hoping he could be more of a doubles hitter, especially in Citi Field where he had little chance to hit HRs in the big ball park. In 2009 he began the year at AAA Buffalo but got sent down to AA Binghamton when he struggled. At the end of June he was back with the Mets for a month.

He hit a HR in his second game back, gathering two hits & two RBIs at Citi Field in the Mets 11-0 win over the Cardinals. The bouncing around of Evans continued as he was back at the end of August through September. On the year he hit .231 with one HR five doubles & seven RBIs in 30 games (15-65).

In 2010 he hit well at both AAA Buffalo & AA Binghamton batting .300 with 20 HRs 44 doubles & 80 RBIs getting a brief two game call up to fill a roster spot in July, but then returned as a September call up.

On September 19th his RBI single off Chan Ho Park beat the Pittsburgh Pirates in the bottom of the 9th inning at Citi Field for an exciting walk off win. In 20 games he hit .306, with one HR 3 doubles & 5 RBIs in 36 at bats.

In 2011 he continued to hit at the minor league level batting .313 with 13 doubles 8 HRs & 32 RBIs at AAA Buffalo. When he was brought up to the Mets in May after David Wright went on the DL, it took him ten games to get his first hit. He was sent down to make room for Lucas Duda, but returned to the club in July and over a month got his average to peak at .300. He saw alot of playing time in August & September since Ike Davis was gone for the season with injury.


In early September he hit HRs in back to back games then two days later had a three RBI day in Florida against the Marlins. He drove in 14 runs in the month and finished the year batting .256 with 4 HRs 10 doubles 26 runs scored 25 RBIs & a .214 on base % in 59 games. At first he posted a .993 fielding % making just three errors.

The Mets decided to part ways with Evans as he was let go to free agency in November.

He signed with the Pittsburgh Pirates two weeks later. In 2012 he played just 21 games in their minor leauges & was granted free agency.

In November 2012 he was signed by the Los Angles Dodgers. In 159 career games over four seasons he batted .256 with 28 doubles 3 triples 8 HRs 54 runs scored & 46 RBIs posting a .305 on base %.