John Maine: 2006 NL Eastern Champion Mets Pitcher (2006 - 2010)
Maine broke several single-season school pitching records including strikeouts and wins.
In 2002 He was drafted by the Baltimore Orioles in becoming one of the top minor leagues pitching prospects.
In 2003 he went 13-4 at A-ball, leading all minor league pitchers in strike outs with 185.
In 2004 he was moved up to AAA Ottowa going 5-7 with a 3.91 ERA.
In 2004 he was moved up to AAA Ottowa going 5-7 with a 3.91 ERA.
MLB Debut: On July 23rd, Maine debuted getting a start against the Twins in Baltimore. He allowed four runs over 3.2 innings taking the loss & returning back to the minors.
In 2005, John returned to the O's. On August 13th, in his first game back he collected his first career victory, shutting out the Blue Jays for five innings at Camden Yards. He remained on the club the rest of the season, going 2-3 with a 6.30 ERA.
Mets Career: In January of 2006 he was traded to the New York Mets along with Jorge Julio in exchange for Kris & Anna Benson.
2006 NL Eastern Champion Season: Maine started out in the minors but was called up when rookie Brian Bannister went down with an injury.
Four Rookie Starters in a Double Header: On July 8th in a double header at Shea Stadium, he was one of four rookie pitchers to all get starts in both ends of double headers. The last time that happened involving Mets rookie pitchers was 1976 with Nono Espinosa & Bob Myrick.
Shut Out: On July 21st at Shea Stadium, John collected his first career shutout, pitching a four hit complete game blanking of the Houston Astros, striking out four. He was the second Mets pitcher (Jorge Soler) to throw a shut out that season.
Second Met Rookie to Start a Post Season Game: Maine became the second Mets rookie to start a post season game. The only other Mets pitcher to make a post season start was Gary Gentry in 1969.
2006 NLCS: In the NLCS loss to the St. Louis Cardinals, Maine started Game #2 at Shea Stadium following Tom Glavine's shut out. Maine gave up two run HRs to Yadier Molina & Jim Edmonds (three runs earned) pitching four innings & walking five.
The intense series came back to Shea Stadium, with Maine getting the start for the crucial Game #6 in a do or die situation for the Mets. Maine was just the 7th Rookie pitcher in MLB history to get the ball for a Game #6 with his team down three games to two.
Maine shined in the spotlight, as he threw five scoreless innings, striking out five Cardinals along the way beating that years Cy Young winner Chris Carpenter, sending the Series to a Game Seven.
2007: Pitcher of the Month: John earned a spot in the Mets rotation & began the year earning the Pitcher of the Month Award in April, going 4-0 with a 1.35 ERA, striking out 30 batters in 33 innings.
On May 4th in Arizona, Maine held the Diamondbacks to a run in six innings to earn his fifth win to get to 5-0 lowering his ERA to 1.37.
First Career HR: On July 24th, Maine hit his first career HR, a two-run shot coming off Ian Snell in an 8-4 Mets win. On the year he hit .109 with three RBIs.
September Collapse: The Mets went into September three games up in first place, but a horrid September where they went 13-14 including losing six of their last seven games had them not even make the playoffs.
It was here the Mets drooped five straight games & fell to second place a game in back of the Phillies. On September 29th with just two games left in the season, Maine stepped up again, pitching the game of his life helping the Mets stay alive breaking the losing streak.
Bench Clearing Brawl: The game featured a bench clearing brawl, in the bottom of the 5th inning when Marlin's catcher Miguel Olivo threw a punch at his friend Jose Reyes at third base.
2008: The next year the Mets tried to regroup & make the playoffs. It would be another year where they would miss out on a playoff berth on the final day of the season.
He took back-to-back losses to close oy May, then won three of his next four starts. In his first 17 starts he allowed three runs or less in 13 of those outings but was just 8-6 by the start of July.
Season Ending Injury: On August 23rd, he gave up a season worst eight runs in Houston & it was determined he had burn spurs getting shut down for the rest of the season. Although he was reactivated on September 24th he would not pitch as manager Jerry Manuel so as not to jeopardize his pitching career.
In the 2008 season, he went 10-8 with a 4.18 ERA. In 25 starts he struck out 122 batters walked 67 in 140 innings pitched while allowing 16 HRs. At bat he hit .109 with three RBIs.
On May 4th in Atlanta, he gave up a career worst six walks but held the Braves to three runs taking the 6-4 win with HRs from Carlos Delgado & Carlos Beltran. He struck out a season high seven batters.
But after one start in June, he suffered from shoulder soreness then was placed on the DL again & would not return until mid-September.
On September 13th, he made his return pitching just three innings allowing a run in a loss at Philadelphia.
He finished up the season going 7-6 with a 4.43 ERA. Maine struck out 55 batters & walked 38 in 81 innings pitched in 15 starts.
Season Ending Injury: On May 20th in D.C., he was removed from a game against the Nationals after just throwing five pitches.
In 2010 he was 1-3 with a 6.13 ERA for the dismal Mets (79-83).
Mets Career Stats: In his five-year Mets career Maine was 39-32 with 467 strike outs & 270 walks in 5442 innings pitched. He posted a 4.17 ERA in 97 games pitched.
Post Mets Career: In 2011 he was granted free agency & signed with the Colorado Rockies. In 2011 he is pitching in their minor leagues at AAA Colorado Springs.
In 2013 Maine signed with the Miami Marlins & made the Opening Day roster. He got into four games, pitching seven innings in total, but allowed ten earned runs & was designated for assignment.
As a batter he hit .096 with one HR & 8 RBIs.
In 2005, John returned to the O's. On August 13th, in his first game back he collected his first career victory, shutting out the Blue Jays for five innings at Camden Yards. He remained on the club the rest of the season, going 2-3 with a 6.30 ERA.
2006 NL Eastern Champion Season: Maine started out in the minors but was called up when rookie Brian Bannister went down with an injury.
On May 2nd, he was hit hard by the Nationals for four runs & six hits taking the 6-2 loss. After getting inflammation on his right middle finger, he was put on the DL returning for good in July.
Maine was beaten by the Marlins Josh Johnson, falling to 0-3 on the season.
Scoreless Innings Streak: From July 15th to August 12th Maine set a Mets rookie record, tossing 26 consecutive scoreless innings. He surpassed Dwight Gooden's 23 innings streak set in 1984. It was the longest by a Mets pitcher that season & the most since Mark Guthrie's 27 innings in 2002. He was five innings shy of Jerry Koosman’s team record 31 scoreless innings streak.
On July 26th Maine shut out the Cubs for seven innings but took no decision as Mark Prior & the Cubs bullpen shut out New York 1-0. In his next start he beat the Phillies for his second victory, shutting them out for six innings on three hits.
Maine pitched well enough to earn a spot as the Mets number five starter. From July 21st to September 2nd, he was 5-0, going at least six innings each time, with the Mets going 8-0 in those games he started.
He lost his next starts before collecting his final win of the season, beating the Nationals on September 23rd at Shea. In his last 12 starts Maine went 6-2.
John Maine was a pleasant surprise for the Mets, finishing at 6-5 with a 3.60 ERA. Opponents hit just .212 against him. He struck out 71 batters in 90 innings issuing 33 walks.
2006 Post Season-NLDS: In the NLDS against the Los Angeles Dodgers, Maine wasn’t expected to start, but when Pedro Martinez & El Duque’ both went down with injuries, Maine got the ball for Game #1.
Maine pitched into the 5th inning, allowing just one run, an RBI double to Marlon Anderson. Maine gave up six hits, two walks & struck out five.
The Mets won the game 6-5 led by HRs from Carlos Delgado & Cliff Floyd. Although Guillermo Mota gave up three runs, he got the victory. The Mets swept the NLDS in three games.
He left the game tied, thanks to Calos Delgado's three run HR & an RBI hit from Jose Reyes. The Mets won the game 6-5.
The intense series came back to Shea Stadium, with Maine getting the start for the crucial Game #6 in a do or die situation for the Mets. Maine was just the 7th Rookie pitcher in MLB history to get the ball for a Game #6 with his team down three games to two.
Jose Reyes led off with a HR, Paul LoDuca collected a two run single & Shawn Green added another RBI in the 4-2 win.
Unfortunately, the Mets season ended as they were upset losing Game #7.
In his first outing, Maine pitched seven shutout innings of one hit ball, striking out six in a 10-0 Mets win over the Cardinals in St. Louis.
On April 18th, in South Florida Maine took a no hitter into the 7th inning, until Miguel Cabrerra led off the inning with a base hit to right field. Later that inning he gave up a two run HR to Joe Borchard but still won the game 8-2.
On April 23rd at Shea Stadium, John pitched into the 8th inning, allowing just one run on seven hits in a 6-1 win over the Rockies to get to 3-0.
On April 29th in the Nation's Capital, he pitched seven shutout innings over the Nationals, beating Jason Bermann in 1-0 thriller earning his fourth win. Carlos Beltran's HR was the games only run.
On May 15th, he took his first loss of the season, giving up three runs to the Cubs at Shea. He suffered back-to-back losses after dropping a subway series game where he gave up a pair of HRs.
From June 18th to July 5th John won four straight games holding hitters to a .178 batting average, as he struck out 25 batters in 30 innings.
On June 29th, he tossed an eighth inning two run, four hit victory in Philadelphia for his fifth win. On July 5th, he earned his tenth victory of the year as he struck out nine Astros in a 6-2 win at Houston giving up just two runs in 7.2 innings, lowering his ERA to 2.71.
No All-Star Team: Although he had a great first half, Maine was not picked for the All-Star team. At the time he was tied for the league lead in wins (10) with 92 strikeouts & a 2.71 ERA.
Five Inning Shut Out: On July 29th, Maine tossed his second career shutout, in came in a rain shortened one hit five inning 5-0 Mets win. It was his second career shutout.
In the second half of the season, he wasn't as effective as the first half, going an overall 3-5. On August 31st, after dropping two of three decisions, he beat the Braves, holding them to a run in seven innings.
On September 5th he gave up six runs, allowing two HRs for the sixth time on the season, taking a 7-0 loss to the Reds in Cincinnati. He put in a solid outing against the Braves at Shea in his next game allowing one run in six innings but got no decision in the win.
On September 18th, the Mets lost their sixth straight game after getting swept by the surging Phillies & the Nationals. Maine had his worst outing of the season, giving up eight runs, 11 hits & two more HRs. His record went to 14-8.
On September 23rd, he helped complete a sweep of the Marlins in Florida, keeping New York two games up on the Phillies. Although he gave up three runs, Carlos Delgado's three run HR put New York ahead. After Aaron Heilman blew the lead, David Wright's RBI single in the 11th helped win the game.
One Hit 7.2 Inning Shut Out: John Maine threw a one hit 1-0 shut out over the Marlins at Shea Stadium to earn his 15th victory. After a 1st inning walk, Maine retired the next 17 Marlins in a row until he walked Dan Uggla in the 7th inning. From the 2nd inning into the 4th inning, John struck out seven straight batters. He kept his no hitter intact until Marlins back up catcher, Paul Hoover singled with two outs in the 8th inning.
Manager Willie Randolph pulled the youngster as he left with a 12-0 lead. Maine earned the win, allowing just the one hit, while striking out a season high 14 batters, over 7.2 innings pitched.
32nd Mets One Hitter: Relivers Willie Collazo & Carlos Muniz finished off the one hit shutout, for the 32nd one hitter in franchise history.
The next day, Tom Glavine gave up seven 1st inning runs to the Marlins & the Mets were eliminated from the post season.
John Maine finished the season leading the club in wins as well as losses going 15-10 (8th most wins in the NL). He struck out 180 batters (6th in the NL) averaging a strikeout an inning becoming one of the leagues durable starters. He posted a 3.91 ERA with opponents hitting .235 against him (6th best in the NL). John also walked 75 batters allowed 23 HRs in 191 innings.
On April 5th, he lost his first start, giving up four runs in Atlanta.
From April 10th to May 13th Maine rebounded back to win five of his next seven starts, posting a 2.25 ERA allowing 11 earned runs in 44 innings. He allowed two runs or less in all seven starts.
On May 7th in L.A., John shut out the Dodgers holding them to two hits thru eight innings. In the 9th, he would give up a hit & a walk getting charged with one run in the 12-2 Mets win, his fourth victory. In the 5th inning he collected a two-run single off Brad Penny.
In his next start he once again gave up just one run, this time to the Nat's in six innings at Shea.
On July 5th, he gave up one hit the Phillies, a three run HR to Ryan Howard. He left the game in the 6th inning tied & the Mets went on to the win. The next time he faced the Phils he beat them at Shea Stadium for his ninth win of the year.
On July 28th, he left a start in south Florida with a mild strain of his right rotator cuff. He went on the 15-day DL, returned on August 15th where he pitched five shutout innings in Washington earning his tenth win of the season.
One of the reasons the Mets fell short of the playoffs is because they lost Maine in the rotation. On September 30th, after the Mets were eliminated from a post season berth, he underwent arthroscopic surgery.
In January of 2009 he signed a one year $2.9-million deal with the Mets, as they hoped he could recover & return to form.
2009: In the first season at Citi Field, the Mets were a huge disappointment, going 70-92 finishing up fourth.
For Maine, he began April with a no decision in the fourth game of the season. On April 16th he made his first start at Citi Field, taking a loss to the Padres where he gave up six runs in five innings. On April 22nd, he had another bad start, giving up five runs in St. Louis.
From April 22nd to May 9th, he came back to win three straight games, showing some signs of promise once again, as he pitched six full innings in each win.
On May 19th in Los Angles, he took another loss to fall to 3-3. But Maine then came back to win back-to-back games pitching ten straight scoreless innings in victories over the Nat's & Marlins at Citi Field.
But after one start in June, he suffered from shoulder soreness then was placed on the DL again & would not return until mid-September.
On September 20th, he won his first game in over three months, with a victory over the National's where he shut them out ft five innings.
On October 2nd at Citi Field, Maine had his best start of the year. He pitched into the 7th inning allowing one run on five hits to the Astros, matching a season high seven strike outs earning his seventh win of the season.
2010: This season would be his last with the Mets. On April 7th, in the second game of the season, he gave up HRs to the Marlins Hanley Ramirez & Jorge Cantu taking the loss at Citi Field. On April 28th, he collected his only win of the season, beating the Dodgers in New York.
In his next two starts he gave up just two runs in 12 innings combined but the Mets did not support him with runs & he took a loss & no decision.
Pitching Coach Dan Warthen explained there was concern about his arm going into the game. During the game, none of his pitches reached 85 mile per hour.
Drama: Maine got into a public dispute with the coaching staff & manager Jerry Manuel. Pitching coach Dan Warthen, called Maine a "habitual liar" when it comes to his health issues.
John Maine would have to have arthroscopic surgery to repair his shoulder. His season was over & he would miss the 2010 season as well. The Injury ended his Mets career.
Mets Career Stats: In his five-year Mets career Maine was 39-32 with 467 strike outs & 270 walks in 5442 innings pitched. He posted a 4.17 ERA in 97 games pitched.
Post Mets Career: In 2011 he was granted free agency & signed with the Colorado Rockies. In 2011 he is pitching in their minor leagues at AAA Colorado Springs.
In January 2012 he signed a minor league deal with the Boston Red Sox but was released that May. He then signed with the AL New York club, going 8-5 at AAA Scranton before being granted free agency.
Career Stats: In his eight-year career, Maine was 41-36 with a 4.45 ERA. He struck out 499 batters & walked 270 in 593 innings pitched in 112 games, with 105 starts. He allowed 81 HRs.
As a batter he hit .096 with one HR & 8 RBIs.
Retirement: In 2015 he coached as an assistant with his alma mater, the Charlotte 49ers. After baseball he became a service advisor for a Ford dealership in North Carolina.
Family: John & his wife have three daughters.