Darryl Hamilton: 2000 N.L. Champion Mets Utility Player (1999-2001)

Darryl Quinn Hamilton was born on December 3, 1964, in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. The six-foot, left-handed hitting, right-handed throwing Hamilton was signed out of Nicholls State University, by the Milwaukee Brewers in 1986.

Hamilton was known as an exceptional defensive outfielder with speed & a strong throwing arm. He began in the Rookie League and almost hit .400 getting promoted to A ball where he hit .328 at Stockton in 1987. In 1988 he then hit .325 at AAA Denver in 1988.

MLB Career: Hamilton made brief appearances with the Brewers over the next two years & by 1991 he was a Brewers everyday player. 

This was during the Brewers post Paul Molitor era & the point where Robin Yount was winding down his career. In 1991, his first full season, Hamilton would bat .311 with 57 RBIs & 16 stolen bases, making a big impact in the Brewer line up. 

In 1992 the Brewers improved to a 92-win, second place finish. Hamilton stole 41 bases (9th in the AL) hitting seven triples (7th in the AL) batting .298 with 5 HRs & a career high 62 RBIs. The next year he batted .310 but the Brewers fell to last place.

Trivia: In his career Hamilton was a good contact hitter, batting over .290 six times, with four .300 plus seasons. 

After spending seven years in Milwaukee (1988-1995) he was let go to free agency & signed a one-year deal with the Texas Rangers for 1996. Upon leaving Milwaukee he criticized the team for not wanting to build a winner. 

In 1996 he was the first place Rangers main centerfielder, not making an error all season & leading all AL centerfielders in put outs & fielding. In his career he led the league in fielding percentage four different times. That year he hit .293 with 29 doubles 15 stolen bases 6 HRs & 51 RBIs getting to his first post season. 

1996 Post Season- ALDS: After going hitless in the Game #1 win, Darryl collected two hits in Game #2 then another in Game #3. Texas lost to the AL New York team in four.

Hamilton moved on to the San Francisco Giants (1997-1998) where he was the team's main centerfielder in 1997, as the Giants finished in first place. Hamilton batted .270 seeing action in 125 games. 

Trivia: On June 12, 1997, Hamilton got the first official hit in regular season inter-league play history. Hamilton singled off the Texas Rangers Darrin Oliver to lead off the game at Candlestick Park in San Francisco.

1997 Post Season- NLDS: He played two games in the 1997 NLDS loss to the Florida Marlins going 0-5.

In 1998 he started the season with the Giants batting .294 getting traded at the trade deadline to the Colorado Rockies for Ellis Burkes. He batted .335 in the remaining 51 games for the Rockies as a reserve player & excellent pinch hitter. In 1999 he continued his fine hitting batting .303 in 91 games.

In August of 1999 he was traded to the New York Mets for outfielder Brian McRae.

Mets Career: Hamilton found himself in the heat of a pennant race as the Mets were 0.5 games behind the Braves in the NL East & leading the Wild Card race. On August 1st, his first game with the Mets, he played center field & had a pair of hits with an RBI in a 5-4 win at Wrigley Field in Chicago. 

The next day in Milwaukee he hit his first Mets HR, coming off Hideo Nomo, collecting two hits in a Mets 7-2 win over the Brewers.

Hamilton collected 32 hits, hitting safely in 20 of his first 27 Mets games during the month of August. His hitting couldn’t be ignored as he found himself in Bobby Valentine's lineup more often than not. 

Four Hit- Three RBI Game: On August 30th he had a big four hit game with three RBIs & a solo HR off the Astros Shane Reynolds in the Mets 17-1 win at Houston.

Grand Slam: On September 5th, in a game against the Rockies at Shea Stadium, Hamilton hit a grand slam HR off Darryl Kile, in six run 5th innings as the Mets went on to a 6-2 victory. It was one of his three career grand slams.

On September 18th, he hit his 9th HR of the year, a solo shot off the Phillies Mike Grace in an 11-1 romp over Philadelpha. On October 3rd, he doubled off Kris Benson to tie up a game against the Pirates, where the Mets went on to a 2-1 win. 

Wild Card Tie Breaking Game: The win tied the Mets with the Cincinnati Reds to force a one game playoff for the Wild Card title. In that tie breaking game Hamilton went 1-4 with a walk.

In only two months in New York, he batted .339 with a .419 on base %, 5 HRs 19 walks 19 runs scored & 21 RBIs.

Hamilton would lead all NL centerfielders in fielding % (.1000). He made no errors in 102 chances with two assists in centerfield. 

1999 Post Season- NLDS: Hamilton got into four games of the NLDS victory over the Arizona Diamondbacks. 

He came in as a 9th inning defensive replacement in the Game #1 Mets win. He collected two hits & drew a walk on the 7-1 Game #2 loss. 

In Game #3 he came in the game as a pinch hitter in the 5th inning & remained in the game.

In his second at bat, he singled off Dan Pleasac driving in John Olerud & Roger Cedeno to top off the Mets six-run 6th inning, in the Mets 9-2 victory. It was the only hit in the series going 1-8 (.125). 

Trivia: He was on deck in Game #4 at Shea Stadium, when Todd Pratt hit his game winning walk off HR. 

1999 NLCS: Hamilton had a good NLCS, batting .353 getting six hits in 17 at bats in the loss to the Atlanta Braves. He saw action in five of the six games.

He went hitless in Game #1 then collected a single off Kevin Millwood in Game #2 going 1-3. 

After a hitless Game #3, Hamilton got two hits in the 15 inning Game #5 win, where Robin Ventura hit his famous walk off grand slam single. 

Hamilton originally was in the starting lineup but was removed in the 9th inning, as Benny Agbayani came in to pinch hit for him.

Hamilton then had a big three hit night in Game #6 at Atlanta, driving in two runs. 

In the 5th inning he hit a two run double off Kevin Millwood, bringing in John Olerud & Robin Ventura, to bring the Mets within two runs 5-3.

Although the Mets would tie the game up, they lost it in the 11th inning, as their season ended in the NLCS loss.

2000 NL Championship Season: On Opening Day 2000 in a game played at the Tokyo Dome in Japan, against the Chicago Cubs Hamilton was the Mets starting centerfielder. He drove in a run with a 3rd inning sac fly.

On April 7th, he sprained his foot & was out on the DL until early August. By that time Jay Payton had taken over centerfield & the Mets were one of the best teams in NL. Hamilton returned on August 9th and hit a two-run pinch hit HR in a 12-5 Mets win over the Astros in Houston. 

Although he had begun the month with a .188 average, he brought it up to .224 by August 31st. He would also draw 11 walks in 17 games that month, putting up solid on base percentages. On August 17th, he hit two doubles with a walk & scored two runs in a 13-2 win over the Rockies.

In September he hit well enough (.340) to raise his average fifty points he collected 16 hits in 47 at bats. As a pinch hitter he was 3-6 in pinch hit appearances. 

On September 27th his base hit off the Braves Kevin Millwood, broke a 1-1 tie in the 5th inning. The Mets went on to a 6-2 win.

For the Mets 2000 NL Championship season he hit .276 with 29 hits 1 HR 6 RBIs & 14 walks posting a .358 on base % playing in 43 games. Strictly playing against right handers, he hit much better on the road batting .333, hitting only .228 at home.

2000 Post Season: In the 2000 NLDS against the San Francisco Giants, Hamilton went 2-3 as a pinch hitter, batting .500 overall (2-4).

In Game #2 at Pac Bell Park, Hamilton had a huge pinch-hit base hit in the top of the 10th inning. With the game tied at 4-4 he doubled off Giants pitcher, Felix Rodriguez. Jay Payton followed with a base hit, scoring Hamilton with what was the games winning run. 

He would have seven more pinch hit appearances through the post season, going a hitless 0-5. 

2000 NLCS: In the NLCS he went 0-2 playing in three games. 

2000 World Series: In the World Series he went 0-3 appearing in three of the games as a pinch hitter.

After the Pennant: In 2001 the 36-year-old Hamilton lost more time to injuries, and would only bat .214 in 52 games, retiring at the end of the season. 

He finished his 13-year career with a .291 batting average, 1333 hits 163 stolen bases, 204 doubles, 51 HRs 454 RBIs & a .360 on base percentage. His .995 fielding % ranks him as one of the best all time in the outfield.

Retirement & Studio Analyst: After his playing days Hamilton worked for MLB radio as a color analyst. In 2006 he went to work for Major League Baseball Commissioner's Office of On-Field Operations, reporting to Vice President Bob Watson.

In 2012 he began working a number of games as an analyst for the Los Angles Angels of Anaheim. In 2013 he joined the MLB network as an analyst. In 2014 Hamilton joined Jerry Augustine & Joe Block calling games for the Milwaukee Brewers, when Bob Uecker was absent.

Family: Hamilton met model Ursaline Steinke during Spring Training while in Scottsdale Arizona. They fell in love & she eventually gave up her career in modeling in Milan & moved with him to San Francisco.

here she blossomed once again as a model & made a good career for herself as well. The two married & have two sons together, but eventually divorced.

Passing: On June 21st, 2015, Darryl Hamilton was found dead after being shot multiple times at his home outside of Houston. 

Hamilton was killed by his girlfriend Monica Jordan, 44, who was found in another part of the house, dead with a self-inflicted gunshot.

The event happened in the expensive suburb outside of Houston at Pearland, Texas. The Houston Chronicle reported that Police originally were responding to a domestic dispute, but upon arrival found Hamilton dead just inside the front door.

The couple lived together with her two children & their nine-month-old baby. Hamilton has two sons from his prior marriage to model Ursaline Steinke.

On the day he was killed, he wished everyone a Happy Father's Day on his social media site, with a picture of his two sons.

He was a very valuable all-around player & pinch hitter. He was a good guy & a very popular player with his teammates & fans alike. He was just 50 years old.

The Mets issued this statement: 
“We are saddened by the tragic death of Darryl Hamilton. Darryl’s vibrant personality made him a key member of our postseason teams in 1999 and 2000. Our thoughts and prayers go out to his family.”

A moment of silence was held at Citi Field before the Mets, Red's game the following Friday night, after the Mets returned from their road trip.