Remembering Mets History (1976) Keith Hernandez Tries to Body Block Dave Kingman During a Mets Cardinals Bench Clearing Brawl

Tuesday April 20th, 1976: Early on in the 1976 season, the New York Mets managed by Joe Frazier were in second place in the NL East, 1.5 games behind the Pirates. 

Tonight, the Mets were at Bush Stadium in St. Louis, to play Red Schoendienst's sixth place St. Louis Cardinals, who were just 3.5 games behind the Astros. 

This Cardinals team featured two future Hall of Famers, the reigning All-Time stolen base leader Lou Brock & the 2020 HOF inductee, catcher Ted Simmons. 

Also on the Cardinal team was young first baseman, Keith Hernandez. Keith was playing in his third season overall & his first full season as a regular player. That year the Cardinals would finish in fifth place (72-90). 

As for the 1976 Mets, they would win 86 games but finish in third place. Once again, they had one of the leagues top pitching staffs with Tom Seaver, Jerry Koosman & tonight's starter Jon Matlack. 

Their star slugger was Dave Kingman who finished runner up for the NL HR title in 1975 & 1976 with 36 HRs &  37 HRs respectively.

A small St. Louis crowd of 7,260 were in attendance for tonight's game which would be highlighted by a bench clearing brawl.

In the top of the 1st inning, the Mets beat up on Cardinals' starter, Lynn McGlothen. Wayne Garrett led off with a single into left field. 

Then the usually light hitting Felix Millan known for hitting singles, followed with a two run HR. It was the only HR Millan would hit all season & the 20th of his eleven year career. 

After John Milner grounded out to Keith Hernandez at first, Ed Kranepool doubled to right putting runners on second & third. Next up Mets centerfielder, Del Unser hit a two run HR to right field, making it 4-0 Mets. 

Del Unser Trivia: Unser had hit two HRs off McGlothen the previous year. In his career he hit 17 HRs off Cardinals pitchers, more than double the HR total of any other team he faced. Later that year Unser was tarded to Montreal & hit another HR off Jim McGlothlen as well.

In the top of the 2nd, Jon Matlack reached on an error by second baseman Vic Harris. Lynn McGlothen walked Wayne Garrett, as he reached base for the second straight time. Then Felix Millan grounded into a double play. Mets slugger John Milner then hit a two run HR to give New York a commanding 6-0 lead.

The Cardinals pitcher Lynn McGlothen was extremely frustrated at his poor pitching & how Del Unser owned him. In the top of the 3rd inning, in Del Unser's next at bat since his HR, McGlothen hit him with a pitch. 

In the bottom of the 3rd, Mets pitcher Jon Matlack made a point of his own, brushing back McGlothen with a pitch when he was up at bat, evening things up. Matlack then struck him out & retired the side in order.

In the top of the 4th, Matlack came to bat & the frustrations came to a boil. McGlothen threw two close one at Matlack before hitting him with a pitch. Home plate Umpire Bruce Froemming immediately  tossed McGlothen out of the game. At the same time an angry Mets team came running out of the dugout to get at the pitcher.

The Mets, Dave Kingman, who is remembered as not being much of a team player, certainly was standing up for his team & his pitcher on this night.

The big six-foot, six-inch Kingman led the charge out of the dugout & was zeroing in on McGlothen. 

But Keith Hernandez, the future Met legend, intercepted the big Kingman, attempting to tackle him. 

Some reports say, Kingman just tossed Hernandez aside, but after all these years the memories vary. In any event Hernandez did save his pitcher McGlothen from Kingman getting at him on that night. 

Quotes- Keith Hernandez: "He tried to bowl me over & he did but I tried to tackle him & I delayed him enough".

Years later Hernandez also said "I remember being lifted off the ground from the initial shock of the attack, crashing onto the turf on my backside & desperately trying to hang on to the V-neck of Kingman's jersey as he literally crab walked over me to get to Lynn."

Both benches cleared, some punches were thrown & there was a lot of shoving going on as well. Cardinals manager Red Schoendienst & Mets short stop Bud Harrelson were also ejected. The League fined McGlothlen $300 & he was suspended for five games. 

Quotes- Lynn McGlothlen: "I felt I had the right to retaliate, I threw that baseball to hit Unser. Let me be perfectly clear".

Quotes- Tom Seaver: "He's dumb if that's his level of intelligence. If he couldn't get the guy out, he should have walked off the mound."

Eventually the field was cleared & play resumed.

In the top of the 8th inning, Felix Millan singled with his third hit of the game. Millan would collect 39 multi-hit games that season. Next Joe Torre tripled to center field scoring Millan with the Mets seventh run. Torre would hit three triples that season, totaling 59 in is career.

In the top of the 9th, with one out, Jerry Grote  who collected three hits in the game & Mike Phillips singled off reliever John Curtis. Wayne Garrett collected his second hit of the night adding an RBI single to finish off the Mets 8-0 scoring. 

Jon Matlack would go the distance pitching a six-hit shutout. He struck out seven & walked three. Matlack was now 2-0 with a 2.57 ERA on the season. 

After the game when asked about the events that unfolded & the action of the opposing pitcher, Matlack responded:

Quotes: Jon Matlack: "I really think I have no respect for the man."

Jon Matlack Trivia: That year, Matlack would lead the NL with six shut outs & win a career high 17 (17-10). He posted a 2.95 ERA with 16 complete games & 153 strike outs in 262 innings pitched in 35 starts. 

He made the NL All Star team & won the co-MVP of the game. Overall he came in sixth in the Cy Young voting with his teammate 20 game winner Jerry Koosman finishing second to San Diego's Randy Jones.