Remembering Mets History: (1980) Doug Flynn Hits Three Triples In A Game
This was a good Expos team that would win 90 games but finish second, although they made their only post season appearance the next year in the 1981 strike shortened year.
This game wasn't even close as the Expos pounded the Mets 11-5 in front of 33,821 at Stade Olympique. Gary Carter, Andre Dawson, Larry Parish & Rodney Scott all drove in two runs apiece for Montreal.
Starting Lineups
| New York Mets | Montreal Expos | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Frank Taveras | SS | 1 | Ron LeFlore | LF | |
| 2 | Joel Youngblood | 3B | 2 | Rodney Scott | 2B | |
| 3 | Lee Mazzilli | CF | 3 | Andre Dawson | CF | |
| 4 | Claudell Washingto | RF | 4 | Ellis Valentine | RF | |
| 5 | Steve Henderson | LF | 5 | Warren Cromartie | 1B | |
| 6 | Mike Jorgensen | 1B | 6 | Gary Carter | C | |
| 7 | Alex Trevino | C | 7 | Larry Parrish | 3B | |
| 8 | Doug Flynn | 2B | 8 | Chris Speier | SS | |
| 9 | John Pacella | P | 9 | Bill Gullickson | P |
In the Mets third inning, Doug Flynn led off with a triple to center field. He would score on Frank Taveras base hit. In the 5th Flynn once again led off the inning with a triple, this time toward left field. He scored again on another Taveras base hit.
Quotes: Doug Flynn- "This is clear in my mind. My first time up, I hit it into the gap in left center. They were shading me to right, of course. Next time up, they shaded me a little to left-center, and I hit it to right-center." Montreal didn't think he could pull the ball off starter Bill Gullickson.
Flynn grounded out in the 6th inning but then came up again in the 8th.
In the top of the 8th, side armed pitcher Elias Sosa was on the mound, as Flynn led off again. This time he managed another triple this time to right field. Frank Taveras who may have had the only three RBI day of his life, drove him in again.
Doug Flynn: "The next at-bat I hit a routine, one hop, base hit to left. But it hit one of the seams in the artificial surface that had been torn up from football games, and it bounced over Jerry White's head. I got another one."
Flynn became one of 29 players since 1920 to hit three triples in a game. It was the first time a Mets player had done it since 1967 thirteen years prior. In his five seasons with the Mets Flynn hit 26 triples.
Flynn came to bat again in the 9th inning, with Alex Trevino aboard. Expos catcher gave Flynn some encouragement to do something no one had ever done before.
"I knew Gary well, and when I stepped in the box, he says, 'Hit another one, no one's ever hit four in a game. Hit it good.' He wasn't telling me the pitches, but he was pulling for me. I know that."Unfortunately he grounded out to end the game. Doug Flynn would hit 8 triples that year (9th in the NL). He matched his career high eight that he hit in 1978 (10th most in the NL).
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