Remembering Mets History (1973) The Brutal George "Stork" Theodore / Don Hahn Outfield Collision

Saturday July 7th, 1973: A Saturday afternoon crowd of 30,468 filled up Shea Stadium on a beautiful sunny day to watch Yogi Berra's last place Mets (34-45) take on Eddie Mathews fifth place Atlanta Braves (38-49). 

At this point, Braves slugger; Hank
Aaron was chasing the All-Time HR record & was the most famous face in baseball.  Aaron was #2 on the all-time HR list with 694 career HRs & the Mets' own Willie Mays was #3 on the all-time with 657 career HRs.

The Mets were bottomed out in last place 12.5 games out of first place, just about their lowest point of the season. There was still a long way to go in what was to be a pennant winning season as the NL East remained tight all year. The Mets would not make their unlikely comeback until late August on.

The Mets Ray Sadecki would get his first start of the year. 

Sadecki a 13-year veteran who spent eight years in St. Louis (1960-1965) winning twenty games & a Championship there in 1964. After pitching for the Giants, he came to the Mets in 1971. Sadecki had made 14 relief appearances on the year posting a 3.05 ERA. He would eventually also make 11 starts in 33 appearances that season going 5-4 with a 3.39 ERA as a very valuable part of the pitching staff. 

His opponent was the 1970 NL Rookie of the Year, Craig Morton. Morton would go 15-10 on the season& win 15 or more games four times in his career.

In the bottom of the 1st, the Braves helped the Mets with sloppy play. Dohn Hahn got to second base on a two-base error by left fielder; Mike Lum. Felix Millan bunted toward third base, where Brave third baseman Darrell Evans made a throwing error allowing Hahn to score. 1-0 

In the top of the 2nd, Dusty Baker drew a leadoff walk, stole second & got to third on catcher Ron Hodges throwing error. Dick Dietz's sac-fly scored Baker to tie the game. 

In the top of the 3rd, The Roadrunner- Ralph Garr singled to left field. Marty Perez followed with an RBI triple to right scoring Marty giving Atlanta the 2-1 lead.

In the home 3rd, Mets singles by Felix Millan & Rusty Staub put two on, then with two outs Ken Boswell tied up the game with an RBI base hit scoring Millan. 

In the top of the 4th, Atlanta came right back, when future Mets manager; Davey Johnson hit a his 21st HR of the year. 

Davey Johnson Trivia: Johnson would hit 43 HRs that season. He along with Hank Aaron & Darrell Evan became the first trio to hit 40 or more HRs in a season. In a 13-year career Davey never hit more than 13 HRs before or after in a season.

In the bottom of the 6th, George "the Stork" Theodore was playing left field for an ailing Cleon Jones. Stork drew a leadoff walk. 

Don Hahn then doubled & the lanky Stork ran his way around the bases scoring the Mets third run to tie up the wild game at three.

In the top of the 7th Phil Hennigan came on relieving in Ray Sadecki.

Atlanta's Mike Lum led off with a base hit & was sacrificed over by Johnny Oates. Pinch hitter, Long Island's own Frank Tepedino, came through with a pinch-hit single. The ball was misplayed in leftfield by Stork Theodore & Lum scored the go ahead run, as Tepedino advanced to second.

Next up "the roadrunner" Ralph Garr, who would steal 35 bases on the season & win a batting title in 1974 (hitting .353) hit a screaming shot in the gap to left center field.

George Theodore who was upset that he had misplayed the last hit, allowing a run to score, was determined to make this catch.

He ran full speed ahead staring down the shot hit by Garr. At the same time center fielder Don Hahn was running hard chasing the liner too. The two outfielders crashed into each other head on, in one of the worst collisions in Mets history. 

At first the two players lay motionless in the Shea outfield. The ball rolled all the way to the wall. Frank Tepedino scored & the speedy Garr, had himself an inside the park HR, before Rusty Staub could get the ball in.

The Shea crowd held its breath as did the Mets players. The Mets trainer Tom McKenna came running out to the outfield to assist.

Hahn was able to get up holding his stomach, as it seemed he had the wind knocked out of him. He would have to leave the game & was replaced in center field by Willie Mays. Amazingly, Hahn returned to the lineup three days later. 

But "Stork" Theodore was unable to get up & everyone feared the worst. The Stork had a thin six foot four, 190-pound frame & had taken the worst of the hit. He was taken off the field on a stretcher by the Mets grounds crew. X-Rays showed he had suffered a fractured his hip. 


Theodore would be out for most of the rest of the regular season, making just one pinch hit appearance on September 20th, striking out in that at bat. In the post season he made two World Series pinch hit appearances, against the Oakland A's going hitless.

Former Injury: Back on June 3rd, 1973, Theodore had been hit in the eye by a pitch from the Padres pitcher Gary Ross. At the time it was feared he would lose his eyesight, but the Stork was back in the line up five days later.

After this outfield collision, at a New York hospital, Theodore told reporters he had a dream two weeks earlier that he was being removed from the field on a stretcher carried by Jerry Koosman & Tug McGraw.

He would spend a few days in the hospital, getting photographed playing his guitar, adding to his legacy of a Mets folk hero. In just two brief seasons, Theodore made himself a most popular Mets player. He is always remembered with affection, even though he wasn't the best of players on the field.

In May of 2011 he told the Daily News: "I did play two more years, but I was never the same. It changed my life, put me in a new direction, but it's all been good. That's the way it is." 

Don Hahn would be back in the line up three days later, finishing up the year as the Mets main center fielder. He played in 93 games batting .229 with 2 HRs 10 doubles 21 RBIs & a .989 fielding %.

In the game with a shortage of outfielders, Cleon Jones who was not at 100% himself after an injury had to fill in at left field for the Stork. 

In the bottom of the 8th the Mets were now down 6-3. Cleon Jones led off with a walk. Then pinch hitters Duffy Dyer & Jim Fregosi, both walked. Hall of Famer Willie Mays singled to left field bringing in Jones & Dyer cutting the Braves lead to a run 6-5.

Braves Manager Eddie Mathews brought in veteran reliever Joe Hoerner. Felix Millan reached on a force play & then Wayne Garrett doubled to right field scoring Millan & Mays giving the Mets a 7-6 lead. But the struggling Tug McGraw couldn't hold the Braves down.  McGraw was having problems all season up to this point claiming he had forgotten everything he knew about pitching.

Tug served up three singles to Johnny Oates, Hank Aaron & Marty Perez scoring pinch runner Sonny Jackson. McGraw then walked Davey Johnson, as Perez moved up to second.

Harry Parker came in relief, but Dusty Baker hit into a force play scoring Garr with another Brave run. Parker then walked Davey Johnson & Norm Miller bringing in Perez making it 9-7 Braves. 

In the 9th, Adrian Devine came on for Atlanta, Ken Boswell led off with a triple. Cleon Jones grounded out to third, but Boswell scored the seventh run. Devine then struck out Duffy Dyer & then pinch hitter Ed Kranepool lined out to short stop to end the game.

The Mets fell short 9-8 in a wild close heart-breaking loss. 

The Mets had been struggling with injuries to most of their main players all year, now with Stork & Hahn out they lost two more outfielders, this adding to the other injuries had the '73 Mets reach rock bottom.

1973 Mets Trivia: Today was the last appearance for pitcher Phil Hennigan. He had come over from Cleveland in exchange for Brent Strom & Bob Rauch. He was 0-4 with a 6.43 ERA. He was sent to AAA Tidewater, never returning to the majors again. 

This would also be the last Mets game for Jim Fregosi, who would have his contact sold to the Texas Rangers. In 1972 Fregosi had come in what is known as one of the worst trades in Mets history, in exchange for Nolan Ryan. In 1972 he hit just .232, in 45 games this season the former AL All-Star was batting .234 with no HRs & ten RBIs.