Remembering Mets History (1976) Dave Kingman Hits Three HRs In Tom Seaver's Three Hit Shut Out in L.A.

Friday June 4th, 1976: One month before America was to celebrate its 200-year birthday on July 4th, the craze across the nation was celebrating the bicentennial. 

Joe Frazier's third place Mets (25-27) had lost four straight & 11 of their last 13. In that time two of the teams stars, Tom Seaver & Dave Kingman had been struggling.

In his last ten games, Dave Kingman had just one HR & was batting .200.

In the previous series with the Cubs Kingman came to bat with twelve men on base failing to drive any of them in. After ending the last game striking out with the winning runs on base, he trashed his locker & the surroundings of the clubhouse.

After starting the year at 4-0, Tom Seaver the NL's reigning Cy Young Award winner had lost four straight starts.

On this Friday night, a big Dodger Stadium crowd of 52,516 came to see their own knuckleballer Burt Hooton take on Tom Seaver. 

USC Trivia: In the crowd on this evening, was legendary USC baseball coach, Rod Dedeaux, who
had coached both Tom Seaver & Dave Kingman.

The Mets were starting an eleven game on a California road trip starting in Los Angeles against Walt Alston's first place Dodgers (30-21). The Dodgers & Reds were tied atop the NL West. 

The 1976 Dodgers went on to 92 wins but had no chance to catch the Big Red Machine, who won 10 games & won their second straight World Series. 

 

Dodger Manager Walt Alston would retire at the end of the season after managing the Dodgers since 1954, winning four World Championships. Tommy Lasorda would take over the Dodgers leadership for the next thirty years taking L.A to two World Championships.

As for the '76 Mets, they did make a nice run in the summer but would finish the year in third place at 86-76. It was to be their last winning season for the next seven years. No one knew it at the time, but this was Tom Seaver's last full season in New York, until a brief return in 1983.

In the top of the 1st, Dave Kingman popped out stranding Mike Phillips on first base. A quiet out but "Kong" was soon to roar & be heard on the night. 

In a scoreless game heading to the 4th, The Mets John Milner led off with a base hit. Kingman then blasted a HR to center field, it was his first of the night & 17th of the young season, making it 2-0. 

In the 5th, Met third baseman Roy Staiger singled & was moved over by a Tom Seaver bunt. Mike Phillips then singled to right bringing Staiger with the third Mets run. Wayne Garrett followed with a walk. 

Multi- HR Night: Kingman then struck again, this time blasting a three-run shot off Hooton over the left field fence. It was his second HR of the night & 18th of the year. Kingman now had five RBIs on the evening.

Eddie's Record Setter: The Mets Ed Kranepool followed going back-to-back with a solo HR, making it 7-0 Mets. It was Kranepool's 309th career extra base hit passing Cleon Jones for a new franchise record.

The HRs knocked Hooton out of a nightmare start. In 4.2 innings of work, he gave up seven runs, seven hits, three HRs, two walks & a strike out.

By the top of the 7th, Al Downing was pitching for the Dodgers. 

MLB Trivia: Downing will forever be known as giving up Hank Aaron's 715th career HR. 

Here, Mike Phillips & John Milner both singled for New York, putting two men on for the hot hitting Dave Kingman.

Multi- Three HR Game: Kingman was on fire on this night, as he blasted a "Kingmanesque" HR to left field, for his third HR of night & #20 on the young season. 

Mets Records: Kingman tied a franchise record up to that point in time, as just the second Met along with Jim Hickman (1965) to hit three HRs in a game. Kong also set a new Mets single game RBI record of eight passing Donn Clendenon's previous record of seven (1970).

Quotes- Dave Kingman: "After I popped up in the 1st, Joe Torre came over & said that I hadn't been following thru with my normal big swing, that I was stopping the swing halfway through. I had been doing it, I guess for about a week & it was one of the worst weeks of my career."

L.A. Trivia: The last player to hit three HRs in a game against the Dodgers at Dodger Stadium was Willie Stargell (1965).

In the 9th, Dave Kingman led off the inning striking out. Bruce Boisclair & Ed Kranepool both singled off Al Downing, then Jerry Grote doubled bringing in Boisclair with the Mets tenth run. 

As for Tom Seaver, he didn't allow his first hit until the Bill Russell singled in the 3rd. The next hit didn't come until three innings later when Denny Walton singled. Seaver took a two hitter to the 9th, when pinch hitter Ed Goodson singled to center.

Seaver completed the three hit shut out, striking out eight & walking just one. Seaver got his record to 5-4 earning his first win since May 4th. It was his second of four shut outs he would toss that season.

The rest of the way, Seaver would go 14-11 but post a fine 2.59 ERA with 235 strike outs. He also set an MLB record with nine straight seasons of 200 or more Ks. 

As for Dave Kingman, at that point in the season there was talk of him breaking the single season HR mark. But he would go on the disabled list from July 19th to August 27th, ruining any chances of challenging the record. 

Even missing 39 games, Kingman still would set a Mets single season record with 37 HRs (2nd in the NL to Mike Schmidt), breaking the mark of 36 he set the year before.