Remembering Mets History (1972) Down by Eight Runs- Mets Have Biggest Comeback in Team History

Saturday September 2nd, 1972: The 1972 season had started late due to the first ever payers strike. At the end of Spring Training the Mets lost their beloved leader Gil Hodges who suddenly passed away from a fatal heart attack. The team & the organization were stunned as they began the season naming Yogi Berra as the manager.

 By September, Yogi Berra's Mets (64-59) were in third place, fourteen games behind the Pirates as time was running out on them with thirty games left to play. Tonight, they were in Houston, playing a good Astros team (73-55).

 The Astros started the year with manager Harry Walker but he was fired in late August as the Astros fell to nine games back. Former Met manager Salty Parker managed for one game, then the legendary Leo Durocher took over. 

"Leo the Lip" got the Astros on a six-game win streak, entering tonight's game. The previous night Houston shut out the Mets & Tom Seaver 8-0. The Astros moved to within seven games behind the eventual NL champion Cincinnati Reds.

Today's starting pitchers were Mets rookie Brent Strom (0-2) making his fourth career start & Houston's Don Wilson. 

Wilson one of the leagues better pitchers, would go 15-10 on the year with a 2.68 ERA. Don would win eleven or more games seven straight seasons. Sadly in 1975 he was found dead from carbon monoxide poisoning in the garage of his home.

Brent Strom

In the bottom of the 1st, the Astros Jimmy Wynn drew a walk & then Lee May hit 28th HR of the year, making it 2-0 Astros. In the 2nd inning, Brent Strom retired the side.

In the bottom of the 3rd, pitcher Don Wilson & short stop Roger Metzger both singled. Cesar Cedeno doubled bringing in both runners to make it 4-0 Houston.

Ray Sadecki came on in relief of Strom. In the home 5th the Astros put up an unearned run on rookie John Milner's error in right field to make it 5-0. 

In the bottom of the 6th, Bob Rauch came on to pitch for New York. Doug Rader singled & Tommy Helms doubled to score him to make it 6-0 Astros.

In the bottom of the 7th, Bob Rauch was wild, as he walked Cesar Cedeno & "the toy cannon" Jimmy Wynn, while throwing two wild pitches, advancing the runners. Bob Watson then drove an RBI base hit to right scoring both runners giving the Astros an 8-0 led for the second night in a row.

Don Wilson had shut out the Mets thru the first seven innings holding them to five hits with Ken Boswell collecting two of them.

In the top of the 8th inning, Duffy Dyer & Bud Harrelson started the inning with base hits. Don Wilson then loaded the bases walking pinch hitter Dave Marshall. 

Tommie Agee the hit an RBI sac fly scoring Duffy Dyer putting New York on the board. 

Ken Boswell who was batting .177 entering the game, then hit a three run HR, collecting his third hit of the game. It was his 8th HR of the year making it an 8-4 game. 

Quotes- Ken Boswell: "I started out the season not hitting badly but I always came up empty handed. I kept trying to laugh it off figuring things would straighten out but they didn't. I think it was a hanging slider, I was just trying to hit it in the air".

Don Wilson exited the game as Fred Gladding came into pitch. Rookie John Milner & Ed Kranepool both singled. Cleon Jones then doubled bringing in John Milner with the Mets fifth run. 

Leo Durocher removed Fred Gladding & brought in Jim Ray for Houston. Wayne Garrett greeted Ray with a two run single to right field bringing in Ed Kranepool & Cleon Jones making it a one run game.

In the inning, the Mets scored a season high seven runs as they sent twelve batters to the plate, collecting eight hits.

In the bottom of the 8th inning of this crazy game, Jerry Koosman was brought in to pitch. Koosman had been struggling, losing his last three starts. Since July 11th he was 2-7 with a 6.06 ERA. This was his second straight relief appearance.

After hitting Tommy Helms with a pitch to start the inning, he got Larry Howard to fly out then struck out Jim Ray. After Roger Metzger singled Yogi Berra relieved him with Tug McGraw.

Tug was one of the leagues best relief pitchers, having saved 19 of 22 games posting a 1.79 ERA up to that point of the season, having made his first All Star appearance as well.

McGraw struck out Cesar Cedeno to end the inning.

In the top of the 9th, Jim Ray started the inning but walked Tommie Agee, then Ken Boswell collected his fourth hit of the game as he singled to right field. 

Leo Durocher brought in Tom Griffin to pitch. John Milner laid down a bunt, toward third base where Doug Rader fielded the ball then threw wide allowing Tommie Agee to score to tie the game at eight. The Mets had never come back from eight runs down before.

The Astros chose to walk Ed Kranepool to load the bases. Cleon Jones then singled bringing in Kenny Boswell & John Milner giving the Mets a two run lead 10-8. Ed Kranepool was thrown out at third base & Cleon Jones was able to advance to second n the throw. Wayne Garrett added an RBI single to finish off the Mets scoring at 11-8.

Quotes- Yogi Berra: "It's about time we find a few holes."

In the bottom of the 9th, Tug McGraw closed it out, striking out Jimmy Wynn, then getting ground outs from Lee May & Bob Watson to end the game. Tug earned his fifth win (5-5) of the year.

Multi- Hit multi-RBI Game: Ken Boswell led the way with four hits, a HR & three RBIs. Boswell who was a native of Austin Texas, would usually have about 30 tickets available for family & friends when he came to town.

Quotes- Ken Boswell: "I've never been able to do anything, guess I was trying to impress them tonight."

Cleon Jones & Wayne Garrett also had a multi-three RBI game, collecting two hits each. Ed Kranepool, John Milner, Bud Harrelson & Duffy Dyer all collected two hits as well.

Mets Trivia: The eight run comeback was & is the largest comeback in franchise history. The Mets have come back from seven runs down, three different times in their history.